Zimmerman Nearly Broke, Wants Floridians to Foot His Bill

George Zimmerman is almost out of money—so his lawyer is about to ask the public to foot the bill for his trial. "He really has to live as a hermit, unfortunately," says lawyer Mark O'Mara. "He's not doing well. He's getting by." His legal defense fund is down to $50,000, he has $20,000 in unpaid bills, and both he and his wife are in hiding—meaning neither of them is working. They're also paying for security since "Seminole County is unquestionably the most dangerous county, most expensive county for him to be in," O'Mara says.

So O'Mara plans to ask the court to declare Zimmerman indigent—or officially broke—which is where the public comes into the equation, because an indigency ruling would mean the state pays all Zimmerman's legal expenses other than lawyer fees. "How much have I been paid? Zero," says O'Mara, who adds that he will represent Zimmerman for free if he has to. Zimmerman received more than $250,000 in donations, but those have recently slowed, the South Florida Sun-Sentinel reports. (More George Zimmerman stories.)