O'Mara said the tapes are significant to the one minor issue of whether Shellie knew the amount of money that was in the account, and that clearly she did. He said they told the court of the funds four days after the April 20 hearing.
O'Mara said not one of the 154 calls from the jail show an intent to deceive the judge. He said the speaking in "simplistic code" of 155 instead of $155,000 may have been to keep guards and inmates from overhearing. (On one call, Zimmerman tells Shellie other inmates want to use the phone and the guards will be coming for it shortly.)
O'Mara said "they didn't tell the judge the absolute truth." He said it was due to mistrust of the system and the judge, based on what they had been going through and what they were suddenly facing with the state's attorney trying to keep him in jail, but it was not an intent to deceive the judge.
As to credibility, he acknowledged it's a factor, but said it should not affect the core issue, which is what happened with Trayvon Martin. He said the objective evidence -- forensic evidence, witness statements and injuries -- should be more important.
O'Mara also said Zimmerman didn't lie to him. He stated, as he has before, that he never asked Zimmerman about the fund because he didn't know about it. He say GZ brought up the paypal account with him (during their discussion about closing down his internet presence) and George immediately agreed to turn over the money to O'Mara, which he did. There's a check in the bank records from GZ to O'Mara for $122,393.04, written on April 25.
In other calls released today, George talks about an inmate whose clothes were lost in the laundry. George tells Shellie he wanted to give him some of his clothes but didn't think he'd be allowed to. He also talks about how thankful he has been for the chaplains at the jail. "I mean I owe the chaplains here so much and, I can never repay them." He and his wife seem to have a mutually supportive relationship, repeatedly expressing little endearments to each other.
When I listen to O'Mara, I often get the sense he's not talking to the public but the Judge, as if he knows what he says will be reported back to him. He always seems to want to pacify the judge. Tonight he said "there's no question Judge Lester stuck his neck out in granting bond to George Zimmerman" by letting him remain in hiding and relieving him of other standard bond conditions. O'Mara didn't say a word about the law favoring Zimmerman or even that the Judge should give him another chance. While overall I think he's doing a good job, sometimes I think he is a bit too ready to acknowledge his client's shortcomings and not forceful enough about his innocence.
I don't know who "Ken" is on the tapes, but in addition to being in charge of the paypal account, he also was in direct contact with O'Mara. From the last call on 4/17:
ZIMMERMAN: Have you heard at all from O’Mara?
SHELLIE: I have not heard from O’Mara, but Ken did.
ZIMMERMAN: Oh, really?
SHELLIE: Mm hmm.
ZIMMERMAN: Why?
SHELLIE: Um, they were just, you know, working some stuff out.
ZIMMERMAN: Mm. Okay.
SHELLIE: But I can't, I don’t wanna say.
ZIMMERMAN: Yeah, good idea. Okay.
SHELLIE: But just like logistical stuff.
ZIMMERMAN: I gotcha, I got it, I got it. And is it all worked out?
SHELLIE: Um, yeah, yeah, they seem to be positive and, like Ken was saying like I'm feeling much better about this whole thing today after talking to him....
I don't think Zimmerman ever tried to keep the paypal fund secret. On his Facebook page which he opened April 10, the day after the website went live, he made several updates up until his surrender on the 11th, including this one saying he would no longer be able to access the site but the paypal link would still work. As on the website, he said the money would be going to living expenses and his "legal defense." In another, he thanks the person who set up the site.
And on April 25, "Ken" posted this comment on the blog Conservative Treehouse when the site went down, assuring those who had donated that George would receive the money. These updates were posted to his now-defunct website while he was in jail.
The State's Attorney's office today said more discovery would be released in the coming days.