Although it is not yet known exactly what charges he will face. Both AP and NBC News are reporting that the special prosecutor assigned to the Trayvon Martin case will announce the charges later today.
An undated file photo shows George Zimmerman.
(AP / Orlando Sentinel, File)
SANFORD, Fla. (AP) — George Zimmerman, the neighborhood watch volunteer who fatally shot unarmed black teenager Trayvon Martin in Florida, will be charged in the 17-year-old's death, a law enforcement official said Wednesday.
Special prosecutor Angela Corey will announce charges against the 28-year-old Zimmerman at a 6 p.m. Wednesday news conference, the official with knowledge of the investigation told The Associated Press. Corey confirmed that an announcement on the case would be made in Jacksonville but didn't elaborate. The person said Zimmerman's arrest is also expected soon.
The official didn't know the charge and spoke on condition of anonymity because he wasn't authorized to release the information.
Trayvon Martin's mother Sybrina Fulton, left, listens to the family attorney Benjamin Crump, during a news conference at the Washington Convention Center in Washington, Wednesday, April 11, 2012.
(AP / Jacquelyn Martin)
Corey had said late Tuesday, after Zimmerman's attorneys announced they were withdrawing from the case, that she would have an announcement on charges within 72 hours.
The two attorneys said they no longer were representing Zimmerman because they haven't heard from him since Sunday.
"As of the last couple days, he has not returned phone calls, text messages or emails," attorney Craig Sonner said. "He's gone on his own. I'm not sure what he's doing or who he's talking to."
However, the person with knowledge of the case said law enforcement knows where Zimmerman is. His former attorneys have said he is in hiding and suffering from high levels of stress from the intense public scrutiny he is under.
