ORLANDO, Fla. -George Zimmerman, accused of second degree murder for shooting 17-year-old Travyon Martin, has now been alleged that he sexually abused his cousin for 10 years. The accuser, known as witness # 9, a relative of Zimmerman claims that he had molested her from the age of 6 to 16.
The now 27-year-old Witness said of 28-year-old Zimmerman, "That's my earliest memory of him trying to do things. He would reach under the blankets...He was bigger and stronger and older. I was a kid. I didn't know any better," as reported by the Christian Science Monitor.
The name of the witness has not been disclosed to the public, however her confession recorded on audio tapes have been released to the public on orders by Judge Kenneth Lester. Mark O'Mara, Zimmerman's lawyers say that the accusations are irrelevant to the case and its release will severely spoil his client's public image.
On Friday, Zimmerman's team filed a request to remove Judge Lester from the case citing that the judge was evidently biased against his client and therefore "departed from its role as an impartial, objective minister of justice," according to Good Morning America. The request was made before the release of the alleged sex-abuse tapes.
Prosecutors from the State Attorney's office released a statement saying that it "objects to the defendant trying to disqualify Judge Lester," according to ABC News.
Earlier this month the Florida judge set Zimmerman's bail for $1 million, after previously revoking a $150,000 bond, for misleading the court about his finances.
Zimmerman, 25, has always maintained that the shooting occurred as an act of self-defense. Zimmerman was on duty as volunteer watchman when he shot 17 year old Travyon Martin. He is being charged with the second degree murder in February of this year.
He has been released from jail on bond, but under strict conditions including a round the clock GPS monitoring system.
