28-year-old George Zimmerman, who gained notoriety in the Treyvon Martin shooting case has been charged with Second Degree Murder and has turned himself in to authorities in Sanford, the community where the shooting took place.

Angela Corey went for the maximum today when she went for the Murder II charges, Murder I charges in Florida require premeditation. Most lawyers weighing in on the issue agree premeditation was not present in the case. Murder I carries the death penalty in the state of Florida. Under second-degree murder, the jury must find that a death was caused by a criminal act “demonstrating a depraved mind without regard for human life,” said criminal defense lawyer Eric Abramsen.

“It is the search for justice for Trayvon that brought us here today,” Corey said at a news conference in Jacksonville. “I can tell you we did not come to this decision lightly. We do not prosecute by public pressure or by petition.”

Mark O’Mara, the new attorney for Zimmerman, made a statement saying that his client will plead “Not Guilty” to the charges and that the defense will invoke Florida’s “Stand Your Ground” Law as a defense.

Treyvon Martin’s parents were in Washington when the news broke. His mother, Sybrina Fulton, said this to reporters, “We simply wanted an arrest,” Ms. Fulton said. “We wanted nothing more and nothing less, we just wanted an arrest. And we got it. And I say, ‘Thank you, thank you, Lord, thank you, Jesus.’ ”

Tracy Martin had this to say, “The question I would really like to ask him is, if he could look into Trayvon’s eyes and see how innocent he was, would he have then pulled the trigger? Or would he have just let him go on home?” The family said the charges were overdue, the shooting took place over six weeks ago.

Lawyers around the nation were surprised at the charges brought by the prosecutor, most have said that they expected manslaughter charges or noo charges at all. Although it makes sense to begin with the larger charges reserving the option to have the jury consider manslaughter charges if the prosecutors feel that the case is not proving its case for Murder.

Under Florida law, persons facing Murder charges are not automatically elegitable for release on bail. They must attend a separate “Arthur” hearing. This hearing is usually held in the weeks after charges are leveled.

Zimmerman faces a maximum of life in prison if convicted. A conviction has a minimum penalty of 25 years in the state of Florida.