George Zimmerman trial: Former Sanford police investigator Chris Serino hires Jose Baez to represent him

(CBS) - A Sanford police officer who is scheduled to be deposed in preparation for the George Zimmerman murder trial has hired Jose Baez to represent him, reports the Orlando Sentinel.

Pictures: George Zimmerman faces murder charge

Chris Serino, a former investigator with the Sanford Police Department, investigatedthe shooting death of Trayvon Martin in the days following the Feb. 26 incident, and recommended to his superiors that Zimmerman be charged with manslaughter.

However, the department declined to press charges, and it wasn't until the case was turned over to the state's attorney that Zimmerman was arrested.

Baez is perhaps best known for defending Florida mother Casey Anthony in a widely watched 2011 murder trial that resulted in Anthony's acquittal on charges she killed her daughter, Caylee.

Zimmerman has been charged with second-degree murder for shooting 17-year-old Martin, who was unarmed, as he walked through the Sanford, Fla., gated community where he was staying with his father.

Zimmerman is pleading not guilty to the charge. He has claimed he shot Martin in self-defense.

Complete coverage of the Trayvon Martin case on CBS News