[nky]

CNN) -- An employee of the State Attorney's Office who testified that prosecutors withheld evidence from George Zimmerman's defense team has been fired.
Ben Kruidbos had been on paid administrative leave since May 28 from his job as director of information technology for the State Attorney's Office.
He testified before the trial began that Trayvon Martin's cell phone contained images of Martin blowing smoke, marijuana, and deleted text messages regarding a transaction for a firearm.
He received the termination letter, dated July 11, on Friday, the same day jurors in the Zimmerman trial began deliberating. The letter states: "It has come to our attention that you violated numerous State Attorney's Office (SAO) policies and procedures and have engaged in deliberate misconduct that is especially egregious in light of your position."
Through his attorney, Wesley White, Kruidbos informed Zimmerman's defense team that the information existed.
In court, Kruidbos testified he was concerned that he potentially could be held liable if information wasn't shared. He said "all the information is important in the process to ensure its a fair trial."
The defense believes Kruidbos' testimony is relevant because it supports their claim that the state violated rules of discovery.