Tag: Trayvon Martin (page 11)

I've made a new category called "Reference Docs" for the George Zimmerman case. It is for handy access to things like the witness interviews and case photos and maybe some legal documents. I'll be adding to it over the next few days.

I also made a special set of commenting rules for the George Zimmerman case. Please read them.

On to witnesses: Many have focused on Witness 6 (John) and Witness 13, but I'd encourage everyone to listen to the later interviews of W-11, who was the first to call 911 and lives with Jeremy at 1211 Twin Trees Lane. Her audio interviews are available here. [More....]

Due to the inflamed passions and emotional intensity generated by the George Zimmerman-Trayvon Martin case, TalkLeft has instituted additional commenting rules applicable to this case.

Please understand TalkLeft is not a neutral site While a lot of factual and legal research go into my posts, and I strive for accuracy (and will correct any inaccuracies) this is a criminal defense site. I view every case through the lens of the Constitution and from the perspective of the person accused or under investigation. My goal is always to protect the rights of those accused of crime.

I personally moderate comments on my posts about this case. Those that I think violate the rules will be deleted. Since I do have a day-job, and may not get around to moderating comments more than a few times a day, I highly recommend you save your comment on your own computer in case it gets deleted. I recognize that commenters with opposing views put a lot of thought and time into their comments on this case, and my intent in deleting a comment is not to deprive you of your hard work, but only to keep it from appearing on TalkLeft if it violates our rules and principles.

Commenters must follow our general commenting rules, but in particular, and in addition:

• URL's must be in html format because long ones skew the margins of the site and it can take hours to find the comment causing it. There is a link button at the top of the comment box you can use to highlight the words in your comment you want hyperlinked and then paste in the url. Please preview your comment before posting. I cannot edit comments here, only delete them.
• No use of profanity (you can use asterisks in place of one or more letters);
• No misstating the law, no misrepresenting disputed facts as undisputed truths;
• No character attacks on either Trayvon Martin or George Zimmerman (which means no discussion of school suspensions or the contents of their Twitter, FB or My Space pages);
• No declarations Zimmerman is guilty. You may state your opinion, provided you state it as your opinion and not as fact.
• No personal insults or attacks on me, TalkLeft or anyone commenting here.
• No potentially libelous comments, including calling anyone a racist or a liar;
• Your comment must be on the specific topic of the post.
• While all points of view are allowed in moderation, please understand that if you repetitively express your belief George Zimmerman should be convicted, and mock or argue with almost every comment that doesn't agree, you are likely to be deemed a "chatterer" or a "blog-clogger" and limited to four comments per thread or four comments a day. I have no intention of allowing this site to be dominated by guilt-mongers.
• The site automatically closes comments when they reach 200. The "reply" button will be gone. Even though there will still be a space at the end of the thread to post a single comment, please wait for a new thread unless you have something really important and on point to say that can't wait.
• If you see a comment that should be deleted, or that you think is objectionable, because it misstates the facts or law, please reply to the commenter by name but do not reprint the objectionable part of the comment in your response. Otherwise, if I agree and delete the comment, I will also have to delete your reply to keep the inaccurate information from being associated with this site.
• The posts on this case are about the facts of the case, the investigation, the applicable law, the legal proceedings, and the media coverage (including bias and errors in reporting.) They are not about the broader subjects of race, gun laws and politics, and unless specifically referred to in the post, comments about those broader topics will generally be deemed off-topic and deleted.
• If you want to discuss a facet of the case I have not addressed, you can do so in an open thread. We have open threads almost every day.

I realize there are hundreds of sites on the internet discussing this case and TalkLeft's commenting rules are stricter than most, if not all of them. But TalkLeft is not the Government, it is a private site, and commenting here is not a right. My goal is to provide intelligent discourse, without unfair prejudice to the rights of the accused.

If you've read this far, and you still want to comment, thank you for your understanding and patience. If you don't, you are still welcome to browse, and I hope you find the end result to be a rational and informative discussion of the particular aspects of the case we have chosen to cover.

Comments are not enabled for this post. Please do post one as it will not appear.

Some links are via ABC Action News and others are from You Tube.

George Zimmerman's Call to Non-Emergency Police

You Tube version of 2/26 Non-Emergency Call

Witness Interviews

W1 SPD Interview 3/1
W2 FDLE 3/20 Interview
W2 SPD Interview 3/1 Pt.1
W2 SPD March 1 Interview Pt. 2
W3 911 call
W3 FDLE Interview 3/19/12
W5 SPD Interview 3/1
W6 SPD Interview
W6 FDLE Interview 3/20
W6 Interview With Prosecutor
W8 FDLE Interview
W8 Interview with Prosecutor
W9 SPD Interview
W11 FDLE Interview 3/19
W11 SPD Interview 3/2
W12 FDLE Interview 3/20
W12 SAO Interview 3/26
W13 SAO Interview 3/26
W13 SPD Interview 2/26
W14 SPD Interview 3/5v
W15 SPD Interview 2/26
W16 SPD Interview 3/1
W16 SPD Interview 3/2
W17 FDLE Interview 3/20
W18 SPD Interview 2/26
W18 911 call
W19 SPD Interview 2/26
W19SPD Interview 3/1
W20 FDLE Interview 3/19
W20 SPD Interview 3/2
W21 FDLE Interview 3/19
W22 SAO Interview 3/22

Emergency Workers Interviews

BrandyFDLE03272012.wav
DorivalFDLE03192012.wav
LivingstonFDLE03242012.wav
ORourkeFDLE03242012.wav
RochfortFDLE03242012.wav
TurnerFDLE03242012.wav

Robert Zimmerman

RZimmermanFDLE03192012.wav

For reference only, no comments.

We need another thread to continue the analysis of the George Zimmerman statements, interviews with police and crime-scene re-enactment.

So many were released yesterday, I doubt anyone but true case afficionados have listened to them all. I know I haven't. Yet across the internet, people are cherry-picking, pointing to minor variations as if they are contradictions affecting the totality of George Zimmerman's version of events.

If George Zimmerman told the exact same story over the course of days, people would say it was rehearsed and false. Variations are to be expected, human memory is not like a video recorder, it changes over time. So what is a reasonable test? How about this? [More...]

Attorney Mark O'Mara has released George Zimmerman's written statement, his audio interviews and the video of the re-enactment of the scene (which disappointingly doesn't show anything but a parked car -- it's really an audio of the re-enactment.)

All of the recordings are available here.

I've only read the written statement and listened to the re-enactment so far, so I'll update later today with my thoughts after I've had an opportunity to listen to all the interviews.

Update: For reference, here is the transcript of the 911 call.

Sanford City Manager Norton Bonaparte has issued a press release stating Police Chief Bill Lee, who has been on paid leave since he submitted his resignation in April, has been terminated.

"After much thoughtful discussion and deep consideration for the issues facing the City of Sanford, I have determined the Police Chief needs to have the trust and respect of the elected officials and the confidence of the entire community. We need to move forward with a police chief that all the citizens of Sanford can support. I have come to this decision in light of the escalating divisiveness that has taken hold of the city."

Interim chief Richard W. Myers will stay on the job while they search for a permanent replacement. I wonder why Myers isn't getting the job permanently.

I don't read much into this. I've seen nothing official to indicate he is being fired because he didn't arrest George Zimmerman right after the shooting, or that the initial determination that they lacked evidence to dispute that Trayvon Martin's shooting was an act of self-defense, was wrong. It was just unpopular with the public, causing friction in the community. This seems to be tying up loose ends, so that Sanford can stop paying his salary when they know he's not returning to the position.

I've uploaded the George Zimmerman jail transcripts and bank records. The transcripts are all in one document so you don't have to download 6 separate transcripts. The bank records may take a while to open, as they are 34 pages and 2.64 MB.

The links to the audio of the calls are here.

Update: Mark O'Mara told Piers Morgan tonight he will introduce another conversation at the June 29 bail hearing. In it, George and Shellie discuss her testifying at the April 20 hearing. George tells her, "Before you testify, pray first and tell the truth." [More...]

Mark O-Mara, attorney for George Zimmerman, has posted the full audiotapes of the six jail calls between Zimmerman and his wife on the website he maintains for the case.

• April 12
• April 15
• April 16
• April 16
• April 16
• April 17

He has also filed a motion asking the judge to reconsider its previous order and keep the remaining jail calls and a statement of W-9 private. W-9 will not be a witness for either party and her statement, which is inflammatory, is not admissible. The state has released the credit union bank records and transcripts of the six calls. I assume the media will publish these.

New Discovery will be out this morning in the George Zimmerman case. It may just be the audio tapes and/or transcripts of the 6 jail calls between George Zimmerman and his wife Shellie Zimmerman.

While we're waiting, here's a question: When the state filed its list of items included in the second round of discovery turned over to O'Mara last week, the list included surveillance video of M&I Bank on Feb. 26, 2012.

Many assumed, including me, it was video of Shellie Zimmerman when she was transferring money. But, it can't be: It was taken on Feb. 26, 2012, the day of the Trayvon Martin shooting, which was a Sunday, and the bank was closed. All that would have been open was an ATM. So what is the significance of the camera surveillance? Some ideas below: [More...]

Mark O'Mara, attorney for George Zimmerman, filed a pleading today stating he would call two witnesses from All Star Magic Bail Bonds at the June 29 hearing for bond.

I assume they will testify of the difficulty the family had in coming up with the $15,000. bond premium, as evidence that George and Shellie Zimmerman didn't think of the money raised by the website as their money, but money earmarked for legal fees, living expenses while waiting for trial and creditors. O'Mara has said in the past that the Zimmerman's didn't fully appreciate that the money belonged to them.

O'Mara has said he explained to Zimmerman why his belief was wrong, and he now understands.

Shorter version: Zimmerman wasn't lying, just mistaken, and had no intent to deceive the court.

Will he get another bond? Absolutely, in my view. First, he's legally entitled to it. Second, he will have spent 29 days in jail for his mistake -- that's a steep enough penalty. The judge is not concerned Zimmerman is a flight risk. He may not even raise the bond amount since the money is no longer under Zimmerman's control, but the control of a independent third party trustee. [More..]

The Judge in the George Zimmerman case has ruled that George Zimmerman's police interviews and statements are not confessions because they contain no admission of guilt and therefore must be supplied to the media within 15 days. A copy of the order is here. It states:

Upon an in camera review of the Defendant's statements, they do not qualify as confessions, as the Defendant does not acknowledge guilt of the essential elements of the crime. The only element conceded by the Defendant is that he shot and killed the victim, but he does not concede any other elements of second-degree murder. Fla. Stat. §119.071(2)(e) does not exempt the statements from the public record. Since the Defendant admitted at his bond hearing that he shot the victim, disclosure of those statements will not impact the Defendant's right to a fair trial.

[More..]

At the hearing to revoke bond on June 1, 2012, Judge Kenneth Lester said he would issue a written order. Yesterday, he issued his order, which you can read here.

Interestingly, he writes for the first time that the state's evidence is "strong." The state chose not to present evidence on the facts of the case at the April 20 bond hearing, relying instead on its affidavit. The only testimony at the hearing on the facts of the case came from the state investigator, called by the defense, who acknowledged weaknesses in the state's case. The state's affidavit of probable cause, which as has been endlessly discussed, was a one-sided portrayal with factual inaccuracies and no mention defendant's claim of self-defense. It didn't contain evidence of the elements of second degree murder. [More...]