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South Florida Prepares For Zimmerman Verdict (+video)

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Photo Credit: Getty ImagesBy Lauren Pastrana. The Miami-Dade Police Department is partnering with local pastors in anticipation of the verdict in the George Zimmerman trial.

From the pulpit of the Peaceful Zion Missionary Baptist Church, Miami-Dade Police Director JD Patterson preached peace Thursday evening.

“Riots are not acceptable and riots are not expected,” Patterson said.

MDPD’s motto for the outcome of the case is “Be vocal, not violent.”

“We don’t have anything to give us any indication otherwise, so we expect a peaceful event as a result of the verdict,” Patterson told CBS 4′s Lauren Pastrana. Read more from this story HERE.

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Zimmerman jury adjourns deliberations for the day

By Mike Schneider and Kyle Hightower. With police and civic leaders urging calm, a jury began deliberating George Zimmerman’s fate Friday after hearing dueling portraits of the neighborhood watch captain: a cop wannabe who took the law into his own hands or a well-meaning volunteer who shot Trayvon Martin because he feared for his life.

As the jury got the murder case, police in this Orlando suburb went on national television to plead for peace in Sanford and across the country, no matter what the verdict.

“There is no party in this case who wants to see any violence,” Seminole County Sheriff Don Eslinger said. “We have an expectation upon this announcement that our community will continue to act peacefully.”

During closing arguments, Zimmerman’s lawyers put a concrete slab and two life-size cardboard cutouts in front of the jury box in one last attempt to convince the panel Zimmerman shot the unarmed black 17-year-old in self-defense while his head was being slammed against the pavement.

Attorney Mark O’Mara used the slab to make the point that it could serve as a weapon. He showed the cutouts of Zimmerman and Martin to demonstrate that the teenager was considerably taller. And he displayed a computer-animated depiction of the fight based on Zimmerman’s account. Read more from this story HERE.

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MSNBC host regrets this ‘awful mistake’ in network’s Zimmerman trial coverage

By Jason Howerton. MSNBC on Thursday afternoon aired a graphic and disturbing photograph of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin’s dead body while covering the George Zimmerman murder trial. The image flashed on the screen for about one second.

The shocking image was aired during “News Nation” with Tamron Hall. After being confronted on Twitter, including by some of her “avid” fans, over the “disrespectful” image, Hall claimed it was an “awful mistake.”

“I didn’t see it flash.. an awful mistake,” she tweeted.

The provocative blog Gawker took notice of MSNBC’s move to air the photo and published it as well. It went with a controversial headline that clearly intends to incite rage about the Zimmerman case. Read more from this story HERE.

Mark Levin Blasts Democrat Zimmerman Judge – a Jeb Bush Appointee – For Being “Way Out of Line!” (+video)

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Photo Credit: YouTubeMark Levin, a constitutional law attorney, took real offense at “obnoxious and pathetic” Judge Debra Nelson for improperly questioning defendant George Zimmerman.

Levin hit the judge – a Jeb Bush appointee and reportedly a lifelong Democrat – for not only failing to allow the defendant’s last witness to be called prior to her inquiry of Zimmerman, but also in the way she did it.

For instance, she did not allow the attorney to state his objection, but cut him off and plowed forward with her questioning of Zimmerman.

Listen to Attorney Levin’s aggressive critique here:

New Black Panther Hopes Zimmerman is Murdered in Prison, “Praise be to God” (+video)

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At least one member of the New Black Panther party hopes George Zimmerman is found guilty and murdered in prison.

“Anything less than death for George Zimmerman is not justice,” Kojo Kayrallah told The Daily Caller Friday afternoon. Kayrallah, who identified himself as the Chief of Staff for the state of Florida said he and his group were here in Sanford seeking “justice for Trayvon.”

When asked if death in prison was satisfactory, Kayrallah said “praise be to God.”

Read more from this story HERE.

Why the Zimmerman Prosecutors Should Be Disbarred

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Photo Credit: werthmediaToward the end of his closing statement on Thursday, Florida Assistant State Attorney Bernie de la Rionda posted a slide on a screen in a fifth-floor Seminole County courtroom.

“Which Owner would be more inclined to yell for help?” read the banner on the top of the slide. The slide was divided in two. On the left was a photo of George Zimmerman’s Kel-Tec PF-9 9mm handgun, and on the right was a can of Arizona Watermelon Fruit Juice Cocktail. Beneath the photo of the gun was the question, “Who followed?” Under the can was the question, “Who ran?”

So absurd was de la Rionda’s presentation, and the whole case for that matter, that the can was turned sideways so the label could not be read. Throughout the trial, prosecutors have called the drink “iced tea” lest the word “watermelon” be said in court. “F***ing” was okay. De la Rionda said it more times than the average rapper, but “watermelon,” apparently because of its racial connotations, was not.

Hiding the word “watermelon” was the least of de la Rionda’s dishonesties. This one slide had several built in. As to who ran, Martin had four minutes to run the 100 or so yards to the house he was visiting. When he attacked Zimmerman, he was still 70 or so yards from that townhouse. Do the math.

Then, too, from the day the State took over the case, prosecutors knew that Zimmerman was the one screaming for help. All evidence supported that save for the dubious identification by Martin’s mother. If the State’s jobs were to sow the seeds of reasonable doubt, one could forgive them this deception, but that’s not the State’s job. That’s the defense’s. The State’s job is to make the case for the defendant’s guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

Read more from this story HERE.

Report: Feds Helped Orchestrate Anti-Zimmerman Protests after Trayvon Martin Shooting

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Photo Credit: APBy Fox News. A conservative watchdog group accused the Justice Department of helping manage the “pressure campaign” last year against George Zimmerman in the wake of the Trayvon Martin shooting, citing documents that show an obscure agency spent thousands assisting local demonstrations.

The little-known agency, the Community Relations Service, is described by the Justice Department as their “peacemaker” for community conflicts over race.

The protests last spring over Martin’s death certainly qualified as such a conflict. But while the department claims its “peacemaker” agency does not “take sides” in such disputes, Judicial Watch said the documents and public accounts show otherwise.

“These documents detail the extraordinary intervention by the Justice Department in the pressure campaign leading to the prosecution of George Zimmerman,” Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton said.

The documents the group received — and has since published online — show the CRS agency filing a series of expenses incurred during the late March and early April demonstrations. Read more from this story HERE.

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Federal Agency Involved in Protests is a Secretive Branch of the Justice Department

By Tom Topousis. A secretive branch of the U.S. Department of Justice was deployed to Sanford, Fla., in the aftermath of the Trayvon Martin shooting to help organize rallies, including one headlined by the Rev. Al Sharpton, calling for the arrest and prosecution of George Zimmerman.

Records obtained by the watchdog group Judicial Watch, under the Freedom of Information Act, showed that members of the Justice Department’s Community Relations Service were sent to Sanford in March and April of 2012 to help manage protests, The Daily Caller reported Wednesday.

The 347 pages of documents obtained from the federal government showed that $5,320 in expenses was claimed by the Community Relations Service for workers assigned to protests and marches in and around Sanford after Zimmerman was accused of shooting Martin. Read more from this story HERE.

Zimmerman Neighbor Says He was Bloodied, Disfigured; Expert Says Residue Proves Martin was on Top (+video)

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Photo Credit: Fox NewsBy FOX NEWS. [T]estimony from one of Zimmerman’s former Florida neighbors, Eloise Dilligard, [was] that Zimmerman’s “nose was very disfigured” and blood covered much of his face immediately after his deadly confrontation with Trayvon Martin…

“His nose was very disfigured,” testified Dilligard, who also said she believes it was Zimmerman’s voice that could be heard screaming on a 911 tape…

Earlier, a forensic expert testified Tuesday that Martin’s gunshot wound indicated that he was likely on top of Zimmerman when the neighborhood watch volunteer shot him. Forensic pathologist Dr. Vincent DiMaio, an expert on gunshot wounds who has written and co-authored several articles and a book on the subject, said the single shot that killed the Florida teen passed through Martin’s clothing as it hung 2-4 inches from his skin, indicating that Martin was over Zimmerman and leaning forward.

“If you’re lying on your back, the clothing is going to be against your chest,” DiMaio testified. “So the fact that we know the clothing was 2 to 4 inches away is consistent with someone leaning over the person doing the shooting.”

Read more from this story HERE.

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Photo Credit: APDefense winds down case at George Zimmerman trial

By MIKE SCHNEIDER AND KYLE HIGHTOWER. George Zimmerman’s attorneys are finishing up their defense of the Florida neighborhood watch volunteer charged with killing Trayvon Martin, though the judge first must rule on two requests by defense attorneys.

Zimmerman, so far, hasn’t testified. But jurors saw repeated video recordings of Zimmerman telling his side of the story to police investigators. The defense started its case last Friday. If it keeps to the schedule anticipated by defense attorney Mark O’Mara, its presentation will take about half of the time of the prosecution and call on about half as many witnesses.

Judge Debra Nelson still has to decide on two requests by the defense. One is whether to allow jurors to view an animation that depicts Zimmerman’s fight with Martin, the teenager killed in a gated community in Sanford, Fla., last year. The second issue is whether she will allow Martin’s text messages that purportedly deal with fighting. The judge said she would rule on both matters Wednesday. Read more from this story HERE.

Judge Rules Defense Can Show Trayvon Martin Died With Marijuana in His System; Sheriff Prepares for Riots (+video)

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Photo Credit: Fox NewsBy Fox News. Defense lawyers will be permitted to show that Trayvon Martin had marijuana in his system when he and George Zimmerman had their fateful encounter in a gated community in Florida last year, the judge in Zimmerman’s murder trial ruled Monday.

Judge Debra Nelson denied a motion by prosecutors to keep toxicology results showing THC in Martin’s system from the jury, paving the way for Zimmerman’s lawyers to argue the drug may have influenced the teen’s behavior. Defense attorney Don West noted that in Zimmerman’s statement to the non-emergency 911 dispatcher that it appeared the person he was observing in the Sanford, Fla., community was “on drugs.”

Late Monday, Zimmerman defense spokesman Shawn Vincent said the defense could rest by the end of the day Tuesday or early Wednesday morning. The prosecution would then have rebuttal witnesses, with closing statements by Thursday or Friday. Vincent stressed this scenario depended on everything going as expected.

Nelson’s ruling on the toxicology results came after the jury was dismissed following a day of conflicting testimony about whose voice could be heard screaming on a subsequent 911 tape. A parade of Zimmerman’s friends said they recognized the neighborhood watch volunteer’s voice, but Martin’s father, who police said initially told them he did not recognize the voice, said he came to realize it was his son after hearing the tape some 20 times.

The testimony, in week three of Zimmerman’s murder trial, came after the mothers of both Zimmerman and Martin testified Friday it was their son doing the screaming in the Feb. 26, 2012, 911 call made to Sanford, Fla., police. The issue is critical because Zimmerman, a 29-year-old neighborhood watch volunteer, says he shot the 17-year-old in self-defense as he was being beaten.

Read more from this story HERE.

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Photo Credit: Breitbart Broward County Sheriff’s Office Prepares Zimmerman Verdict Riot Plan

By Ben Shapiro. On Monday, the Broward County Sheriff’s Office released a video calling on the public not to riot in the wake of the George Zimmerman verdict, expected this week or next in Florida. The Sheriff’s Office released a statement explaining that it was “working closely with the Sanford Police Department and other local law enforcement agencies” to coordinate “a response plan in anticipation of the verdict.”

The video, titled “Raise Your Voice, Not Your Hands,” focuses on attempting to channel reaction into non-violent response. It depicts two youngsters, one black teenage boy, one Hispanic teenage girl. “Raise your voice!” says the girl. “And not your hands!” says the boy. “We need to stand together as one, no cuffs, no guns,” says the girl. “Let’s give violence a rest, because we can easily end up arrested,” says the boy. “I know your patience will be tested,” says the girl, and then both conclude, “but law enforcement has your back!”

“Let’s back up and choose not to act up, and deputies are with us, so no need to act up,” says the boy. “Let it roll off your shoulders,” says the girl, “it’s water off your back, don’t lack composure, because in one instant it could be over.” Both conclude: “So let’s make the choice to raise your voice and not your hands.” Sheriff Scott Israel says, “I’m Sheriff Scott Israel, and law enforcement does have your back.” Read more from this story HERE.

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Case Against Zimmerman Collapsing

By Jack Cashill. On Monday afternoon, the State of Florida’s case against George Zimmerman all but collapsed when the defense put a lie to the State’s claim that Trayvon Martin was the one whose voice was heard on the 9-1-1 tapes.

A critical part of the evidence to support the second-degree murder affidavit against Zimmerman was the identification by Martin’s mother, Sybrina Fulton, of her son’s screaming voice on what the defense calls the “Lauer tape,” the 9-1-1 call that recorded forty seconds of cries for help.

On Friday, July 8, the State closed its case by calling Fulton to the witness stand. As expected, and as highly anticipated by those wanting Zimmerman’s head, Fulton claimed that it was her son’s voice on the 9-1-1 tape…

Under defense attorney Mark O’Mara’s guidance [on Monday], Chris Serino, the lead investigator in the case, told how he played the 9-1-1 tapes for Tracy Martin, Trayvon’s father, two days after the shooting.

When Serino asked Martin if the screaming voice on the 9-1-1 tape was his son’s, Martin said “no.” Sanford PD officer Doris Singleton testified next. She witnessed the exchange and confirmed what Serino had said. “[Tracy Martin] was telling Chris it was not his son’s voice,” said Singleton. Read more from this story HERE.

Analysis: George Zimmerman Probably Won’t Be Convicted of Murder or Manslaughter – Here’s Why (+video)

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Photo Credit: API drew a legal conclusion on “Good Morning America” Saturday that would have surprised the Dan Abrams who covered the George Zimmerman case leading up to, and shortly after, his arrest.

Now that the prosecution’s case against Zimmerman is in, as a legal matter, I just don’t see how a jury convicts him of second degree murder or even manslaughter in the shooting death of Trayvon Martin.

So what happened? How can an armed man who shot and killed an unarmed teen after being told by the police that he didn’t need to keep following him, likely be found not guilty of those crimes?

I certainly sympathize with the anger and frustration of the Martin family and doubt that a jury will accept the entirety of George Zimmerman’s account as credible. But based on the legal standard and evidence presented by prosecutors it is difficult to see how jurors find proof beyond a reasonable doubt that it wasn’t self defense.

Prosecutors are at a distinct legal disadvantage.

Read more from this story HERE.

Mothers of Both Martin, Zimmerman Testify They Heard Their Own Son Screaming on 911 Tape (+videos)

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Photo Credit: Fox NewsBy Fox News. The mothers of both Trayvon Martin and George Zimmerman testified Friday it was their own son’s voice calling for help on a taped 911 call in a dramatic day of testimony that saw the prosecution rest and the defense begin its case in Zimmerman’s murder trial.

After Judge Debra Nelson ruled against a defense motion for acquittal late Friday afternoon, the prosecution announced it was resting and the defense began by calling Zimmerman’s mother, Gladys.

She testified the voice heard screaming for help on the 911 call was her son’s and she knew it was him “because he’s my son.” The recording was made during a fight between Zimmerman and Martin minutes before the neighborhood watch volunteer shot the teen.

Zimmerman’s uncle, Jorge Meza, a deputy with the Orange County Sheriff’s Office, then testified that he overheard the 911 screams while watching television and, ” It was Jorge screaming for his life.”

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Read more from this story HERE.

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Photo Credit: APME Admits Changing Opinion on Martin’s Death

By MIKE SCHNEIDER and KYLE HIGHTOWER. After the mother and brother testified, the doctor who performed an autopsy on Martin took the witness stand. Associate Medical Examiner Shiping Bao started describing Martin as being in pain and suffering after he was shot, but defense attorneys objected. The judge sustained the objection, and Bao was directed away from that line of questioning.

He later estimated that Martin lived from one to 10 minutes after he was shot, and the bullet went from the front to the back of the teen’s chest, piercing his heart.
“There was no chance he could survive,” Bao said.

Under cross examination, defense attorney Don West questioned why Martin’s hands weren’t covered in order to preserve evidence on his fingers and why it took three hours to remove the body from the scene. West and Bao talked over each other at several points, requiring the judge to tell everyone to speak one at a time.

With jurors out of the courtroom, Bao acknowledge he had changed his opinion in recent weeks on two matters related to the teen’s death — how long Martin was alive after being shot and the effect of marijuana detected in Martin’s body at the time of his death. Read more from this story HERE.

Michael Savage on George Zimmerman: ‘You Have to Find this Man Guilty’ (+video)

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By Jeff Poor. On his show on Tuesday night, talk show host Michael Savage said that George Zimmerman, who is currently on trial for the murder of Trayvon Martin, should be found guilty of second-degree manslaughter based on two things: 1) The state of his firearm and 2) The language he allegedly used on a 911 call when he was first reporting his suspicions about Martin.

But first Savage explained why his insight should be valued over others in the media covering the trial.

“I’m about to break an analysis that no one yet in the media has done, as you would expect from me — being the senior member of the American media and possibly the most insightful,” Savage said. “And I have to blow my own horn because everyone else tries to break my horn.”

“I will tell you that I broke the case down as follows,” Savage continued. “You want to hear it, or don’t you want to hear it? I know your mind is made up: White people generally think Zimmerman is innocent, except for liberals who are sure he is guilty; black people probably to the 99th percentile are sure Zimmerman’s a murderer. So where does Michael Savage fit in? I’m an independent observer and I call them as I see them, and I think Zimmerman committed what he’s being charged with: manslaughter. He didn’t intend to kill him, but he may as well have intended to kill him.”

Read more from this story HERE.

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Medical examiner who called Zimmerman injuries ‘insignificant’ no stranger to controversy

By Chuck Ross. An investigator in the Jacksonville, Fla. Public Defender’s office tells the Daily Caller that he is “skeptical” of the testimony given by Dr. Valerie Rao, the medical examiner called by the prosecution to testify in the George Zimmerman trial on Tuesday.

Rao, a state witness and the chief medical examiner for Florida’s 4th district, called Zimmerman’s injuries “very insignificant” and testified that they were not life threatening. Zimmerman’s face and head injuries are central to his claim of self-defense in the February 2012 shooting death of Trayvon Martin.

Rao reviewed photographs of both Zimmerman and Martin as well as a re-enactment video recorded by Zimmerman with Sanford police investigators. In direct examination by state prosecutor John Guy, Rao said that as little as one impact could have caused the injuries to the back of Zimmerman’s head.

On cross-examination, Zimmerman attorney Mark O’Mara pushed Rao to admit that it was possible that Zimmerman’s injuries could be consistent with several more blows and impacts.

David Douglas, who investigates in the same 4th district out of Jacksonville as Rao, said that he listened to Dr. Rao’s testimony yesterday and said he “was a bit skeptical of her motives and conclusions.” Read more from this story HERE.