A resident of the Florida community where George Zimmerman shot Trayvon Martin last year told jurors Friday afternoon how he encountered a bloodied Zimmerman immediately after the confrontation and took pictures of the murder defendant’s injuries.
State witness Joe Manalo testified that he took the photos with his cell phone that showed blood on Zimmerman’s lip and scalp.
“He had blood running down his nose from both nostrils and over his lips,” Manalo told Prosecutor Bernie de la Rionda.
Manalo said Zimmerman asked him to call his wife, Shellie, and tell her that he just shot someone as cops arrived on the scene.
“He had a cell phone in his hand and he tossed it on the ground asking if I could call his wife,” Manalo testified. “He gave me her number. I had a connection right away and said, ‘Your husband has been involved in a shooting. He’s detained by Sanford police.'”
From the witness stand Wednesday, the state’s star witness in the George Zimmerman murder trial, Rachel “Diamond” Jeantel, gave her account of Trayvon Martin’s last seconds — and they were dramatic.
While on the phone with Trayvon, he told her a man was following him, someone he described as a “creepy-ass cracker,” Jeantel said. He got close enough to Trayvon that she could hear the man say, “‘What are you doing around here?'”
Jeantel then heard a “bump,” followed by something she described as “grass sound.” Trayvon said, “Get off. Get off,” then the phone went dead, she testified.
Jeantel’s account, though, was nearly lost amid the problems and spectacle she created. She used street slang, was sometimes defiant and talked so fast and so softly that it was often impossible to make out her words.
The court reporter interrupted her a dozen times, asking her to repeat herself. Jurors interrupted, too, although not as often, and stopped when Circuit Judge Debra S. Nelson told them, “You can’t ask questions. If you can’t understand, just raise your hand.”
By Patrick Howley. A prominent African-American legal scholar is criticizing the prosecution’s tactics in the trial of half-Latino neighborhood watchman George Zimmerman, and says that a conflict-of-interest in the case could earn Zimmerman a re-trial if he is convicted.
Zimmerman is charged with second-degree murder for shooting unarmed 17-year-old Trayvon Martin in 2012. Zimmerman, whose fate will be decided by an all-female jury in Florida, claims he feared for his life and shot Martin after a violent fistfight.
“I think the prosecution clearly believes the all-female jury is not going to be interested in the law or the facts of the case,” Horace Cooper, co-chairman of the conservative Project 21, told The Daily Caller.
Opening arguments in the Zimmerman case began Monday morning, with prosecutor John Guy portraying Zimmerman as a pistol-toting vigilante who used the term “fucking punks…they always get away” when approaching Martin, who was “armed” merely with iced tea and Skittles. Defense lawyer Don West, meanwhile, opened with a joke criticizing media bias surrounding the case. Read more from this story HERE.
Jurors hear F-bomb, knock-knock joke as George Zimmerman murder trial begins
By Fox News. The prosecutor cursed and the defense attorney told a joke as both sides laid out opening arguments in the murder trial of George Zimmerman, the man who killed Florida teen Trayvon Martin in what his lawyers say was self-defense and authorities say was a case of fatal profiling.
The all-female jury of six took in both unconventional statements, alternately stunned, taking notes and at times appearing to nod in agreement. Jaws in the jury box dropped when prosecutor John Guy electrified the courtroom with a short, but profanity-laced and impassioned argument that sought to paint the defendant as an angry and out-of-control vigilante who was stalking Martin when he shot the teen in the gated community in Sanford, where he lived.
“F—ing punks,” prosecutor John Guy said in open court, quoting Zimmerman’s own words to a non-emergency police dispatcher. “These a–holes, they always get away.”
The language — rare for open court — appeared to stun the six female jurors who must decide whether Zimmerman shot and killed the 17-year-old African-American teen in self defense, or if he stalked the youth and provoked the deadly 2012 confrontation. Read more from this story HERE.
By Jack Cashill. During his opening statement in the case of Florida v. George Zimmerman Monday, Assistant State Attorney John Guy linked Trayvon Martin to the screaming that was heard on one 9-1-1 telephone call from a witness.
There were some 40 seconds of screams heard on the tape, and a witness when police arrived documented how he heard one man screaming while another man, a black man in a hoodie, was on top of him and beating him.
“You will hear screaming in the background,” said Guy, who added, “Trayvon Martin was silenced immediately when the bullet fired passed through his heart.”
The juxtaposition of the comment about screaming and Martin’s “silence” may have been intended to link the two in the minds of jurors, a maneuver used often by defense attorneys to create “reasonable doubt.”
But in his opening for the defense attorney Don West told the jurors that one thing all the witnesses could agree on was that they all heard “the screams of someone in a life-threatening situation needing desperately for someone to come to their assistance.” Read more from this story HERE.
Zimmerman parents barred from courtroom, Trayvon’s parents allowed to stay
By Ben Shapiro. In an exclusive to Breitbart News, the family of George Zimmerman has stated the Zimmerman’s parents have been barred from the courtroom by the State of Florida, even though under Florida law, the alleged victim’s family – the family of Trayvon Martin – has been allowed to stay. The state claims that because the Zimmermans may be witnesses for the state, they must be barred from the courtroom.
Defense attorney Don West “made it abundantly clear to the jury the limitations the rule of sequestration places upon Mr. and Mrs. Zimmerman’s ability to support their son George with their presence”…Read more from this story HERE.
https://joemiller.us/wp-content/uploads/logotext.png00Joe Millerhttps://joemiller.us/wp-content/uploads/logotext.pngJoe Miller2013-06-25 02:11:312013-06-25 02:11:31Conflict-Of-Interest Could Earn Zimmerman a New Trial (+video)
Zimmerman prosecutors can use terms “profiling” and “vigilante”
By David Ovalle. The terms “profiling,” “wannabe cop” and “vigilante” will be permitted in opening statements Monday by prosecutors in the George Zimmerman trial, a judge ruled Friday.
Seminole Circuit Judge Debra S. Nelson, however, warned prosecutors to stay away from the more specific term “racial profiling.”
Defense lawyers had asked that the prosecution be prohibited from using the terms because they were “inflammatory.” But the judge said prosecutors can describe what they believe the evidence will show.
“We don’t intend to say he was solely profiled because of race,” prosecutor John Guy agreed, pointing out people can be profiled because of age or attire.
Nelson made the ruling during a brief court hearing Friday morning in preparation for Monday’s opening statements in the closely watched murder trial. Zimmerman is charged with second-degree murder in the shooting death of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin of Miami Gardens. Read more from this story HERE.
Zimmerman family reacts to judge’s exclusion of expert audio testimony
By Chuck Ross. Robert Zimmerman, Jr., the brother of George Zimmerman, released an exclusive statement to The Daily Caller Saturday on Judge Debra Nelson’s decision today to exclude testimony from two state expert witnesses, stating that he and the Zimmerman family “respect the court’s ruling and are relieved the confusion that would have ensued by presenting the State’s witnesses will be avoided altogether.”
Judge Nelson issued a written ruling Saturday morning excluding the testimony of Tom Owen and Dr. Alan Reich, which pertained to the identity of a voice heard screaming in the background of the 911 phone call — the same phone call that captured the sound of the gunshot that killed 17-year-old Trayvon Martin.
The identity of the person screaming is crucial in determining whether Zimmerman’s claim that he shot Martin in self-defense is true. Read more from this story HERE.
https://joemiller.us/wp-content/uploads/logotext.png00Joe Millerhttps://joemiller.us/wp-content/uploads/logotext.pngJoe Miller2013-06-23 04:43:552013-06-23 04:43:55Zimmerman Trial: Judge Allows Prosecutors to use Inflammatory “Wannabe Cop” and “Vigilante” to Describe Defendant
Six women were chosen Thursday to decide the fate of George Zimmerman, the Florida neighborhood watch captain accused of murder in the shooting death of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin.
The six jurors were seated after a nearly two-week long jury selection process, in which potential jurors were grilled about their prior knowledge of the case and their personal beliefs on guns, law enforcement and media coverage of the fatal shooting.
Two men and two women also were picked as alternate jurors.
The six final jurors are all women – five are white and one is Hispanic.
“We’ve got a jury, which is great,” Zimmerman attorney Mark O’Mara said at a press conference Thursday afternoon. “I sort of hoped that we would get one in Seminole County, thought we would and I’m very glad that I was right, because this way we don’t have to trouble moving around.”
https://joemiller.us/wp-content/uploads/logotext.png00Joe Millerhttps://joemiller.us/wp-content/uploads/logotext.pngJoe Miller2013-06-21 03:10:152013-06-21 03:10:15Six Women Picked as Jurors in George Zimmerman Trial (+video)
A video clip has been released by George Zimmerman’s defense team who claim it will prove that Zimmerman can be heard screaming for help on a 911 call made seconds before Trayvon Martin was shot dead.
The footage, released as Zimmerman prepares to go on trial for second-degree murder, appears to show two men fighting over a bicycle by the roadside.
Defense attorneys claim that the tape came from Trayvon’s cellphone and that his voice can be heard in the background – making it possible to authenticate a crucial emergency call made shortly before the teenager was shot dead on February 26 last year in Florida.
The prosecution says that the video should not be allowed into court evidence, according to NBC.
The person who made the video recording cannot be seen on the tape. Zimmerman shot Martin, 17, during a fight on a rainy night in February 2012. Jury selection begins Monday in the second-degree murder trial, which is expected to last about six weeks.
https://joemiller.us/wp-content/uploads/logotext.png00Joe Millerhttps://joemiller.us/wp-content/uploads/logotext.pngJoe Miller2013-06-11 05:01:532013-06-11 05:01:53New Zimmerman Video Allegedly Authenticates His Screams Immediately Prior to Martin Killing (+video)
The trial for George Zimmerman, the Florida neighborhood watch captain accused of murdering teen Trayvon Martin while on patrol, begins Monday with jury selection.
The February 12, 2012, incident in central Florida sparked a fierce national debate about such issues as gun control, equal justice and race after Zimmerman, who is Hispanic, fatally shot Martin, a black teenager.
There is no disputing that Zimmerman fired his 9-mm. handgun after calling police, exiting his pickup truck to follow Martin, then getting into a fight with the 17-year-old on a rainy night inside the gated Retreat at Twin Lakes community.
The 29-year-old Zimmerman, who had a concealed weapon permit, has admitted to shooting Martin in the chest.
But Zimmerman says the teen circled back and attacked him as he walked back to his truck – punching him in the face and slamming the back of his head into the sidewalk.
https://joemiller.us/wp-content/uploads/logotext.png00Joe Millerhttps://joemiller.us/wp-content/uploads/logotext.pngJoe Miller2013-06-10 02:00:252013-06-10 02:00:25Trial Begins for George Zimmerman, Accused of Murdering Florida Teen Trayvon Martin
If it had been up to NBC and the prosecutor in the Trayvon Martin shooting, George Zimmerman would have already been seated in Florida’s notorious “Old Sparky.”
Edited and doctored tapes of a 911 call between George Zimmerman and police dispatchers by NBC news, were used to make it look as if George Zimmerman was a racist and his shooting of Trayvon Martin racially motivated.
On top of that, just released colored photos of George Zimmerman, right after his confrontation with Trayvon Martin, graphically show a bloodied and battered George Zimmermanm. A stark contrast from the previously released black and white photos by the Florida prosecutor that did not show the extent of Zimmerman’s facial injuries.
This type of evidence should have been willingly given to Zimmermans legal team by the Florida prosecutor. But it took months of legal maneuvering to get these pictures, which hugely bolsters Zimmermans account that he acted in self defense.Even famed legal expert Alan Dershowitz thinks the prosecution against Zimmerman has been acting unethically.
If the public and Zimmermans defense team had access to these photos originally, many legal experts doubt charges could have been rightfully filed against Zimmerman in the first place. There is absolutely no doubt that if these color photos of Zimmermans beaten and bloodied face taken shortly after his confrontation with Martin would have been revealed, it would have defused the racial tensions that were boiling over.
But fortunately for Mr. Zimmerman, a brilliant attorney has come to his defense and is unraveling the web of innuendo, slander and withheld evidence being used against him. Mark O’Mara has taken command of this case and will make sure George Zimmerman isn’t the state of Floridas, or main stream medias, sacrificial goat.
In a lawsuit filed a few days ago against NBC, the Zimmerman legal team stated:
“NBC saw the death of Trayvon Martin not as a tragedy but as an opportunity to increase ratings, and so set about to create the myth that George Zimmerman was a racist and predatory villain.” “Because of NBC’s deceptive and exploitative manipulations, the public wrongly believes that Zimmerman used a racial epithet while describing Martin during the call to the dispatcher on that fateful night,” the suit says.
The lawsuit accuses NBC of sensationalizing/manipulating a “racial powder keg that would result in months, if not years, of topics for their failing news program, particularly the plummeting ratings for their ailing Today Show.”
The edited recordings included “multiple deletions, removed intervening dialogue between Zimmerman and the dispatcher, and juxtaposed unrelated content “to make it appear that Zimmerman was a racist, and that he was racially profiling Trayvon Martin,” the lawsuit says.
If Mark O’Mara can prove his charges against NBC, we hope he can get a huge payday for his client as well as himself. NBC got caught trying to pervert the news we receive and manipulate public opinion.
If it is found that the Florida prosecutor willingly withheld crucial evidence in order to weaken George Zimmermans defense and cast him in a false light, then Mr. Zimmerman should demand justice for himself.
We saw another prosecutors office try to railroad innocent people into prison with withheld and manipulated evidence, in order to make a name for himself and gain political favor. North Carolina District Attorney Ken Nifong was disbarred and put in jail for withholding evidence that would have proved Duke Lacrosse team members to be innocent of charges.
Attorney Mark O’Mara is no slouch and is probably already sounding the alarm bells in this case against his client. What other evidence has this prosecutor failed to provide him in his defense of George Zimmerman?
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Ed Farnan is the conservative columnist at IrishCentral, where he has been writing on the need for energy independence, strong self defense, secure borders, 2nd amendment, smaller government and many other issues. His articles appear in many publications throughout the USA and world. He has been a guest on Fox News and a regular guest on radio stations in the US and Europe.
https://joemiller.us/wp-content/uploads/logotext.png00Joe Millerhttps://joemiller.us/wp-content/uploads/logotext.pngJoe Miller2012-12-12 00:43:142012-12-12 00:43:14NBC Must Pay for the High Tech Lynching of George Zimmerman
If it had been up to NBC and the prosecutor in the Trayvon Martin shooting, George Zimmerman would have already been seated in Florida’s notorious “Old Sparky.”