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[lawofselfdefense]

Zimmerman trial: Evidentiary flashback

From the March 3, 2012 FBI report of interview with Sanford Police Department Investigator Chris Serino:

Serino is concerned that many of the leaks in this case are coming from within the Sanford Police Department. He listed Sgt AUTHOR BARNS, REBECCA VILLENOVE (phonetic),and TREKELL PERKINS as all pressuring him to file charges against ZIMMERMAN after the incident. Serino did not believe he had enough evidence at the time to file charges. Serino also stated that Barns is friendly with TRACY MARTIN [Trayvon Martin's father].

Andrew
@LawSelfDefense

 

[ZX9RCAM]

wow

 

[subseashooter]

Smh

 

[matefrio]

The BS meter is high with this Asian guy.

I know something happened, somewhere and I've seen non specific pictures and know general things and only how they apply to me and at no specific times and mention events only in passing generally speaking and in passing.\

Mostly, Almost, Sometimes........

 

[ZX9RCAM]

He stated he felt George was guilty. at least that's what I thought I heard, then says he has no opinion.
Global news impacts his life, but local news does not, really?

 

[matefrio]

Global news impacts his life, but local news does not, really?

He has family over seas... I guess that's more important than the local gossip ..

I think he's hiding an agenda....

 

[ZX9RCAM]

I added some to my post before you quoted it, lol....

I heard about that, did not know he was Asian, sounded like a "cop out" to me.

 

[matefrio]

I added some to my post before you quoted it, lol....

I heard about that, did not know he was Asian, sounded like a "cop out" to me.

I agree, he dodged all the questions giving the best non specific answer he could.

 

[lawofselfdefense]

ZIMMERMAN TRIAL: EVIDENTIARY FLASHBACK: Sanford PD Questioning of Zimmerman

I thought some of you might be interested in taking a look at some actual evidence--as opposed to speculation--from the Zimmerman case, so I've pulled together some "Evidentiary Flashbacks" to look at actual evidence that's been collected over the course of the investigation and discovery preparations for trial.


Below is a snippet from the transcript of the [CORRECTED DATE] February 27, 2012 (the day after the shooting) Sanford Police Department interview of George Zimmerman. In it Zimmerman describes to police investigators in his own words how and why he emerged from his vehicle, the circumstances of he he observed and then lost sight of Martin, and how Martin emerged from bushes in a darkened area of the complex and attacked Zimmerman--punching him in the hose, knocking him to the ground, and hitting his head on the concrete sidewalk.


The whole thing is way too long for a forum post, so I've put the longer version of this up on the Law of Self Defense blog, if you want to read it in greater length.


Here, however, is a particularly interesting segment:

George Zimmerman: I saw him coming at me and I went to grab my phone. I don’t remember if I had time to pull it out or not.
Investigator Singleton: Okay, you attempted to try to recall the –
George Zimmerman: To call the police.
Investigator Singleton: –to call the police, right.
George Zimmerman: 911 this time.
Investigator Singleton: Okay.
George Zimmerman: ‘Cause the first time I called non-emergency.
Investigator Singleton: But you’re not sure if you actually got it out of your pocket or not? Oh, okay and that’s when it was, that’s when he slugged you.
George Zimmerman: He just hit me, yeah.
Investigator Singleton: And what did he say before that? You said, he asked you like something about, I said, you got a problem?
George Zimmerman: He said, “You got a problem, homey?” and I said, “I don’t have a problem.” And he said, “Now you have a problem.”
Investigator Singleton: Okay.
George Zimmerman: And that’s when he hit me.
Investigator Singleton: And that’s he struck you in the nose first.
George Zimmerman: Yes, ma’am.
Investigator Singleton: And that’s what knocked you down?
George Zimmerman: Yes, ma’am.
Investigator Singleton: Okay. And, this is all, this is, you’re saying this is behind the buildings, though?
George Zimmerman: Yes, ma’am.
Investigator Singleton: How, is there, are you sure, is it a patio that he’s hitting ’cause you said he’s hitting your head on a sidewalk.
George Zimmerman: No, no, it’s the, it’s the sidewalk.
Investigator Singleton: There’s a sidewalk behind–
George Zimmerman: Yes ma’am.
Investigator Singleton: --the buildins?
George Zimmerman: It’s a dog walk.
Investigator Singleton: Okay. . . . the dog walk is, is cement.
George Zimmerman: Yes ma’am.
Investigator Singleton: Okay. Okay. Okay, so he’s hitting your head . . .
George Zimmerman: Yes, ma’am. As I went to sit up, then he grabbed me by the, the front of my head and started banging it into the–
Investigator Singleton: And that’s when you could look either to your left or right and you could see this guy? And you were saying help me?
George Zimmerman: I don’t remember. I screamed help me probably 50 times as loud as I could.

____________________________________


There's more here at the Law of Self Defense blog if you're interested.


It must be mentioned that Zimmerman's testimony could well simply be self-serving. It is, nevertheless, entirely legitimate evidence that the State must overcome, beyond a reasonable doubt, if they are to obtain a conviction.

Andrew
@LawSelfDefense

 

[lawofselfdefense]

Evidentiary Flashback: Zimmerman Recounts Fight for Life, the Day After

I was just reviewing the transcript of Zimmerman's questioning byInvestigator Singleton of the Sanford Police Department on February 27, 2012 (the day after the shooting,) and I was reminded of how absolutely chilling it is.


It's just words on paper, a police transcript, but you can feel the tension building line by line until the deadly climax, and then falling off. Zimmerman's responses start off as one or two words, usually just "Yes, ma'am," and then grow to a few words, longer sentences, then a couple of sentences . . .


. . . and then he describes in harrowing detail the fight for his life:

Zimmerman: I, it was dark. I didn’t even see him getting ready to punch me. As soon as he punched me, I fell backwards, um, into the grass and he grabbed me. He was wailing on my head and I, then, I started yelling help. When I started yelling help, he grabbed my head and he started hitting my head into the– I, I tried to sit up and I, and yell for help and then he grabbed my head and started hitting it into the sidewalk. Um, when he started doing that, I slid into the grass to try and get out from under him and so that he would stop hitting my head into the sidewalk and I’m still yelling for help. And, I could see people looking and some guy yells out, I’m calling 911 and I said, “Help me, help me. He’s killing me.” And he puts his hand on my nose and mouth and he says, “You’re gonna die tonight,” and I don’t remember much after that. I just remember, I couldn’t breath and then he still kept trying to hit my head against the pavement or I don’t know if there was a sign or what it was. So, I just, uh, when I slid, my jacket and my shirt came up and when he said, “You’re gonna die tonight,” I felt his hand go down on my side and I thought he was going for my firearm. So I grabbed it immediately and as he banged my head again, I just pulled out my firearm and shot him.

A few lines later he recalled:

Zimmerman: I didn't know what he was hitting [me with]. It felt like he was hitting me with bricks.

The content before and after this snippet is great stuff, too, but much too long to post here. If you want to see more, it's freely available at the Law of Self Defense blog.


Zimmerman’s own testimony can, of course, be seen as self-serving. Nevertheless, this is entirely legitimate evidence that the State must overcome if it is to prove Zimmerman guilty, beyond a reasonable doubt, of a crime in this case.


Andrew
@LawSelfDefense

 

[subseashooter]

Damn.

 

[cbigclarke]

I believe him

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk 2

 

[subseashooter]

Yeah - dude sounds scared out of his wits.

 

[lawofselfdefense]

The Rise, and Fall, of Witness #8

I realize most of my posts today have been rather dire in tone, so let's lighten things up a bit.


Always good for a laugh is the letter orchestrated by Crump & company and written (if not authored) by Witness #8 (since identified as "Dee Dee"). Note that although she was presented as Trayvon's girlfriend, she somehow neglected to learn how to spell his name properly.

March 19, 2012


I was on the phone when Trevon [sic] decided to go to the Cornerstore. It started to rain so he decided to walk through another complex because it was raining too hard. He started walking then noticed someone was following him. Then he decided to find a shortcut cause the man wouldn't follow him. Then he said the man didn't follow him again. Then he looked back and saw the man again. The man started getting closer. Then Trevon [sic] turned around and said, "Why are you following me!! Then I heard him fall, then the phone hung up. I called back, and that no response. In my mind I though it was just a fight. Then I found out this tragic story.


Thank you,
[Redacted]

Finally! The State had its own "ear"-witness who could contest Zimmerman's recounting of events. It was the State's strongest--almost their only--piece of evidence pointing towards Zimmerman's guilt.


Or did they?


In March 2013 the State would be compelled to admit in open court that Witness #8 hd perjured herself in her sworn statement to the prosecutors. Claims that she was a minor and that she was "Trevon's" girlfriend were also proven to be untrue.


The State might still put Dee-Dee on the stand. If they do the cross-examination should be a popcorn-worthy event.


Andrew
@LawSelfDefense

 

[Trueno]

What are the odds?

I'm astounded by the odds of E7 (out of every single last voter in his county) getting summoned for jury selection. I mean, he hit the lottery. Bet when he got the summons he just about ripped the phone outa the wall calling Sharpton with the news.

That is, unless (cough) there were (coughcough) other circumstances (cough Corey/Bondi cough) in play...



Is E7 in jail yet?

Is E7 still alive...?

 

[lawofselfdefense]

Is E7 in jail yet?

Is E7 still alive...?

He was back at the court house today, uninvited, to complain about how his anonymity as a juror had been violated and how he was "gonna get a lawyer, man!" (I might have made up the "man!" part, but it's a reasonable guess.)

Authorities escorted him out with a slap on the rump and a stern lecture that next time they'd threaten him with trespassing.

Andrew
@LawSelfDefense

 

[Trueno]

"I GOT TO GET PAID!!1!"




Probably gonna get an agent/manager if he doesn't already have one. In all reality, maybe some people (coughBondi/Coreycough) are stupid enough to put him (E7) back in the ring(?) That, or Jessie/Al won't return his calls...

eta: many (MANY) thanks for your insight on court proceeedings!

 

[lawofselfdefense]

Zimmerman Jury Selection -- Day Five Wrap-Up

Hey folks,


I just posted up the end-of-day wrap-up for day five of jury selection in the Zimmerman case, available at Legal Insurrection here.


There were four notable events of the day, apart from the jury questioning.


Perhaps today’s most interesting news happened outside the court room. Juror E7, since identified by media sources as Jerry P. Counelis, who was dismissed from the jury pool on Wednesday for apparently misleading the court, was back at the court house today. We’ve done a separate write up just on Mr. Counelis, so if you’re interested in more just click the link in the header above. I did a separate post just on this interesting development, which can be seen on Legal Insurrection here.


Another unexpected bit of news today was the release by Robert Zimmerman, George’s father, of an e-book entitled as in the header above, covering the travails of his son through the current crises. I’ve downloaded a copy to my Kindle, and will comment as soon as I’ve had some time to “flip” through it. If you're interested, a copy can be obtained at Amazon here, for $3.99.


The Judge also raised the issue of scheduling the as yet not completed Frye hearing from last week, to determine whether the State's speech "expert" witnesses would be permitted to testify at trial. Nothing was determined within hearing of the cameras, but the court room was left with the impression that the Frye hearing would be wrapped up next week.


Finally, she released a group of 23 prospective jurors who had “survived” to the next round of voir dire. They were told to return to court next Tuesday, and admonished to not discuss or research the case in the meantime, nor access any news about the case. Of the 23, 19 were women, 4 were men, and three of the group were black. Talk around the court house is that both sides want to bring 40 prospective jurors into the next round of voir dire, in anticipation of heavy attrition.


The remainder of the day the court moved through preliminary voir dire of another seven prospective jurors. For all the juicy details, check out the full end-of-day wrap up post at Legal Insurrection.


Monday we do another full day of live stream, all-day coverage of day two of jury selection. Be sure to join us.


Best,


Andrew
@LawSelfDefense

 

[Jon Payne]

While I make good money at my job and extra jobs; I can't afford to play Capt. America. I also won't rely on my home owners assoc. to lift a pinky finger.

 

[itchin]

While I make good money at my job and extra jobs; I can't afford to play Capt. America. I also won't rely on my home owners assoc. to lift a pinky finger.

Uhhh what?