LIVE BLOG: George Zimmerman trial in the Trayvon Martin case
LIVE BLOG - George Zimmerman trial in the death of Trayvon Martin...
UPDATE, 4:21 p.m.: Judge Nelson has called for the evening recess for the jury. The attorneys have more issues that need to be discussed outside of the presence of the jury. Court will resume tomorrow at 9 a.m.
UPDATE, 4:15 p.m.: The witness has been excused.
UPDATE, 4:13 p.m.: De la Rionda is cross examining the witness.
UPDATE 4:03 p.m.: Dilligard testified that she has heard the Lauer 911 call two or three times. She described Zimmerman as having a “light male voice” and said that the screams on the recording were coming from him. She admitted that she had only heard Zimmerman’s voice previously and not Martin’s, in reference to her ability to identify the voice.
UPDATE, 4:00 p.m.: Dilligard said that she was present when three other witnesses gave their verbal statements to law enforcement. She said there was one man and another married couple in her presence.
UPDATE, 3:55 p.m.: Dilligard said that she was asked by law enforcement to identify either of the people involved in the shooting. She said that she identified her neighbor George Zimmerman and described his nose as “bloodied and disfigured”. She said that she also recognized Trayvon Martin from “passing him earlier that day” but she did not know him personally at the time.
UPDATE, 3:46 p.m.: Dilligard is describing Mrs. Lauer’s home in relation to where Zimmerman’s car was parked. She arrived at the crime scene after the shooting happened.
UPDATE, 3:36 p.m.: Court is back in session. The defense has called their next witness, Eloise Dilligard. She was Zimmerman’s neighbor. She said that she had a friendly relationship with Zimmerman and remembers him being in the neighborhood watch.
UPDATE, 3:12 p.m.: The judge has called for a 15 minute recess.
UPDATE, 3:04 p.m.: Bonaparte testified that the decision to play the taped for the Martin family was not discussed with law enforcement. He said that at the family’s request law enforcement was kept out of the room while it was being played. He said “they were not witnesses they were family members” in reference to the Martin family. Bonaparte testified that the tapes were being played as a courtesy to the family because the tapes were going to be released to the public.
UPDATE, 3:00 p.m.: The next witness has been called to the stand. Norton Bonaparte is Sanford’s City Manager. He said that he played the tapes at the Mayor’s office for the Martin family.
UPDATE, 2:43 p.m.: Di Maio talked about concussions and how subtle they can be. He also testified that he could not know that Zimmerman’s nose was bleeding at the time that Zimmerman claimed he was smothered.
UPDATE, 2:26 p.m.: Dr.Di Maio said that often witness testimonies are in direct contradiction with physical evidence present.
UPDATE, 2:23 p.m.: Don west is now questioning the witness.
UPDATE, 2:13 p.m.: Dr. Di Maio confirmed that if someone had a bloody nose and laid on their back, the blood going down their throat could make it harder to speak. He also mentioned that scalp bleeding is typically more excessive that cuts in other places.
UPDATE, 2:00 p.m.: Dr. Di Maio agreed that according to his earlier testimony Zimmerman could have also punched Martin and not had bruises visible on his knuckles.
UPDATE, 1:54 p.m.: Dr. Di Maio agreed that the physical evidence is also consistent with Martin pulling away from Zimmerman before the shot was fired.
UPDATE, 1:39 p.m.: De la Rionda is asking Dr. Di Maio why he did not consult information from all of the witnesses, instead of just Zimmerman and John Good.
UPDATE, 1:33 p.m.: Court is back in session. The prosecutor, Bernie de la Rionda, is cross-examining the witness.
UPDATE, 12:32 p.m.: Judge Nelson has called for a recess for lunch. Court will be back in session at 1:30 p.m.
UPDATE, 12:25 p.m.: Di Maio is testifying about Zimmerman’s injuries. He said that the injuries to Zimmerman’s nose were consistent with getting punched in the face. He said that Zimmerman could have had a fracture that was pushed back into place by EMTs. He is testifying that the injuries on Zimmerman’s head are the result of contact with concrete.
UPDATE, 12:10 p.m.: The witness said that where there is a laceration “you know there is trauma”. He said that when someone’s head is banged against an unyielding surface such as concrete the person is “at a minimum stunned”. Dr. Di Maio said that by looking at the photos of Zimmerman’s head there is evidence of force. He said that his injuries came from more than one impact.
UPDATE, 11:55 a.m.: “You may have bruising but it may not have been visible… You can punch something and have no bruising…” said Dr. Di Maio. He said the abrasion on Martin’s knuckle was consistent with coming in contact with a hard surface such as concrete. He said Martin lost blood pressure very quickly which could be why his hands were not bruised.
UPDATE, 11:51 a.m.: The witness said that according to healthy heart function Martin would be dead within 1-3 minutes after being shot, but would have only been conscious for 10-15 seconds.
UPDATE, 11:44 a.m.: The witness testified that the evidence from the shot residue was consistent with Martin leaning over Zimmerman at the time of the shooting. He said that the clothing being 2-4 inches away from his body was the effect of Martin’s position, gravity, the contents of his pocket, and his wet clothing.
UPDATE, 11:40 a.m.: Dr. Di Maio testified that the bullet was not a “straight on shot”. He said the trajectory of the bullet moved from Martin’s left to his right slightly.
UPDATE, 11:31 a.m.: Dr. Di Maio said that he testified about the 2-4 inch distance of the gun because of the “powder tattooing” that marks the skin surrounding the bullet hole on the body.
UPDATE, 11:27 a.m.: Dr. Di Maio said that he received evidence from the case including crime scene photos, witness statements, and the deposition of Dr. Rao. He just testified that the muzzle of Zimmerman’s gun had to be 2-4 inches away from Martin’s body at the time of the shot.Â
UPDATE, 10:51 a.m.: Di Maio is the second witness with a scientific background to testify about the procedures for handling wet evidence. He said that wet evidence should be dried and should never be put in plastic.
UPDATE, 10:42 a.m.: The next witness, Dr. Vincent J.M. Di Maio, has taken the stand. He is a forensic pathologist.
UPDATE June 9,10:26 a.m.: Court is now in session and the jury is being brought in. At 9 am the attorneys had a hearing about the admissibility of an animation to be used by the defense. The defense will now call their next witness for testimony.
