LIVE BLOG: George Zimmerman trial in the Trayvon Martin case
LIVE BLOG - George Zimmerman trial in the death of Trayvon Martin...
UPDATE, 2:30 p.m.: Judge Nelson has read the jury their instructions. The jury is now deliberating the case.
UPDATE, 12:53 p.m.: The state has concluded their rebuttal. Judge Nelson will read the jury instructions after the lunch break. The court will be in recess until 2:00 p.m.
UPDATE, 12:51 p.m.: “This is not a case about race… It is about right and wrong ,” said Guy. He asked the jury if the roles were reversed and Zimmerman had been killed by Martin, what their verdict would be.
UPDATE, 12:423 p.m.: The prosecutor asked the jury,”Who lost the fight?” Guy said that he did not need to shoot Martin. Guy said the defendant produced “self serving statements” about his retelling of the altercation.
UPDATE, 12:37 p.m.: Guy reminds the jury that the trial is not like television.
UPDATE, 12:32 p.m.: “This case is not about standing your ground.. Its about staying in your car like he [Zimmerman] was taught to do,” Guy said.
UPDATE, 12:29 p.m.: The prosecutor is recounting the physical and medical inconsistencies in Zimmerman’s statements.
UPDATE, 12:25 p.m.: Guy asked, “If Martin was on the hunt would he have still be on his cell phone… If the defendant hadn’t committed a crime why did he lie so many times?”
UPDATE, 12:21 p.m.: Guy said that if Martin was mounted on Zimmerman the way it was described, Zimmerman would have had no physical ability to get his gun. He said that Zimmerman did not shoot because he had to, but because he wanted to.
UPDATE, 12:20 p.m.: “That child had every right to be where he was… That child had every right to be afraid of that man following him,” Guy said. Guy said that Martin did not have four minutes to run home.
UPDATE, 12:16 p.m.: Guy said, “Trayvon Martin may not have had the defendant’s blood on his hands, but George Zimmerman will forever have [ Trayvon Martin’s] blood on his hands.”
UPDATE, 12:12 p.m.: “If that defendant had done what he was supposed to do.. see and call [the police].. none of us would be here,” said Guy. Guy said that if Zimmerman really wanted the police to catch Martin he would have stayed in his car and waited.
UPDATE, 12:09 p.m.: “Was that child not in fear while he was running from that defendant…Isn’t that every child’s worst fear,” said Guy.
UPDATE, 12:05 p.m.: Court is back in session. Prosecutor John Guy has begun the rebuttal.
UPDATE, 11:50 a.m.: The defense has wrapped their closing argument. The court will be in recess for 10 minutes.
UPDATE, 11:48 a.m.: “Self-defense is a defense to everything,” O’Mara said.
UPDATE, 11:42 a.m.: O’Mara brought out a slab of concrete. He said that Martin used the concrete as dangerous object and that he was not “just a teenager armed only with Skittles”.
UPDATE, 11:35 a.m.: O’Mara said, “He [Zimmerman] did not have to think he was going to die…” O’Mara mentioned that following someone is not illegal in Florida law.
UPDATE, 11:31 a.m.: O’Mara is reiterating to the jury the dangers of assumptions and presumptions, and is redefining reasonable doubt in relation Zimmerman’s guilt. “You can’t allow sympathy into it,” said O’Mara.
UPDATE, 11:21 a.m.: O’Mara showed the jury a shirtless picture of Martin when he was alive. He mentioned that autopsy photos made Martin look emaciated because he lad lost half of his blood and the picture showed none of his muscle tone.
UPDATE, 11:17 a.m.: O’Mara is using cutouts to demonstrate o the jury how much taller Martin was compared to Zimmerman.
UPDATE, 11:07 a.m.: ” The ‘could’ve beens’ have no place in this courtroom. Reasonable doubt does,” said O’Mara. He called the prosecution’s argument an “absurdity”.
UPDATE, 10:59 a.m.: O’Mara said that both the mothers of Martin and Zimmerman wanted to believe with their “hearts and souls” that it was their son screaming on the 911 call.
UPDATE, 10:55 a.m.: O’Mara mentioned, “No injuries are required to respond with deadly force…Not even with a cut on a finger.” He said that the injuries are the “icing on the cake” for self defense. O’Mara charges the jury to look at Zimmerman’s state of mind, and used Captain Carter’s testimony to clarify the definition self defense.
UPDATE, 10:48 a.m.: O’Mara said that Rachel Jeantel did not want to be involved with the case, and the attorneys handled her testimony improperly when they did her interview. He points out inconsistencies in Jane Surdyka and Ms. Bahadoor’s testimonies.
UPDATE, 10:32 a.m.: O’Mara is going through the relevant information given by each witness that took the stand.
UPDATE, 10:29 a.m.: “He told his wife that he wasn’t the one shot,” said O’Mara. He said this in reference to Zimmerman telling Manalo to inform his wife that he shot someone.
UPDATE, 10:22 a.m.: O’Mara said Trayvon Martin was “lying in wait” to attack Zimmerman. He said that someone was angry, but it was not Zimmerman. O’Mara said that this evidence proves that Zimmerman is “factually innocent”.
UPDATE, 10:19 a.m.: Court is back in session. O’Mara has resumed his closing argument.
UPDATE, 9:57 a.m.: The judge has called for a 15 minute recess.
UPDATE, 9:55 a.m.: O’Mara silenced the court for 4 minutes to represent how long Martin had to run home after he told Jeantel he started running. O’Mara said, “He had four minutes… before the fight started.” He questioned what Trayvon Martin was doing and thinking in that time.
UPDATE, 9:43 a.m.: O’Mara is showing the jury a computer animation that was made to try to reenact the fight and the shooting.
UPDATE, 9:27 a.m.: O’Mara said that it is hard to have “ill-will, spite and hatred” for someone who you don’t even know.
UPDATE, 9:25 a.m.: O’Mara is breaking down the contents of Zimmerman’s statements in the non-emergency call.
UPDATE, 9:15 a.m.: O’Mara mentions that Zimmerman used the non-emergency line enough to know that it was being recorded. O’Mara said that Zimmerman did not scream the curse words, and was willing to say them to law enforcement on a recorded which evidences that he was not hateful.
UPDATE, 8:55 a.m.: O’Mara said that the state doesn’t get to ask the jury “well you figure it out”. He said good prosecutors don’t use “figure it out”, “could have been”, or “what ifs” to prove something beyond a reasonable doubt.
UPDATE, 8:53 a.m.: O’Mara is quoting historical figures that have talked about liberty. He quoted John Adams saying, ““It is more important that innocence be protected than it is that guilt be punished, for guilt and crimes are so frequent in this world that they cannot all be punished. But if innocence itself is brought to the bar and condemned…”
UPDATE, 8:51 a.m.: O’Mara is asking the jury not to fill in the gaps for the prosecution or give anyone the benefit of the doubt other than George Zimmerman. “If you are going to take away his liberty, they [the prosecution] have to prove it,” said O’Mara.
UPDATE, 8:41 a.m.: O’Mara warns the jury to “be careful with your common sense”.
UPDATE July 12, 8:35 a.m.: Court is in session. Mark O’Mara has begun the closing argument for the defense.
UPDATE, 4:19 p.m.: The prosecutor has wrapped his closing argument. Judge Nelson has called for the evening recess. Court will be in recess until Friday morning at 8:30 a.m.
UPDATE, 4:00 p.m.: The prosecutor has played video clips from Zimmerman’s interviews with Sean Hannity, officers Serino and Singleton, and the reenactment officers that expose differences in his accounts of the altercation.
UPDATE, 3:37 p.m.: De la Rionda pointed out instances in Zimmerman’s statements where he used police jargon and referred to Martin as a “suspect”. He is now playing the reenactment video Zimmerman made with law enforcement.
UPDATE, 3:21 p.m.: The prosecutor is playing Zimmerman’s interview with officer Singleton where he recounts the events of the altercation. De la Rionda is showing the jury the Zimmerman’s gun. He asks the jury how Martin could see the black gun in the darkness. The prosecutor also mentions that Zimmerman holstered his gun when he claimed that he was unaware of whether or not he had actually shot Martin.
UPDATE, 3:10 p.m.: Court is back in session.
UPDATE, 2:50 p.m.: The judge called for a 15 minute recess.
UPDATE, 2:43 p.m.: De la Rionda pointed out the physical inconsistencies in the position of Martin’s hands after he was shot by Zimmerman. The prosecutor said that Zimmerman’s story about spreading Martin’s hands was not consistent, but it did evidence how he tried to act like a cop.
UPDATE, 2:36 p.m.: The prosecutor asks the jury, “Who suffered the most serious injury of all..” He said that there was a fight that had both the victim and the defendant on top at different points.
UPDATE, 2:29 p.m.: The prosecutor said that Zimmerman claims that he didn’t know the name of one of the only three streets in his neighborhood, but actually referenced its name.
UPDATE, 2:21 p.m.: De la Rionda is telling the jury about Rachel Jeantel’s testimony. He plead with the jury not to discredit her testimony because she may be unsophisticated or uneducated. “Did what she said match up with the evidence.. I submit that it did,” said De la Rionda. He said that Jeantel could have lied, but did not.
UPDATE, 2:16 p.m.: The prosecutor is asking the jurors to use their god given common sense to determine if Zimmerman is guilty.
UPDATE, 2:09 p.m.: De la Rionda said that Zimmerman’s statements got more and more exaggerated as his story went on, because he studied the law and knew what it would take to qualify self defense. The prosecutor said that Zimmerman made many assumptions and ignored many options that could have potentially stop the conflict.
UPDATE, 2:06 p.m.: De la Rionda said,”The defendant made sure the other person could not come to this courtroom and tell you what happened… He silenced the other person.”
UPDATE, 2:00 p.m.: “The law doesn’t allow for people to take the law into their own hands,” said De la Rionda. The prosecutor asked why someone who thought Martin was a threat would get out of the car. He answered his own question by saying, “…Because he [Zimmerman] had a gun. He had the great equalizer.”
UPDATE, 1:57 p.m.: The prosecutor said that Martin had a right to be afraid as well because someone was following him. “Martin can’t tell you how he was feeling,” said De la Rionda. The prosecutor detailed the actions and features of Zimmerman and Martin.
UPDATE, 1:51 p.m.: “He was minding his own business, but this defendant [Zimmerman] assumed he was up to no good,” said De la Rionda. The prosecutor mentioned that all that Trayvon Martin did was go to the store and walk home, which is not a crime.
UPDATE, 1:48 p.m.: De la Rionda mentioned that Zimmerman claimed to not have known that Martin was dead, but did nothing to try to save him.
UPDATE, 1:41 p.m.: The jury has been brought in for the first time today. The state has officially rested their case from rebuttal, and the state’s closing argument has begun.
Prosecutor Bernie de la Rionda opened by stating, “A teenager is dead… He is dead because another man made assumptions”.
UPDATE, 1:34 p.m.: Court is back in session.
UPDATE, 1:12 p.m.: The judge has called for another recess. Court will resume at 1:35 p.m.
UPDATE, 1:03 p.m.: Judge Nelson has ruled against the third-degree murder charge. It will not be included in the instructions to be considered by the jury.
UPDATE, 1:00 p.m.: Court is back in session.
UPDATE, 11:55 a.m.: Judge Nelson has called for the lunch recess. During the break the state attorneys will make changes to the documents as referenced this morning, and return to argue for the third-degree murder charge. Court will be in recess until 1:00 p.m.
UPDATE 11:52 a.m.: The court has rearranged the verdict form to be used by the jury after they reach a decision.
UPDATE, 11:45 a.m.: Judge Nelson ruled that the court will not provide instructions as to the definition of “great bodily harm”.
UPDATE, 11:38 a.m.: The state is arguing to include a definition of “great bodily harm” in the jury instructions. The defense objects.
UPDATE, 11:29 a.m.: Judge Nelson ruled that the jury will not be instructed on direct and circumstantial evidence. The defense suggested that the instruction needed to be included, but they were overruled.
UPDATE, 11:12 a.m.: Don West wants the court to include that “following someone in a car or by foot” is not unlawful. Judge Nelson ruled against this suggestion, and asked Mr. West not to continue to argue with her rulings in the court. “You disagree every time I make a ruling,” said Nelson to West.
UPDATE, 11:04 a.m.: Judge Nelson ruled that the jury instructions will not include information about Zimmerman “provoking” Martin.
UPDATE, 10:58 a.m.: The state seeks to suggest that Zimmerman provoked the fight by his pursuit of Martin, though Wast argued that that information is not true. “Respectfully, that information is up to the jury not Mr.West,” said Mantei.
UPDATE, 10:53 a.m.: The judge and attorneys discussed self defense instructions for the jury. West went on to object to Mantei’s definition of “justifiable use of deadly force”. He is now pointing out inconsistencies in the case to Judge Nelson.
UPDATE, 10:45 a.m.: West called the prosecution’s request to include the third-degree murder charge a “trick” that was sprung upon the court at the last minute. Judge Nelsons said that this issue will be considered later.
UPDATE, 10:33 a.m.: Judge Nelson decided that the jury will be allowed to consider manslaughter when they are given the jury instructions. The prosecution is seeking to include the option of third-degree felony murder based in child abuse as a lesser change to be included in the jury instructions. Defense attorney Don West responded by saying, “this is outrageous”.
UPDATE July 11, 10:05 a.m.: Court is back in session. The attorneys are debating the potential lesser charges that could be presented if Zimmerman is found not guilty of second degree murder.
UPDATE, 4:45 p.m.: The judge has called for the jury’s evening recess. Court will resume Wednesday at 10 a.m. The attorneys are staying late tonight and will return early tomorrow to take up measure outside of the presence of the jury. Closing arguments are set to begin tomorrow.
UPDATE, 4:38 p.m.: To receive information about the training George Zimmerman received at Kokopelli’s gym (owned by Andrew Pollock) that was referenced during the trial, click the link below.
Webpage here: http://kogym.com/zimmerman.htm
UPDATE, 4:00 p.m.: The judge has called a 15 minute recess.
UPDATE, 3:46 p.m.: The state calls Adam Pollack to the stand. Pollack was Zimmerman’s MMA trainer. Prosecutor Richard Mantei asked him if he is now “marketing the training he gave to Zimmerman” on his website. Pollack answered “no I am not,” after which Mark O’Mara objected. Both sides are now at sidebar, discussing the objection with the judge.
UPDATE, 3:35 p.m.: With court back in session, George Zimmerman told the judge he will not testify. Prosecutors will now call rebuttal witnesses, after the defense officially rests its case in front of the jury.
UPDATE, 3:16 p.m.: Just before court went into a 15 minute recess, Judge Debra Nelson asked George Zimmerman if there were any additional witnesses he wanted his defense to call on his behalf. Zimmerman answered “no, your honor.” The judge then instructed him that after the recess, she would ask him whether he plans to testify on his own behalf.
UPDATE, 2:50 p.m.: The defense has called their next witness, a female resident of Zimmerman’s neighborhood. Olivia Bertalan was the victim of a home invasion in August of 2011. She said that two African-American men broke into her home and she was forced to hide with her infant son.
UPDATE, 2:41 p.m.: Root said, “anything is possible, but that doesn’t mean it is plausible” in reference to how Zimmerman was holding the gun when he shot Martin.
UPDATE, 2:34 p.m.: The prosecution is cross examining the witness again.
UPDATE, 2:15 p.m.: Root testified that based on his understanding of the situation he does not think that Zimmerman had any other options outside of shooting Martin.
UPDATE, 2:04 p.m.: O’Mara is continuing to redirect the witness.
UPDATE, 2:00 p.m.: Court is back in session.
UPDATE, 12:12 p.m.: Judge Nelson has called for the lunch recess. Court will resume at 1:45 p.m.
UPDATE, 12:00 p.m.: O’Mara is redirecting the witness. Root said that he does not think Zimmerman’s head was smashed, but the injuries could be consistent with being pushed or struck and trying to resist the force. O’Mara is using the mannequin to demonstrate the conflict.
UPDATE, 11:46 a.m.: Root said that it would not be unusual for an unarmed person to see a gun pointed at them an scream for help. Root and the prosecutor are discussing the options that Zimmerman had other than the one he took during the struggle.
UPDATE, 11:29 a.m.: Root said that he did not ask Zimmerman how he got to his gun. Root mentioned that Martin was straddled around Zimmerman’s belly button, and now the prosecutor is using a mannequin to demonstrate the struggle in relation to the access Zimmerman had to his gun.
UPDATE, 11:18 a.m.: Root admitted that he was not concerned with the timing of phone calls between Martin and Jeantel in relation to calls made by Zimmerman. He also admitted that he did not ask Zimmerman to create drawings of the shooting area or ask him how he lost personal belongings in the conflict.
UPDATE, 11:06 a.m.: The prosecution is questioning Root about advertising his testimony and the personal benefit he gains from taking the stand on a highly publicized trial.
UPDATE, 10:59 a.m.: The prosecution is cross-examining the witness. Root said that he does not think that Zimmerman acted with “ill-will or spite”. He mentioned the fact that Zimmerman only shot Martin one time and the he was generally frustrated when he used foul language.
UPDATE, 10:53 a.m.: Root is talking about the safety of the type of gun Zimmerman used to shoot Martin. He said, “a firearm is as safe as the person holding it”. Root testified that carrying a gun with a round in the chamber is the best way to carry a gun for self defense purposes.
UPDATE, 10:35 a.m.: The witness said that he recommends that individuals change their tactics if they have not won a fight in 30 seconds. He testified that this altercation lasted an estimated 40 seconds and that could seem like an “eternity”.
UPDATE, 10:32 a.m.: Root said that the size of an individual was more relevant than age when determining how capable they are physically. Root is the second witness to testify that Zimmerman was not athletic and was “lacking” in physical prowess. He described Martin as physically fit and in overall good health.
UPDATE, 10:25 a.m.: Root testified that based on photos of Zimmerman’s injuries, he thought they were consistent with a “fist fight”.
UPDATE, 10:08 a.m.: Root said that he established a timeline of events in the case using 911 calls and witness statements. He said that he is using the perspectives of others and physical evidence will help to draw a “logical conclusion”.
UPDATE, 9:58 a.m.: Root said that he had a chance to review relevant evidence to the case such as 911 calls, crime scene photos, police and autopsy reports, etc.
UPDATE, 9:54 a.m.: Root said that he reached out to O’Mara to offer his services in reference to this case. He is a force expert that specializes in self defense.
UPDATE, 9:35 a.m.: Root is explaining his experiences with work in law enforcement.
UPDATE, 9;27 a.m.: Root is describing a “force continuum”, which details the acceptable levels of response when someone directs a force at another individual.
UPDATE, 9:19 a.m.: The defense has called the next witness, Dennis Root. He is a law enforcement trainer and private investigator.
UPDATE July 10, 9:01 a.m.: Court is in session.
