LIVE BLOG: George Zimmerman trial in the Trayvon Martin case
LIVE BLOG - George Zimmerman trial in the death of Trayvon Martin...
UPDATE, 5:04 p.m.: The judge has called for the evening recess. Jury selection will resume Monday at 9 a.m.
UPDATE, 4:56 p.m.: A group of prospective jurors (that have already been interviewed) are receiving instructions from Judge Nelson not to talk or research about the case over the weekend. These jurors are being released and will report back to the courthouse on Tuesday morning at 9 a.m.
UPDATE, 4:53 p.m.: Judge Nelson is giving instructions to another group of jurors who are being released for the weekend. These jurors are going to report back to be interviewed on Monday at 9 a.m.
UPDATE, 4:21 p.m.: H6 has no opinion on Zimmerman acting in self defense. O’Mara questions H6’s definition of “victim” in reference to Trayvon Martin.
UPDATE, 4:16 p.m.: O’Mara is now questioning H6.
UPDATE, 4:13 p.m.: H6 thinks the media was biased toward Martin. He said that he has not spoken to his family about the case. He has expressed no opinion about Zimmerman’s innocence or guilt.
UPDATE, 4:03 p.m.: H6 remembers the screaming in the 911 call and debate over the Stand Your Ground law.
UPDATE, 4:01 p.m.: H6 gets his news from NBC News, CNN, and uses Facebook about once a week. He does not subscribe to any newspapers.
UPDATE, 3:58 p.m.: The next potential juror H6 is being questioned by the prosecutor, De la Rionda.
UPDATE, 3:48 p.m.: G87 said that she witnessed “make-shift memorials” as a tribute Trayvon Martin. She said buses of people were dropped off to take part in the memorial.
UPDATE, 3:45 p.m.: G87 said that she would have no problem taking time off to serve on the jury. She is now being questioned by Don West.
UPDATE, 3:40 p.m.: G87 said she has no idea how the shooting came about.
UPDATE, 3:31 p.m.: G87 thinks that the media sometimes “blows things out of proportion”.
UPDATE, 3:31 p.m.: G87 works at a school close to the location of the shooting. She has two jobs and does not have much time to watch the news. The only photograph she has seen were the injuries to Zimmerman’s head. She has heard the 911 call.
UPDATE, 3:28 p.m.: New potential juror, G87, is being questioned by state attorney Bernie de la Rionda.
UPDATE, 3:21 p.m.: G81 describes the loss of life of African-American males as “typical” in a historical context.
UPDATE, 3:14 p.m.: G81 said the media also emphasized the friction in the town.
UPDATE, 3:08 p.m: G81 lives within a half a mile of where the shooting incident happened. He is also from Miami, where Trayvon was from.
UPDATE, 3:01 p.m.: G81 said he read stories that explained the Stand Your Ground law and self defense in relation to the case. G81 said that he doesn’t have a reaction to the law, but his gut reaction about the whole situation was sadness.
UPDATE, 2:55 p.m.: O’Mara is questioning G81.
UPDATE, 2:52 p.m.: G81 is not on Twitter. He gets news from Yahoo, but did not look at the comments because people are “mean spirited”.
UPDATE, 2:45 p.m.: G81 talks about the governor and his involvement in the case. G81 has not formed an opinion and says that he can base his opinion off of the evidence of the courtroom. He believes the news can be biased and said, “It seemed that in the beginning they had a bias against the defendant”. He said more recently the coverage was biased against Martin.
UPDATE, 2:43 p.m.: Bernie de la Rionda is questioning a new juror, G81. G81 said that he heard about the case through local and national news.
UPDATE, 2:32 p.m.: G66 said that she has had no conversations about the case with family or on social media. She said that she remembers the 911 audio recording, has not formed a concrete opinion about the screams that were mentioned.
UPDATE, 2:19 p.m.: G66 said that she knew Martin was from Miami and remembered reports about photos on his cell phone. She thinks that she can set those memories aside if she was selected to be on the jury.
UPDATE, 2:14 p.m.: G66 said she watches TV news every day and stays involved with current events. She said she just subscribed to the Orlando Sentinel.
UPDATE, 2:11 p.m.: Don West is now questioning G66.
UPDATE, 2:09 p.m.: G66 said that serving on the jury would not present an insurmountable hardship.
UPDATE, 2:07 p.m.: G66 referenced the arrest of Mrs. Zimmerman, but then said that she is capable of only considering evidence that is presented n the courtroom.
UPDATE, 1:57 p.m.: G66 has watched TV coverage of the case, but does not believe that the media is always correct. She said that she has seen pictures of Martin and Zimmerman and referenced recordings pertaining to the case.
UPDATE, 1:55 p.m.: Court is back in session. Bernie de la Rionda is questioning the next potential juror, G66.
UPDATE, 12:41 p.m.: Judge Nelson has called a recess for lunch until 1:40.
UPDATE, 12:34 p.m.: He said he knows that there were “accusations of racism”. G63 doesn’t classify himself within a racial group and said racism isn’t a part of his daily life.
UPDATE, 12:29 p.m.: G63 doesn’t listen to media very much. He said the three things about the case that he finds significant are “self defense”, “gun laws”, and “it happened in Florida”.
UPDATE, 12:12 p.m.: O’Mara is now questioning G63.
UPDATE, 12:00 p.m.: G63 is having difficulty remembering details about the case. He did say that it seems like the same type of people are always protesting and that they “annoy” him. He also remembers someone being fired for mishandling the case.
UPDATE 11:51 a.m.: G63 referenced the Stand Your Ground law and Zimmerman’s claim that the shooting happened in self defense.
UPDATE, 11:48 a.m.: G63 stopped researching the case after he received his jury summons.
UPDATE, 11:41 a.m.: G63 said he heard about the shooting that resulted in Martin’s death, but doesn’t remember all the sources of his information.
UPDATE, 11:40 a.m.: Potential juror G63 is being questioned by De la Rionda.
UPDATE, 11:29 a.m.: G47 said that he doesn’t think that the protests or the case have a racial element.
UPDATE, 11:07 a.m.: G47 stands firmly by statement that he hasn’t fully formed an opinion. He said “I reserve my judgement for when I’ve heard everything.” He expressed that the media is not a credible source to help him form his opinion.
UPDATE, 11:04 a.m.: G47 said, “Mr. Martin is not here today, that is a sad fact.” He said Zimmerman is in an almost worse situation because he is stuck until found innocent or guilty.
UPDATE, 11:00 a.m.: Don West is now questioning to G47.
UPDATE, 10:56 a.m.: G47 said he may have done minor research to be informed, especially because the protests impacted his life and “shut down parts of the city”. He said being on the jury would cause him hardship because he was just promoted at work.
UPDATE, 10:49 a.m.: G47 said that he works at a restaurant where the news comes on TV, but is too busy to pay attention on a regular basis. He said that re remembers there was a lot going on in Sanford at the time and very prominent people showed up.
UPDATE, 10:46 a.m.: De la Rionda is questioning potential juror G47.
UPDATE, 10:30 a.m.: G29 recognizes a media bias with news and radio. She said, “… Everybody has their own spin on it.”
UPDATE, 10:22 a.m.: Mark O’Mara, attorney for Zimmerman, is now questioning G29.
UPDATE, 10:18 a.m.: She said she avoids the news “like the plague” and has had no extensive conversations about the case.
UPDATE, 10:15 a.m.: G29 said that her Facebook friends commented about the case in a way that was favorable to Mr. Martin. She said there is no doubt in her mind that she can remain objective.
UPDATE, 10:11 a.m.: G29 listens to talk radio and has heard various references to the case. She said she knows that Martin was killed by Zimmerman and that he is claiming self defense. She recalls pictures of Zimmerman and there being “racial tension”.
UPDATE, 10:08 a.m.: A new potential juror, G29, is being questioned by Bernie de la Rionda, the lead prosecutor.
UPDATE, 10:04 a.m.: Judge Nelson is releasing another group of prospective jurors because they will not be interviewed today. She has instructed them to limit their communication about the case with others and forbidden independent research. These potential jurors will be dismissed until Monday morning at 9 a.m.
UPDATE, 9:37 a.m.: Judge Nelson has instructed a group of potential jurors to limit their communication about the case, and released them from the court room until Tuesday morning.
UPDATE, June 14, 9:00 a.m.: Court is now in session.
