George Zimmerman VERDICT HAS BEEN DELIVERED. NOT GUILTY IN THE SHOOTING DEATH OF 17 YEAR OLD TRAYVON MARTIN! 7.25.13 Zimmerman juror to ABC: He 'got away with murder'

Published June 29, 2012
Associated Press

ORLANDO, Fla. – Is George Zimmerman a threat to the community? Is he a flight risk? And maybe most importantly, can Zimmerman persuade the judge he will not be deceptive again?

Those factors will be weighed by a Florida judge in deciding whether to set bond for the neighborhood watch volunteer who fatally shot unarmed teen Trayvon Martin.

Circuit Judge Kenneth Lester revoked Zimmerman's $150,000 bond earlier this month when prosecutors told the judge Zimmerman and his wife misled the court about how much money they had during an April bond hearing.

If his explanation is really weak ... I think Lester could keep him in jail.

Prosecutors said a website Zimmerman created for his legal defense had raised $135,000 at the time of his first bond hearing.

Zimmerman and his wife did not mention the money then, and Shellie Zimmerman even said the couple had limited resources because she was a student and wasn't working.

Prosecutors also said the couple talked in code during recorded jailhouse conversations about how to transfer the donations to different bank accounts. At one point, George Zimmerman asked how much money they had. She replied "$155." Prosecutors allege that was code for $155,000. Their reference to "Peter Pan" was code for the PayPal system through which the donations were made, prosecutors said.

Shellie Zimmerman has since been charged with perjury. She is out of jail on $1,000 bond and her arraignment is set for July 31.
Legal experts say Zimmerman needs a good explanation to convince the judge to let him out of jail again while he awaits trial.
"If his explanation is really weak ... I think Lester could keep him in jail," said Randy McClean, an Orlando-area defense attorney who is following the case. "If he really comes across as being genuine and has a reasonable explanation, because I don't see how it could be a great explanation, then I think Lester will probably pump up the conditions, up his monetary conditions and let him back on bond."
Working in Zimmerman's favor, the judge has said, is he turned himself in when charges were filed and kept law enforcement informed of his location when he went into hiding because of threats against him and his family. Weighing against him is the seriousness of the charge as well as other brushes with the law, including an arrest for resisting an undercover officer.

Zimmerman has been charged with second-degree murder for fatally shooting 17-year-old Martin on Feb. 26 at a gated apartment community in Sanford. Zimmerman has pleaded not guilty and claims the shooting was self-defense under the state's "stand your ground" law.

Martin's parents and supporters claim the teenager was targeted because he was black and Zimmerman started the confrontation that led to the shooting. Zimmerman's father is white and his mother is Hispanic.

The 44 days between the shooting and Zimmerman's arrest inspired nationwide protests, led to the departure of the Sanford police chief and prompted a U.S. Department of Justice probe.

Zimmerman's attorney has argued in court papers that he is no threat to the public and proved he wasn't a flight risk by returning to jail when his bond was revoked. Attorney Mark O'Mara also argued that the bulk of the more than $200,000 raised by the website has now been turned over to a third-party administrator and Zimmerman has no control over the money.

Putting the money in a trust was smart because "now you can argue that the client does not have direct access to that money to flee the jurisdiction of the court," said Blaine McChesney, an Orlando criminal defense attorney and former prosecutor.

Prosecutors have also argued Zimmerman had a second passport he didn't tell the judge about, but the judge dismissed any worries about it, comparing it to when somebody loses a driver's license, applies for another one and then finds the old license.

McChesney said there is a good chance the judge will deny bond, in part because of the jailhouse recordings about the money transfers.
"It shows a premeditated intent to hide that," McChesney said.

The only witnesses O'Mara has listed are two bail bondsmen. But at the last hearing, Zimmerman surprised many people by taking the stand himself and apologizing to Martin's family.

It may be up to only Zimmerman to re-establish his credibility with the judge, whether he testifies or his lawyer talks for him.
"Credibility is an issue. So O'Mara is going to certainly have to make apologies or Zimmerman will have to make apologies for what happened, and they're going to have to convince the court that he is a good bond risk," Karin Moore, a law professor at Florida A&M University College of Law in Orlando.

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I was watching this hearing LIVE on HLN. It got pretty nasty. The judge is to rule later today.

CBS/AP) ORLANDO, Fla. - George Zimmerman left a Florida jail today for the second time, less than 24 hours after a judge set his bond at $1 million for fatally shooting unarmed teenager Trayvon Martin.
Zimmerman left the Seminole County jail Friday afternoon wearing a white dress shirt and a jacket.

Circuit Judge Kenneth Lester granted Zimmerman bond for a second time on Thursday. The judge revoked Zimmerman's $150,000 bond last month after prosecutors presented evidence that he misled the court about his finances.

Zimmerman has pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder in the shooting death of the 17-year-old Martin on the night of Feb. 26, 2012 in a gated community in Sanford, Fla. He claimed the shooting was self-defense under the state's "stand your ground" law.
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By Rene Stutzman, Orlando Sentinel
8:30 p.m. EST, July 7, 2012

SANFORD — While publicly saying one thing — that they did not have enough evidence to arrest George Zimmerman — Sanford police did essentially the opposite: filing paperwork saying they had enough to charge him with manslaughter.

It's something the department kept secret for two months, according to documents recently released by the special prosecutor in the case.

Here are their words versus their actions on three key dates, all from one tumultuous week about two weeks after Zimmerman shot and killed Trayvon Martin, an unarmed black 17-year-old:

At 4 p.m. March 12, Sanford police Chief Bill Lee Jr. stood in City Hall plaza in front of a hostile crowd and dozens of reporters and insisted his agency could not arrest Zimmerman because investigators had failed to establish probable cause, the minimal standard of evidence to justify filing a criminal case.

The next day, however, his agency sent prosecutors paperwork saying it did have probable cause and asked that they charge Zimmerman with manslaughter.

It was signed by lead Investigator Chris Serino and his boss, then-Sgt. Randy Smith, but it was the department's official position and had the support of Lee, said Capt. Bob O'Connor, who oversees the department's major-crimes division and also was part of the investigation.

The request was sent to State Attorney Norm Wolfinger, whose office then took over the investigation.

Three days later, on March 16, Lee and several Sanford officers involved in the case, including Serino, went over some of the details of their investigation with the Orlando Sentinel.

They insisted they were prohibited by law from arresting or charging Zimmerman because they didn't have enough evidence to disprove his claim of self-defense.

"If we had arrested him," Lee said that day, "we feel we would have violated his constitutional rights. … I'm not going to violate the trust and oath that I took and arrest somebody, violate their rights."

Said Serino, "The best evidence we have is the testimony of George Zimmerman. … We did not have enough for an arrest warrant."

Police and prosecutors use the same evidentiary standard — probable cause — whether they arrest someone at the scene of a crime, do it later using an arrest warrant or file a criminal charge directly without an arrest.

Lee, fired two weeks ago, would not discuss why he said one thing in public but had his agency quietly ask prosecutors to charge Zimmerman. A public-relations agency issued a short statement that it attributed to him:

"As I have stated consistently, at the time and based on the evidence and testimony we had, we did not have probable cause to make a physical arrest."

His agency recommended the manslaughter charge on paper, the statement said, because without it, prosecutors would not have taken over the investigation.

A week and a half later, the investigation was out of Wolfinger's hands as well. Gov. Rick Scott appointed Special Prosecutor Angela Corey, and on April 11, she charged Zimmerman with second-degree murder and had him arrested.

Department spokesman Sgt. David Morgenstern and Mayor Jeff Triplett both said they had no idea why Lee and Serino said one thing in public but filed paperwork saying the opposite.

At the time, Sanford police were being pummeled by critics who accused them of conducting an inept and biased investigation and covering up for a wannabe cop.

The most vocal at the time were local leaders of the Urban League and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, U.S. Rep. Corrine Brown and scores of local black Sanford residents, some of whom accused the department of a long history of harassing blacks and ignoring black crime victims.

An estimated 400 people packed a Sanford church March 14 for a rally organized by a black televangelist from Baltimore.

Much of the evidence gathered by Sanford police, including paperwork, photos, witness statements and videos, has since been released and gives a fuller picture of how much work the agency did and how fully the agency investigated Trayvon's shooting.

Sanford police repeatedly canvassed the neighborhood looking for witnesses, handcuffed Zimmerman and took him to police headquarters, where they interrogated him that night before releasing him but kept his gun and clothes and took DNA samples.

They also re-interviewed him several times; had him undergo a voice-stress analysis, a lower-tech version of a lie-detector test; and aggressively challenged inconsistencies in his account.

It was the release by the special prosecutor on May 17 and June 26 of records documenting Sanford police work that revealed that when they handed off the case to prosecutors, police reported they had enough evidence to charge Zimmerman.

Several news organizations reported in late March that Serino wanted to charge Zimmerman the night of the shooting, but there have been no official records released to date by Corey that reflect that, and Serino's public comments March 16 do not suggest that.

"He says the decedent was the primary aggressor in the whole event," Serino said that day. "Everything I have is adding up to what he says."

His managers at the Police Department told the Sentinel he would not answer questions about the discrepancy.

Zimmerman told police he shot Trayvon in self-defense after the teenager knocked him to the ground with a single punch, then began pounding his head on a sidewalk.

Moments earlier, Zimmerman had called police, reported Trayvon as a suspicious person and stepped out of his truck and followed him on foot.

Sanford police say they did not arrest Zimmerman because attorneys in Wolfinger's office advised them that night and in following days that they did not have enough evidence.

Prosecution records verify that those conversations took place but not what was said.

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Anyone see this?
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So he's in a 'safe house'. He needs to be.

Yes he does need a safe house.

Yup.

Even though I think he is guilty as hell. He is like TMLS. He would be taken out if he had returned home. No question.

9:17 p.m. EST, July 12, 2012
By Jeff Weiner and Rene Stutzman, Orlando Sentinel

Federal civil-rights investigators interviewed dozens of George Zimmerman's friends, neighbors and co-workers, and no one said he was a racist, records released Thursday show.

FBI agents spread out across the state, talking to three dozen people, including gun-shop employees, Zimmerman's ex-fiancée and the Sanford police detective who led the investigation into the fatal shooting of Trayvon Martin, an unarmed black 17-year-old.

None said he or she had ever known him to show racial bias. A co-worker who saw him the day after the shooting said Zimmerman was "beat up physically and emotionally."

Chris Serino, the police detective who interviewed Zimmerman the night of the shooting, told agents he thought Zimmerman had pursued Trayvon "based on his attire" and not "skin color." Zimmerman, he said, has a "little hero complex" but is not a racist.

Zimmerman's account sounded "scripted" to him, Serino said. Even so, he did not have enough evidence to justify an arrest, he told an FBI agent, even though he was getting pressure from a small number of officers within the department to file charges.

A gun-shop owner said Zimmerman came in weeks after the Feb. 26 shooting and said "his life was in danger and he needs more guns."

He got at least one more: The day of his arrest April 11, FDLE agents found in his rental car a "cop killer" handgun, a Belgian-made semiautomatic pistol, capable of firing bullets at such high velocity that they can pierce body armor. He also had three magazines of ammunition.

Zimmerman's ex-fiancée, who filed a domestic-violence injunction against him in 2005, described Zimmerman as "protective and territorial" toward her and "having a bad temper," but he was no racist, she told the FBI.

He socialized and played basketball with white, black and Hispanic men and "never exhibited any biases or prejudices against anyone and did not use racial epithets of any kind," an agent quoted her as saying.

Co-workers also said they saw no signs of ethnic or racial bias. They described Zimmerman as "pleasant" and "outgoing."

The FBI got involved after the Department of Justice launched a civil-rights investigation into Trayvon's shooting.

That followed weeks of protests and rallies around the country where national civil-rights leaders, including the president of the NAACP, the Rev. Jesse Jackson, the Rev. Al Sharpton and several members of Congress, accused Sanford police of doing a shoddy, racially biased investigation and refusing to arrest Zimmerman.

Zimmerman says he shot Trayvon in self-defense after a confrontation on a sidewalk in Zimmerman's neighborhood. Special Prosecutor Angela Corey contends it was second-degree murder, the charge she filed against him April 11.

She alleges Zimmerman, a Neighborhood Watch volunteer, saw a black teenager in a hoodie, assumed he was about to commit a crime, followed him, then murdered him.

Doc Dump
The new batch of evidence includes nearly 300 pages plus police-dispatch audio and crime-scene photos. Defense attorney Mark O'Mara received it last month.

There was little new that appeared to help the state's case. Two witnesses said they heard an argument, then the voices moved away then they heard cries for help and a gunshot.

That does not match Zimmerman's version of events. He told police there was a very brief exchange of words, then Trayvon punched him in the nose with such force that he fell to the ground. He said the teenager climbed on top of him and began punching him and pounding his head into a sidewalk.

Most of the new evidence appeared to favor Zimmerman.

A new witness whose name was blacked out told a prosecution investigator March 27 that she saw the fight and that the person on top was the one who wound up dead.

That makes two witnesses — one from an earlier evidence release — who back up Zimmerman's version that Trayvon had overpowered him.

Much of the evidence was a rehash of information already released, but there were revealing details about the lives of both Trayvon and Zimmerman.

Trayvon's mother, Sybrina Fulton, told investigators that her son had her name tattooed on his wrist and also had the names of his grandmother, great-grandmother and a pair of praying hands tattooed on his arms.

The Miami Gardens teen had been in Sanford for nearly a week, staying with his father's girlfriend while his father spent much of the time working at a convention, family members said.

A 16-year-old girl who told investigators she was on the phone with Trayvon when he came face to face with Zimmerman told investigators about earlier conversations with him as well.

He missed his mom, she said.

When Zimmerman initially went into hiding, before his arrest, he stayed for several weeks at the home of a former Seminole County deputy, according to prosecution records. The former deputy had taught Zimmerman how to use a handgun, he told investigators, and described him as no marksman.

In a strange irony, Zimmerman was estranged from his parents until Trayvon's shooting, the former deputy told authorities. Since then, they've grown closer.

The new records also document that Zimmerman's subdivision, where he led the Neighborhood Watch, had a bona-fide problem with burglaries.

Between March 2010 and March 2012, the new records show, there were seven burglaries reported in the townhouse community, as well as several larcenies and drug offenses.

That's important because Zimmerman says he became suspicious of Trayvon because of all the neighborhood burglaries.

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By Dylan Stableford, Yahoo! News | The Lookout – 4 hrs ago

A family friend of George Zimmerman told investigators he sexually molested her on and off for nearly a decade, newly released audio tapes in the Trayvon Martin shooting case reveal.

"He would reach under the blankets and try to do things," the woman—identified as Witness 9—told investigators.

She said the molestation occurred at Zimmerman's parents' house.

"I would try to push him off, but he was bigger, stronger and older," she said during the interview conducted on March 20, less than a month after the Feb. 26 shooting. The woman, who contacted prosecutors after Martin's killing, said she was 6 and Zimmerman was 8 when the alleged molestation began. It continued until she was 16, she said.

Investigators asked the woman why she was coming forward now. "This is the first time in my life that I'm not afraid of him," she replied.

The woman also told state investigators that she anonymously called Sanford police after Martin's death.
"I was afraid that he may have done something because the kid was black," the woman says on the recordings. She said she had no direct knowledge of the shooting death, but wanted police to know Zimmerman had made negative comments about blacks when they were growing up.

As for the molestation allegations, her family would get together with Zimmerman's at least once a year, she said. "Every time that we would go up there, I could just look at him and he would give me a certain look and I would just know it was going to happen when we got together for family gatherings. ... He just got this look in his eye like he was going to [molest me]."

The woman said she was not the only victim. "It's not just me that he would do these things to," she told investigators. But the other alleged victim would never come forward, Witness 9 said, declining to give investigators her name: "She said she would deny it either way."

"Georgie," she said, would tell her to tell others that they were just lying down or playing hide-n-seek. "Georgie just sucked up to my dad," she said. "He was like the son he never had."

The audio was released on Monday along dozens of recordings from phone calls Zimmerman made while behind bars in April. State prosecutors and defense attorney Mark O'Mara fought to keep the audio files under seal, but Judge Kenneth Lester Jr. ruled the evidence is public information and ordered them to be made available.

O'Mara, according to the Orlando Sentinel, said he doubts Witness 9's information would be used in court and that, "it's uncorroborated and that it's likely to inflame hostility toward his client."

Zimmerman was charged with second-degree murder in Martin's death.

"He was very charming and personable with everybody in the family," the woman said of Zimmerman. "But he was different behind closed doors with me. ... He was very intimidating."

She said one of the last incidents occurred when she was 16. Zimmerman, who had graduated from high school and moved to Florida with his family, massaged and kissed her, causing her to run out of the home. The woman said she eventually quit attending family functions if she thought he was going to be there.

"I couldn't take it," she said. "I didn't want to be around him anymore."

She said she eventually told her sister about her encounters with Zimmerman. The sister then told their parents.

The alleged victim said she and her parents tried to discuss the abuse with Zimmerman at a Lake Mary, Fla., restaurant in 2005. "He said, 'I'm sorry' and just got up and walked out."

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George Zimmerman went through almost $36,000 of contributions in 18 days spent mostly in jail, spending a bulk of his newfound cash on telecommunications, newly filed court records show.

Using funds donated from the public on the short-lived [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] Zimmerman and his wife spent $6,500 on Internet and phone bills, according to a document his defense attorney filed with the judge. He and his wife bought new cell phones for $300 each and paid a year-long Verizon contract in full. They installed a telephone landline for $2,500 and spent $1,300 on a two-year AT&T wi-fi contract.

They paid off at least $7,000 in credit card bills.

They used $4,378 on automotive expenses, making payments on two car loans while renting another for more than $1,500. Gas: $800.

In a May letter to Circuit Judge Kenneth Lester, O’Mara called the spending “judicious.”

The money was donated to Zimmerman in the wake of the killing of Miami Gardens teenager Trayvon Martin. As the media spectacle heated up and marches around the country demanding Zimmerman’s arrest grew in size and number, Zimmerman turned to the Internet for donations.

Many people were sympathetic to his cause, because of the non-stop media attention and the suspicion by some critics that the unarmed teenager played a role in his own death. Zimmerman says the teen attacked him and he was forced to shoot in self defense.

Donations spiked when Zimmerman was arrested, and swelled again earlier this month, when the judge raised his bond to $1 million. Over the next three days, O’Mara said the fund grew by $36,000.

O’Mara submitted a list of broad categories of how the money was spent after revealing to the court that Zimmerman had raised much more from online contributions than previously believed.

At an April 20 bond hearing, O’Mara said Zimmerman was destitute. He said he found out a few days later that Zimmerman was sitting on nearly $200,000 so he immediately reported that to the court.

The defense lawyer argued to the judge that the oversight was not a serious error, and that the Zimmermans apparently thought the money was restricted. They must have believed that, O’Mara told the judge, because his parents were ready to mortgage their Lake Mary home to come up with $150,000 in cash to pay the bond off in full.

“The rationale the family seemed to have was that the money sitting there was given to them to support their living expenses and necessary legal expenses, but was not simply available to them for whatever other purpose they want,” O’Mara wrote. “As further documentation of the judicious use of those funds (as compared to unfettered use of those funds) I have enclosed a listing of expenses.”

Zimmerman paid off a $3,000 loan to his parents, paid $5,000 for bond, spent $800 at the jail commissary and $600 on jailhouse calling cards. The couple spent about $1,300 on food and $400 on utilities and $1,900 on rent.

Zimmerman and his wife, Shellie, both unemployed, incurred unexpected expenses because they were forced to leave their house in a hurry in face of death threats and heated tensions. That, he said, is why some of the credit card bills are quite steep.

In jailhouse calls released last month by the state attorney’s office, Zimmerman was heard telling his wife to pay off all their bills.

They spent almost $4,000 on American Express alone.

O’Mara stressed that Zimmerman turned over the $123,000 balance to his attorney and that he advised Zimmerman to keep another $20,000 in cash for future expenses.

The expense list covered the period from April 9 when the website went up until April 27, just after the Zimmermans turned over the balance to a legal trust fund.

The judge did not buy the argument and instead said he believed Zimmerman was preparing for a life on the run. He revoked Zimmerman’s bond, and then issued a scathing order raising the bond to $1 million. Now O’Mara is asking for a new judge, saying he believes Lester has shown such prejudice that Zimmerman can’t possibly get a fair trial from him.

In a court document filed Tuesday, Assistant State Attorney Bernie de la Rionda called the argument “absurd.” He criticized O’Mara’s frequent television appearances, and listed several special considerations Lester gave his client, such as letting him serve out his bond out of state.

Bank records submitted as evidence indicate Zimmerman spent at least part of that time on the Maryland shore.

The prosecutor did not criticize the spending as much as the fact that Zimmerman tried to conceal the funds from the judge.

De la Rionda noted that even if O’Mara is holding on to a balance of the funds, the money is still Zimmerman’s.

“The money still belongs to the defendant,” he wrote in a motion. “And he can demand it at any time.”

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He is as bad as The Anthony's!

By Rene Stutzman and Jeff Weiner,
SANFORD — The judge in the George Zimmerman second-degree murder case has decided not to step aside.

Circuit Judge Kenneth Lester Jr. made that formal ruling today. That's a defeat for Zimmerman, who three weeks ago filed paperwork, saying he feared Lester would not treat him fairly.

That's because in a bond order, Lester described Zimmerman as a manipulator who was gaming the criminal justice system by hiding $130,000 and keeping a secret passport.

The judge wrote that if not for a satellite monitoring system keeping track of his whereabouts, Zimmerman might well have fled.


In his ruling today, the judge made no comment about the allegations of unfairness. He merely wrote that the motion was insufficient.

Defense attorney Mark O'Mara could appeal Lester's decision not to step aside. It was not immediately clear what he would do.

Zimmerman is now free on $1 million bail, awaiting trial for killing Trayvon Martin, an unarmed black 17-year-old whom he shot Feb. 26.

Zimmerman says he acted in self-defense, that Trayvon attacked and overpowered him and was beating his head into a sidewalk.

Prosecutors say Zimmerman is guilty of profiling, that he spotted the teenager in his neighborhood, assumed he was about to commit a crime then chased him and murdered him.http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/trayvon-martin/os-george-zimmerman-judge-stays-20120801,0,6382138.story

By Kerry Sanders , NBC News

MIAMI – During the 1980s, there was a tourism campaign in Florida that promoted the state by saying: “The rules are different here.”
Fast forward 30 years, and Florida’s legal system is again proving that “rules are different” adage true. Florida was the first state to enact a “stand your ground” law in 2005; since then more than 10 other states have adopted similar laws.

George Zimmerman, 29, charged in the second degree murder of Trayvon Martin, 17, may never go to trial because of Florida's law.

Zimmerman’s defense attorney, Mark O’Mara, announced today he plans to call for a hearing under the “stand your ground” law. This would allow a judge to rule on whether or not Zimmerman has immunity in the shooting death of Martin, if the accused acted within reason, before a trial even gets under way.

O’Mara explained his reasoning on his web site: “A ‘stand your ground’ hearing will essentially be a mini-trial. Most of the arguments, witnesses, experts, and evidence that the defense would muster in a criminal trial will be presented in the ‘stand your ground’ hearing.”
'Stand your ground' criteria
In this case, the big question is: Was Zimmerman defending himself when he killed Martin?

To meet the “stand your ground" law requirements in court, a case has to the following four criteria:
1) Whoever initiates the physical confrontation cannot use it as a defense. In other words, you can’t punch someone, they return a blow, and then you take out a gun and shoot.
2) You can’t be in the process of committing a crime and then say you were defending yourself. For example, you can’t hold up a convenience store, and if the clerk pulls a gun on you, shoot the clerk and then claim you were standing your ground.
3) You can “stand your ground” if you are legally allowed to be where you choose to defend yourself. In this case the question will be: Was George Zimmerman legally allowed to stand in the common area between the apartments, taking into account that he exited his vehicle after being told by a Sanford police dispatcher to stay put?
4) Finally, are you in fear for your life or serious bodily injury? This is a state of mind question and perhaps the most nebulous because it requires a judge to conclude how someone was thinking at the moment they fired a fatal shot.
How will politics play in?

There’s another aspect to a request of immunity when the “stand your ground” law hearing is requested -- a step beyond the courtroom into the world of politics.

In Florida, judges and the state attorneys are elected.

In Seminole County, where the U.S. Census reveals 11.7 percent of the population is African-American, and where thousands have protested over the way this case has been handled, were Judge Kenneth Lester to rule in favor of Zimmerman, a passionate few could organize an effort to end Lester’s career on the bench.

Judges are supposed to rule independent of politics, but legal experts say it’s always easier for a judge “to punt” and just let a jury answer the self-defense question.

An immunity hearing date is not yet set.

When it takes place, you can expect every moment will be broadcast on cable television.

That’s because another rule is also different here.

In Florida, the legal system is open to cameras with the belief that the best government is that which is in “the sunshine.” In other words, every citizen can watch the developments, and in the process, hold those in charge accountable.

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‘Dr. Phil’ to offer George Zimmerman episode
Dr. Phil, George Zimmerman, Trayvon Martin, WOFL —

posted by halboedeker on August, 28 2012 9:56 AM

“Dr. Phil” last season turned to the Casey Anthony story with several high-profile episodes featuring George and Cindy Anthony.

This season, the syndicated series will take up another Central Florida story: George Zimmerman, who is charged with second-degree murder in the fatal shooting of Travyon Martin. In a season preview clip, Dr. Phil McGraw asks two guests about Zimmerman. “Is he a racist? Is he a cowboy vigilante?” McGraw asks.

“Absolutely not,” says Mark Osterman, who describes himself as “the best friend of George Zimmerman, the most hated man in America.” McGraw notes that Osterman has never spoken out about Zimmerman. Osterman is a U.S. air marshal and former Seminole County deputy.

The new season starts Sept. 10. “Dr. Phil” airs at 3 p.m. weekdays on WOFL-Channel 35.

The “Dr. Phil” show, on its website, asks viewers: “Can you relate to George Zimmerman/Trayvon Martin?”

The questionnaire continues: “Did you or someone you know act in self-defense, but got punished? Did you or someone you know do the right thing even though everyone else thinks it was wrong? Are you being harassed or judged for your actions? Do you know someone who was killed or injured for no good reason? If you can relate to any of these statements and want to have your story heard on our show, apply below!”

The “Dr. Phil” website also is conducting a poll asking viewers to weigh in on the George Zimmerman case. The questions and the results straight from the website:

“1) Do you believe George Zimmerman shot Trayvon Martin in self-defense?
“24% Yes. 76% No.

“2) George is currently charged with second-degree murder. Do you believe he should be convicted?
“58% Yes. 42% No.”

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Here he goes again. I wonder how much money Zimmerman is going to be paid.

I haven't watched Dr. Phil since he gave George and Cindy a platform and paid them $600,000, which no doubt Cindy shared with KC.

I agree. DP was on my sh*t list for a long time anyway but when he paid the Ant's almost a million dollars, that was it for me.

Judge released from Zimmerman case
Motion to disqualify judge deemed 'legally sufficient'

SANFORD, Fla. —
The second-degree murder case against George Zimmerman is getting another new judge.

In a ruling late Wednesday afternoon, the Fifth District Court of Appeal found that the motion he filed to disqualify Judge Ken Lester was in their words "legally sufficient."

Zimmerman was asking Lester to recuse himself, arguing the judge's ruling on Zimmerman's latest bond request shows a lack of objectivity toward Zimmerman.

In that ruling, Lester wrote that Zimmerman was "flouting" and "manipulating" the legal system.

In his order, Lester expressed concerned that Zimmerman might be hatching a plan to flee the country to avoid prosecution, something Zimmerman's defense strongly denies.

It was a 2-1 decision with the dissenting judge saying Lester had not "crossed the line" and should not be removed.

The two judges in the majority admitted in their opinion that this was "a close call," but given the allegations Zimmerman presented in total, it did meet the threshold of legal sufficiency to have Lester step down.

They have ordered the chief circuit judge to appoint a successor.

Zimmerman's attorney, Mark O'Mara, released a statement after the decision.

"We appreciate the appellate court reviewing our petition and we believe it is the correct decision," read the statement.

Lester had originally ruled that he would not step down from the case.

Zimmerman is charged in the shooting death of Martin on Feb. 26.

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‘Dr. Phil’ to open season Monday with George Zimmerman’s friend
— posted by halboedeker on September, 6 2012 1:53 PM

“Dr. Phil” will start its new season on Monday with an episode on George Zimmerman, who is described as “the most hated man in America.”

The syndicated series opened last season with George and Cindy Anthony, parents of Casey Anthony, who is often described as “the most hated woman in America.”

Zimmerman is charged with second-degree murder in the fatal shooting of Travyon Martin. In a clip, Dr. Phil McGraw questions two guests about Zimmerman. “Is he a racist? Is he a cowboy vigilante?” McGraw asks.

“Absolutely not,” says Mark Osterman, who describes himself as “the best friend of George Zimmerman, the most hated man in America.” McGraw notes that Osterman has never spoken out about Zimmerman. Osterman is a U.S. air marshal and former Seminole County deputy.

“Dr. Phil” airs at 3 p.m. weekdays on WOFL-Channel 35.

video here:
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By MIKE SCHNEIDER | Associated Press – 2 hrs 26 mins ago

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Forensic tests made public Wednesday show that George Zimmerman's was the only DNA that could be identified on the grip of the gun used to fatally shoot 17-year-old Trayvon Martin.

The results rule out Martin's DNA from being on the gun's grip. Zimmerman's DNA also was identified on the gun's holster, but no determination could be made as to whether Martin's DNA was on the gun's holster, according to the report from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.

Zimmerman is charged with second-degree murder for fatally shooting Martin during a confrontation in a gated community in Sanford in February. Zimmerman is pleading not guilty, claiming self-defense.

A delay in Zimmerman's arrest led to nationwide protests.

The question of whose DNA is on the gun and holster could play a role in Zimmerman's defense.

Zimmerman says Martin had been on top of him, slamming his head against the ground and smothering his mouth and nose with his hand and arm when he grabbed his gun from a holster on his waist before Martin could get it. He shot the teenager once in the chest.

Other documents released by prosecutors Wednesday include an interview with the clerk of a convenience store where Martin purchased Skittles and a can of iced tea moments before his confrontation with Zimmerman. The clerk said in the interview, more than a month after Martin was shot, that he didn't remember Martin.

"To be honest, I don't even remember that day," said the clerk, whose name was redacted from the audio interview.

Prosecutors also released hundreds of emails sent to then-Sanford Police Chief Bill Lee whose agency came under fire when Zimmerman wasn't immediately arrested. An email dated more than a week after Martin's death from a resident of the development where Zimmerman was the neighborhood watch leader thanked Lee for attending a recent association meeting. The email's author, Molly Jackson, said in an interview Wednesday that Zimmerman wasn't present at that association meeting.

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Please click here for the latest doc dump:
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Posted at 06:00 PM ET, 09/29/2012
By Jonathan Capehart

George Zimmerman is in a bloody mess. The killer of Trayvon Martin claims that he was in a life-and-death struggle with the unarmed teenager. But DNA tests are not exactly bearing that out. Yes, they prove the two were in close proximity. One stain on the shirt that Trayvon wore underneath the hoodie was a DNA match to Zimmerman. But these tests raise more questions about (or poke more holes in) Zimmerman’s story.

Despite claims that Trayvon grabbed Zimmerman’s gun, Trayvon’s DNA was not found on the weapon or its holster. Despite claims that Trayvon pummeled Zimmerman in the face and the head, none of Zimmerman’s DNA was found on Trayvon’s hoodie. Not even on the cuffs or the sleeves.

And then there are Zimmerman’s shirt and jacket.

There were 47 stains tested for the presence of blood on Zimmerman’s shirt and jacket. Of the 16 on his shirt, 14 “gave chemical indications for the presence of blood.” All matched Zimmerman’s DNA profile. Of the 31 stains tested on the jacket, 17 “gave chemical indications for the presence of blood.” Nine of the 17 matched Zimmerman’s DNA profile. The remaining eight are nothing short of curious.

“Stain E” on the jacket showed the presence of “at least two individuals.” The major contributor was Zimmerman. The profile of the minor contributor “could not be determined.”

“Stain I” showed the presence of “at least two individuals.” Zimmerman was the major contributor, but Trayvon was “excluded as a possible contributor to the mixed DNA profile.” So, who is this second person?

“Stain N” showed the presence of “at least two individuals.” Zimmerman was the major contributor. The “partial minor DNA profile match” was that of Trayvon.

“Stain U” showed the presence of “at least two individuals.” Trayvon is “a possible contributor” to the DNA mix. But “no determination” could be made about the “possible contribution” of Zimmerman to the DNA profile.

“Stain BB” showed the presence of “at least two individuals.” The major and minor contributors to the DNA profile could not be determined, but Zimmerman is “included as a possible contributor. “No determination” could be made about the possible contribution of Trayvon.

The DNA data from “Stain V” were deemed “insufficient for inclusion purposes.” While the results were “consistent with the presence of a male individual,” no determination could be made on whether that male was Zimmerman or Trayvon.

The DNA data from “Stain Z” and “Stain G” were “not interpretable.” While there was the “presence of a male individual” in “Stain Z,” there was also the “possible presence of non-human DNA.” How odd. Is this the result of contamination?

Of the 47 stains tested for the presence of blood on Zimmerman’s shirt and jacket, Trayvon was a “partial minor DNA profile” in one stain and a “possible contributor” in another. He was “excluded as a possible contributor” in a third. That’s just three stains out of 47.

“Unless Trayvon Martin was wearing gloves and a bonnet, it would normally be expected that there would be some evidence of him on the garment,” said Kendall Coffey, former U.S. attorney for the Southern District of Florida.

As I mentioned previously, Coffey noted that ambiguities in DNA evidence could undermine Zimmerman’s claim of self-defense. But Coffey was cautious in assessing the DNA evidence after I read results to him. “This is nobody’s silver bullet,” he said. “All of these things standing alone are explainable. But when assembled at trial, they can provide meaningful support for the prosecution’s case.”

When Zimmerman takes the stand in his second-degree murder trial next year, he will tell his story of a life-and-death struggle once more. How he was cold-cocked by Trayvon. How his head was repeatedly slammed into the sidewalk. How he stopped Trayvon from using his gun on him. This time Zimmerman will tell his version of events under oath before a jury. And upon cross-examination, he will have to explain why and how there’s precious little DNA evidence to back it all up.

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Posted on Tuesday, October 9, 2012

Frances Robles | The Miami Herald
MIAMI — Seven months after the killing of unarmed high school junior Trayvon Martin, George Zimmerman's family is on a national media crusade to clear the family's name.

What began as a series of routine media interviews denying that George Zimmerman is a racist blew up into a Twitter rant Monday night. Zimmerman's brother, Robert Zimmerman Jr., took to social media after midnight and vowed to make it his life's work to have one of the Martin family attorneys disbarred. He said he would expose the lawyers and their publicist, "one by one, day by day."

"I hope GOD grants you a long life so you live to repent for what you have done," Robert Zimmerman Jr. wrote in a tweet directed to Natalie Jackson, one of the lawyers for the slain teen's family.

In another, he wrote: "My Life's work equals you WILL be held accountable for your words/actions. You AINT seen NOTHIN' yet... I will see U disbarred."

The flap underscored the heated rhetoric still visible regarding an incident that polarized the nation, and the extent to which legal advisors in the case were blamed for it. The threats posted online also highlighted the difficulty the Zimmermans have had managing their message, and the defense team's inability to control the client - or his family.

Defense attorney Mark O'Mara said he cringed when he saw a relative of his client acting out on the Web, and said the new media tour was launched without George Zimmerman's knowledge. His message to Robert Jr: "Be careful with my case."

"I have been cautious with how we act in this case and now someone with the same last name who does not act with the same constraints is out there - and I have no control over him," O'Mara said. "They felt it was time to let the world know that the Zimmerman family is a good family. That goal is a noble goal.

"But they do have to be sensitive to the environment in which we are telling this story. No matter what, George is still at risk here. And we still have a dead young man - that's fresh on everyone's mind. That frustrates me."

The family's media campaign follows months of public relations debacles.

Last month, Zimmerman's best friend published a book riddled with errors that offered a new accounting of how Martin died. It wound up on the prosecution's evidence list.

Zimmerman's neighbor, who did more than 100 TV interviews on Zimmerman's behalf, was arrested on a DUI charge, and the video of his arrest was posted on the Internet. A co-worker was discredited on national television when it seemed he hardly even knew Zimmerman.

The family did very few interviews, but complained vehemently about their portrayal in the media. In July, Zimmerman's parents, Robert and Gladys, launched a website to raise money for their life in hiding and to share details about their son, who they described as a longtime altar boy who donated blood, mentored black children and collected clothes for the homeless.

After Zimmerman's best friend published his book that included a scene that depicted the so-called "most hated man in America" as wildly paranoid against blacks, Robert Jr. took control of the family image himself.

In an e-mail sent to several reporters last week, Robert Jr., 31, said his family sent him to Los Angeles to do a series of local television interviews aimed at "reintroducing the Zimmerman family." He stressed that he was the only authorized spokesman for the family.

"For far too long, we have kept silent about our plight at the hands of those who made assertions about our family members that were false," he wrote. "Many assertions made about my brother have now proven to be false as well."

The family believes they were skewered by the "national media machine" that did not uncover hard facts, but instead was manipulated into destroying the Zimmermans' lives. He made a reference to what critics have dubbed the "scheme team:" attorneys Jackson and Benjamin Crump and Orlando publicist Ryan Julison.

Conservative critics accuse the three of orchestrating a false narrative about the case for their own profit, presumably a payout from the insurance policy of the homeowner's association where Zimmerman lived.

In the past week, Robert Jr. appeared on Geraldo Rivera's show, Univision's "Despierta America," and several radio and TV shows out of Los Angeles. His assignment: to read a condolence letter to Martin's parents and paint his brother as a married, working, college student who was attacked by Martin and libeled in the media.

Robert Jr. denied a request by The Miami Herald for an interview.

On Monday, he appeared on "Piers Morgan Tonight" with his mother, her face obscured. Gladys Zimmerman froze at probing questions and offered condolences only after she was pressed by the show's host.

Once the show was over, Robert Jr. reacted strongly to tweets referring to comments his mother made about a 2010 case of a homeless black man beaten by a Sanford cop's son. Her son, Gladys Zimmerman said, was the only one who helped the man.

The homeless man was represented by Jackson, the Martin family lawyer, who grew up in Sanford and has a solid Twitter following that enjoys her sarcastic remarks about George Zimmerman. On Monday, she alluded to him being a "murderer" and suggested that his brother's CNN appearance was a fundraising drive.

That's when Robert Jr. responded with a series of tweets threatening her license. She quipped back: "Please see my Rule No.1: Never argue with a fool, onlookers may not be able to tell the difference - Mark Twain."

In an e-mail Tuesday, Robert Jr. stood by his twitter tirade.

"I don't want her to be able to use her position as an attorney to assassinate anyone else's character or to ever hurt anyone else's family," he said.

Jackson dismissed the spat, saying she could not be sure if the person who posted the threats was really Zimmerman's brother.

"I don't take stuff personally from family members," Jackson said in an interview. "I do criminal defense work and I understand how families react. I don't think people should attack them or threaten them in any way. It's stressful when someone you love is possibly going to jail for life."

Zimmerman, 29, is charged with second-degree murder for the Feb. 26 shooting of Martin, 17, who was spending the weekend at a Central Florida townhouse complex. Zimmerman called police when he thought the teen looked suspicious, and minutes later the two were tussling on the grass.

Zimmerman says he was forced to shoot Martin, who attacked him. Prosecutors say Zimmerman, a former neighborhood watch volunteer, profiled the teenager and has no claim to self defense.

Attorney Crump said he preferred not to comment on the tweet directed at him by Zimmerman's brother.

"We are trying to stay focused on holding the killer responsible for the death of Trayvon. We're trying to keep it there," he said. "Name-calling doesn't get us anywhere."

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A date was set for the murder trial of George Zimmerman during a hearing in court this morning.

George Zimmerman, 29, is charged with second-degree murder for shooting Trayvon Martin, an unarmed black 17-year-old, in Sanford Feb. 26, a homicide that set off weeks of civil rights rallies across the country.

This morning, Circuit Judge Debra Nelson set Zimmerman's trial for June 10. Attorneys in the case said they estimate the trial will last three weeks. Prosecutor Bernie de la Rionda said he expected jury selection would take longer than the trial itself.

Zimmerman's wife Shellie Zimmerman, 25, is charged with perjury, and her attorney was also in court for this morning. Prosecutors say she lied at her husband's first bond hearing when she testified that the couple was broke.

Prosecutors agreed with Shellie Zimmerman's lawyer to delay the next hearing in her case until Dec. 12.

Neither defendant will appear in court today. Both are living in hiding in Seminole County.

Nearly two weeks ago, George Zimmerman's attorney, Mark O'Mara, formally asked for a delay. This week, co-counsel Don West filed paperwork, complaining that the special prosecutor in the case has failed to turn over all the evidence that's required and had been uncooperative.

There's another hearing in his case Friday. Among the things the judge will then hear is an argument about whether to allow O'Mara to subpoena Trayvon's school records and whether the public should know about future defense subpoenas and what evidence they produce.

She'll also hear argument about whether prosecutors are entitled to George Zimmerman's medical records.

Also today defense attorneys in George Zimmerman's case are scheduled to depose four Sanford police officers, including one who conducted a voice-stress test – something similar to a lie detector test – on Zimmerman and concluded he was telling the truth.

That's to be followed by depositions on Thursday of four more Sanford cops and four Sanford fire-rescue employees who were at the scene the night of the shooting.

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Thursday, 10.18.12


Attorney Mark O'Mara

The Duval County state attorney has a message for George Zimmerman’s defense attorney: Zip it.

Assistant State Attorney Bernie de la Rionda filed papers Thursday in Seminole County Circuit Court asking a judge to muzzle defense attorney Mark O’Mara, whom the prosecutor accuses of taking to the Internet to try his case in the media.

“Unless defense counsel stops talking to the media about the case, in person or by use of defendant’s website, it will [be] more difficult to find jurors who have not been influenced by the media accounts of the case,” de la Rionda said. “...An impartial jury could never be seated.”

De la Rionda asked Circuit Judge Debra Nelson to issue a gag order, which would silence the defense, prosecutors, law enforcement and any of the lawyers’ employees. If the judge agrees, lawyers and investigators would not be allowed to make any statements outside the courtroom about the case, evidence, credibility of witnesses or possible sentences. If the judge allows it, they’d even be kept from opining about Zimmerman’s guilt or innocence.

It’s the second time de la Rionda has made such a request. He made the same motion in April before a different judge. That judge declined the request, but was later forced off the case for other reasons.

De la Rionda, who never speaks publicly about the case, filed the motion after a particularly active spell on the website O’Mara maintains to update the press and the public about the case.

In the past few days, O’Mara posted motions asking for a monthly review of discovery, arguing that de la Rionda has yet to turn over key evidence, and submitted inaudible recordings and incomplete materials.

O’Mara also wrote a missive about the role of race in the case, and, in a separate communiqué, clarified that Zimmerman’s brother did not have approval or input from the defense when he appeared on TV and sent argumentative tweets to lawyers involved in the case.

Although the defense’s Facebook site was taken down in August, visitors to the website can still post comments on O’Mara’s announcements — and the firm sometimes responds.

“If there is no limit to attorneys commenting about the facts in the case, attorneys for the state could rebut … and the commentary would never end,” de la Rionda wrote.

The two sides will face off Friday in court to discuss a series of other issues. It’s unclear whether the judge will rule on the gag order Friday.

O’Mara was not available for comment late Thursday.

Media attorneys, who are scheduled to speak at Friday’s hearing to fight a different state motion, are expected to object to the gag request.

“Attorneys, like anyone, have a First Amendment right to speech, and the Florida Bar has issued rules on limits on what attorneys may appropriately say,” said Scott Ponce, an attorney for The Miami Herald and other media companies. “It’s better to let the Florida Bar regulate speech by its members than have a court get involved.”

Ponce plans to attend the hearing to object to a motion de la Rionda filed last month in which he asked the judge to force O’Mara to file his subpoenas under seal.

Prosecutors objected when O’Mara publicized a list of subpoenas he planned to issue for Trayvon Martin’s school, Facebook and Twitter records. De la Rionda now wants future subpoenas to be issued in secret, something both defense and media lawyers say is not allowed under the law.

“The state has the ability to toss as wide a net as it wishes into waters chopped up by storms created by racial innuendo and political pressure,” O’Mara shot back after being accused of going on a “fishing expedition.” “It cannot drown within that net a criminal defendant’s constitutional rights to prepare an appropriate trial and to defend himself against that tide.”

Judge Nelson may rule Friday on whether to allow the social media and school record subpoenas to move forward.

On Monday, Facebook lawyers sent a letter to O’Mara vowing to fight the subpoena. Trayvon’s social-media account, Facebook attorney Furqan Mohammed said, is not only irrelevant to the case, but by law cannot be released. Mohammed said federal law protects the account information, and added that an argument over the issue would have to take place in a California court.

“We think the attorneys for Facebook are essentially saying the same thing we have been saying all along: Trayvon’s Facebook and social media are completely irrelevant,” said Benjamin Crump, an attorney for Trayvon’s family. “All of these issues are distractions that take the focus off George Zimmerman.”

Zimmerman is charged with second-degree murder for the Feb. 26 killing of Trayvon, a Miami Gardens high school junior. Zimmerman claims the unarmed teen attacked him and he was forced to shoot in self defense.

Trayvon’s parents are expected in court Friday to urge prosecutors to push for release of Zimmerman’s medical records.

“The family thinks those records are far more relevant,” Crump said.

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By Rene Stutzman, Orlando Sentinel
6:05 p.m. EDT, October 29, 2012

SANFORD - In a blow to prosecutors seeking to muzzle George Zimmerman's defense attorney, Circuit Judge Debra S. Nelson on Monday refused to issue a gag order in the second-degree murder case.

In a two-page order, Nelson wrote that she found no "overriding pattern of prejudicial commentary" and noted that a dozen media companies that had opposed the order, including the Orlando Sentinel, were right when they argued that the state had failed to demonstrate prejudice.

The judge also noted that she had several tools to make sure Zimmerman's jury is impartial. She can move the trial to another county, have attorneys question potential jurors one at a time and away from other potential panel members and, once seated, she can give stern instructions about avoiding outside sources of information.

PDF: Judge denies gag order in Zimmerman case
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The gag order request was an attempt by Assistant State Attorney Bernie de la Rionda to quiet attorney Mark O'Mara, who has been vocal in his defense of Zimmerman and innovative in communicating on his website, Twitter and, for a time, Facebook.

The judge held a 2 1/2-hour hearing Friday, most of it taken up by attorneys arguing for and against a gag order.

During that hearing, O'Mara said his client had been the subject of a carefully orchestrated national media campaign by attorneys for Trayvon's family, who had traveled the country, portraying the former Neighborhood Watch volunteer as a racist murderer.

De la Rionda accused O'Mara of trying to taint potential jurors. All he wanted, de la Rionda said, is to have a fair trial, and the best way to do that is to prohibit all attorneys from talking about or publishing information about the case.

Also on Monday, Nelson released another ruling granting prosecutors fewer of Zimmerman's medical records than attorneys for Trayvon Martin's family had hoped.

They had asked for all of Zimmerman's medical records, but defense attorneys had squawked, saying that would violate Zimmerman's right to privacy. So the judge looked them over and ruled that the state could only have records she deemed relevant: those related to injuries Zimmerman suffered Feb. 26, the night he shot the unarmed 17-year-old.

"Any injuries received that night would clearly be relevant to a self-defense claim, as would any similar injuries present before that night or continuing symptoms after that night," she wrote. "Observations of the defendant's physical appearance surrounding the date of the shooting may also be relevant. However, other medical records relating to the treatment of untreated maladies should not be disclosed."

During a news conference on the courthouse lawn Oct. 19, about two hours before attorneys presented their case to the judge, family attorney Benjamin Crump called for the release of Zimmerman's prescription and mental health records.

That would be key, he said, to understanding the mind of Trayvon's killer.

The judge's ruling, though, kept those under wraps.

Several months ago O'Mara released a set of office notes from the Altamonte Springs doctor's office where the defendant sought medical care the day after the shooting. They revealed that Zimmerman was taking several prescriptions, including those commonly given to people who suffer from attention deficit disorder, who cannot sleep and who have ulcers or stomach problems.

They also revealed that a physician's assistant the day after the shooting diagnosed him with a broken nose, cuts to the back of his head, two black eyes and back pain.

The judge signed the order on the medical records Friday, and it became public Monday.

In arguing against the gag order Friday, O'Mara said that when he first took Zimmerman's case, his office was inundated with thousands of pieces of email and media queries, so he created a website, where he regularly posts blogs and court documents.

He or a public relations professional also periodically posts short notices on Twitter.

O'Mara abandoned a Facebook page he had set up, he said, because it devolved into Trayvon supporters and Zimmerman supporters spewing vitriol at each other.

But in general, he said he had helped quell tensions around the case without violating Florida Bar rules, which prohibit an attorney from discussing a case if it has a substantial likelihood of prejudicing a proceeding.

A dozen news organizations, including the Orlando Sentinel, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times and CNN, opposed the gag order, calling it extreme and unnecessary.

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(FILE) Attorney Jose Baez says he was never held in contempt of court during the Casey Anthony trial for statements made to the media.

Last Updated: Wednesday, October 31, 2012, 4:44 PM

KISSIMMEE --
Jose Baez's name has now come up in the case against George Zimmerman.

Casey Anthony's former attorney has written a letter to the judge presiding over Zimmerman's murder trial for the shooting death of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin.

Baez said Zimmerman prosecutor Bernie de la Rionda was wrong when he argued that Baez was held in contempt of court during the Casey Anthony murder trial

During a gag order hearing Friday, de la Rionda argued that Baez was held in contempt, because of comments he made to the media.

But Baez called that statement "completely false," telling Judge Debra Nelson in his letter that "the only discipline ever handed down … was a fine for discovery violation."

Baez was fined about $600 for failing to turn over evidence to the court.

Judge Nelson denied the gag order Monday, one day before Baez's letter was filed.

———————————————
Text from Jose Baez's letter to Judge Debra Nelson

Your Honor:

It has come to my attention that some misrepresentations were made in your courtroom on Friday, October 26, 2012. As an officer of the court I feel obligated to bring them to your attention immediately.

During oral arguments in the case of State of Florida vs. George Zimmerman, assistant state attorney Bernie de la Rionda stated that he believed that I had been held in contempt by Judge Perry in the State of Florida vs. Casey Anthony, presumably for violating some rule or order relating to violating the rules of professional conduct involving statements to the media.

These representations are completely false. The only discipline ever handed down in the Casey Anthony case by any judge was a fine for a discovery violation. There was never any such discipline or admonishments relating to comments to the media to ever arise in the Casey Anthony case. (The prosecution's motion for a gag order was denied by Judge Strickland.)

I am available to the court if further clarification is needed. I am certain that Mr. De la Rionda was more careful with his other arguments, however, I will ask him personally to please verify his facts in the future before recklessly attempting to tarnish any other members of the Central Florida legal community.

Sincerely,

Jose A. Baez

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"Baez was fined about $600 for failing to turn over evidence to the court."

I would really like to know what that evidence was. Anybody know? I will go looking around for it.

Never mind.

Casey Anthony: Jose Baez Fined


Jose Baez has been fined just under $600 for failing to turn over information about expert witnesses.

From the Associated Press:

Circuit Judge Belvin Perry said in an order released Thursday that the $583.73 fine is the cost prosecutors spent in filing a motion about the matter.

Earlier this week, the judge found that defense attorney Jose Baez had committed a willful violation of his order by missing a deadline on turning over reports from the defense experts.

The judge ordered that the experts must provide written reports about what they will say at trial. Anything not in the reports or in depositions will not be allowed at the May trial.

Ya know, IMO he is trying to insert himself in this case. He would love nothing more to be part of it. MOO.

Wrapitup wrote:Ya know, IMO he is trying to insert himself in this case. He would love nothing more to be part of it. MOO.

By MARK MEMMOTT

Originally published on Thu November 29, 2012 10:50 am

"Thank You Cards ... personally signed by George," are now going to be sent to those who donate money to the man facing second-degree murder charges for the Feb. 26 shooting death of Florida teenager Trayvon Martin.

George Zimmerman, 29, needs money for his "living expenses and legal costs," according to his new website — GZDefenseFund.com. It adds that since May 3 the fund has raised more than $140,000, but "the balance ... is at its lowest."

So:

"The New George Zimmerman Defense Fund, at George's request, will begin sending Thank You Cards to people who have contributed to the Defense Fund. Each card will be personaly [sic] signed by George. The identity of all donors will continue to be kept strictly confidential, and the envelope of the Thank You Cards will not have any reference to Mr. Zimmerman or the O'Mara Law Group."

The Miami Herald doesn't shy away from saying that Zimmerman is selling his autograph.

As we've written before:

Zimmerman, who called police to say he had seen a "suspicious" young man in his neighborhood, has said he acted in self defense. Trayvon's family and supporters say Zimmerman racially profiled the 17-year-old, should not have continued following Trayvon after a police dispatcher said it wasn't necessary to do that and that they question whether the teenager attacked the older man as Zimmerman claims.

The case spotlighted "stand your ground" laws in Florida and other states, and ignited another discussion about race relations in the nation. There were protests in cities across the country in support of Trayvon's family and to call attention to what many viewed as authorities' initial unwillingness to charge Zimmerman.

The stand your ground law is back in the news this week, as WLRN reports:

"Michael Dunn, 45, a white software developer from Satellite Beach, went with a gun to the window of an SUV in a parking lot to ask that the black teens inside lower the volume of their music. Reportedly, hot words were exchanged and Dunn fired eight times, killing 17-year-old Jordan Davis.

"Investigators said no weapons were found in the SUV."

Dunn has been charged with second-degree murder. His attorney is reportedly considering a stand your ground defense.

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George Zimmerman's Lawyers Release A Brand-New Bloody Photo

Erin Fuchs | Dec. 3, 2012, 2:08 PM
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George Zimmerman's defense has released the first high-resolution, color photo showing the neighborhood watchman the night he killed Trayvon Martin.

The shooting sparked a national debate on race relations in the U.S., and Zimmerman was derided by many as a neighborhood vigilante.

Zimmerman says he was just trying to defend himself when he shot the black, unarmed 17-year-old in a gated Florida community.

Florida prosecutors previously released a number of grainy pictures showing a bloody Zimmerman that would appear to back up his self-defense claims. This is apparently the first high-quality image:

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"Florida prosecutors previously released a number of grainy pictures showing a bloody Zimmerman that would appear to back up his self-defense claims. This is apparently the first high-quality image".
OR has it been photo shopped?????

EXACTLY!!

Dec 4, 2012 9:31am
George Zimmerman Lawyers Say Bloody Nose Photo Creates Doubt

ABC News’ Seni Tienabeso (@SeniABC) reports:
Lawyers for George Zimmerman believe that a newly released color photo of injuries their client sustained during his fatal altercation with Trayvon Martin and an alleged conversation involving Martin’s father create doubts about the strength of the murder case against the former neighborhood watch captain.

The color photo, which was released months ago in black-and-white form, shows Zimmerman’s swollen and bruised nose with blood dripping down his mouth. The image was released on the Zimmerman defense website, gzlegalcase.com. His attorneys released the image publicly Monday, along with a separate motion asking Sanford police investigator William Irwin to take another deposition because of comments he made that came to their attention after his first deposition.

Zimmerman’s attorneys say in the document that they learned after initially taking Irwin’s deposition that he told Sanford police Captain Robert O’Connor about overhearing a potentially damaging conversation between Martin’s father and lead investigator Chris Serino.

In the alleged conversation, Irwin, who took the voice stress test on Zimmerman after his deadly confrontation with Martin, said he heard Tracy Martin, the unarmed teen’s father, tell Serino that the still unidentified screams in those now-infamous calls did not belong to his son.

In the stress-test and throughout various interrogations, Zimmerman maintained that he acted in self-defense when he shot and killed Martin because he believed the teen, who he says attacked him, was going to cause severe bodily injury to him if he did not do something. Zimmerman maintains that he was screaming for help, and shot Martin, 17, only after being repeatedly pummeled by the teen, who was walking back to his father’s girlfriends home from 7-Eleven after buying Skittles and tea.

Zimmerman’s attorneys call the conversation in the motion “significant,” saying “the primary issue in this case, if not the sole issue to be decided either by this court at a Self Defense Immunity hearing or by a jury at trial is whether Zimmerman was acting in self-defense.”

The elder Martin has disputed this police account in the past with both he and the teenager’s mother saying that they believed the cries for help belonged to their son, and any misstatements happened during the early confusion of not knowing what happened to their son.
Audio test of the screams on the 911 call, which was placed by a neighbor near the scene, have not conclusively linked the cry for help to either Zimmerman or Martin, casting another layer of doubt in this story.

This latest information was released as Zimmerman’s defense continues to gather evidence it will use in a “Stand-Your-Ground” self-defense hearing next year that, if the court sides with Zimmerman, could mean he never actually goes to trial for second-degree murder, as charged.

In the past few weeks, his defense has been interviewing officers involved in the early investigation, many of whom believed there was insufficient evidence to arrest Zimmerman.

Serino, the lead investigator who recommended charges be filed early on, hired Casey Anthony attorney Jose Baez in a highly unusual move last week. Audio and video taken days after the shooting showed that Serino was tough on Zimmerman during several interrogations, openly questioning his self-defense claim.

“You ever hear of Murphy’s law,” Serino asked during a Feb. 29 audio interrogation. “This person was not doing anything bad.”

Serino then questioned the extent of Zimmerman’s injuries, telling him that they didn’t appear consistent with someone involved in a life-or-death struggle
A few weeks later, in a March 13 affidavit, Serino wrote, “I believe there exists probable cause … charging George Zimmerman with Manslaughter.”

In a separate interview with the FBI, however, Serino told agents that he was feeling the pressure to file charges against Zimmerman.

Zimmerman’s defense has already listed several members of the Sanford police department as potential witnesses, and has stated it will claim that public pressure and a lack of evidence led to charges being filed against their client.

All this activity comes as Zimmerman remains in hiding and low on cash. A message on his defense website saying that he would sign “Thank You Cards” to supporters who donated to his fund has been publicly ridiculed.

Donations to his fund have dwindled in recent months, and the once-large reserve he had never fully recovered from the new bail he posted after being re-arrested for making false claims in court about the state of his finances.

Those claims also briefly landed his wife, Shellie, who still faces perjury charges, behind bars.

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"All this activity comes as Zimmerman remains in hiding and low on cash. A message on his defense website saying that he would sign “Thank You Cards” to supporters who donated to his fund has been publicly ridiculed."
Yeah, timely. This photo shows up as a bloody mess at this point? GMAB! If this photo was released months ago as a black and white I have to ask why it was not converted to color (& by LE) then? These 'little' things being released one by one with months in between don't impress me, they send up red flags. MOO.

I agree. Also, IMHO, they are trying to make this the next MLS trial. I think he w/walk although I think he is racist and one of those gun-toting busy bodies that has anger problems. MOO.

Robin Sax on Fox has a great take on this.

I'm really not convinced anymore that this is a race deal. What I am convinced about is that Zimmerman was a wanna be cop that even thou' FL laws allows it he should not have been carrying a firearm (neighborhood watch), he had a superior attitude and because of this Trayvon is dead.

Guilty!

I also agree with that. I remember though that he made some comment that "they" always get away w/it. Paraphrasing.

George Zimmerman sues NBC and reporters

By By MIKE SCHNEIDER | Associated Press – Thu, Dec 6, 2012 7:46 PM PST

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — George Zimmerman sued NBC on Thursday, claiming he was defamed when the network edited his 911 call to police after the shooting of Trayvon Martin to make it sound like he was racist.
The former neighborhood watch volunteer filed the lawsuit seeking an undisclosed amount of money in Seminole County, outside Orlando. Also named in the complaint were three reporters covering the story for NBC or an NBC-owned television station.

The complaint said the airing of the edited call has inflicted emotional distress on Zimmerman, making him fear for his life and causing him to suffer nausea, insomnia and anxiety.

The lawsuit claims NBC edited his phone call to a dispatcher in February. In the call, Zimmerman describes following Martin in the gated community where he lived, just moments before he fatally shot the 17-year-old teen during a confrontation.

"NBC saw the death of Trayvon Martin not as a tragedy but as an opportunity to increase ratings, and so set about to create a myth that George Zimmerman was a racist and predatory villain," the lawsuit claims.

NBC spokeswoman Kathy Kelly-Brown said the network strongly disagreed with the accusations made in the complaint.

"There was no intent to portray Mr. Zimmerman unfairly," she said. "We intend to vigorously defend our position in court."

Three employees of the network or its Miami affiliate lost their jobs because of the changes.

Zimmerman is charged with second-degree murder but has pleaded not guilty, claiming self-defense under Florida's "stand your ground law."

The call viewers heard was trimmed to suggest that Zimmerman volunteered to police, with no prompting, that Martin was black: "This guy looks like he's up to no good. He looks black."

But the portion of the tape that was deleted had the 911 dispatcher asking Zimmerman if the person who had raised his suspicion was "black, white or Hispanic," to which Zimmerman responded, "He looks black."

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Posted by Erik Wemple on December 10, 2012 at 4:18 pm

Last July, George Zimmerman sat down with Sean Hannity of Fox News for a multi-topic and much-viewed interview. The discussion went into minute detail on Zimmerman’s deadly encounter with Trayvon Martin, from the moment he spotted Martin to the initial violence to his reflections on the whole thing: “I feel it was all God’s plan,” Zimmerman told Hannity.

That whole setup — Zimmerman chatting with Hannity in front of a huge cable-news audience- — could work to his detriment in the suit that the neighborhood watchman filed last week against NBC Universal. The legal action alleges that NBC News defamed Zimmerman with by mis-editing the 911 call that he made prior to the Martin shooting. The misleadingly rendered audiotape framed Zimmerman as a hardened racial profiler.

As it gears up to defend itself, NBC Universal is all but certain to mount a familiar argument. Zimmerman, it will likely contend, is a “public figure” for the purposes of the lawsuit. Under defamation law, those whom the court terms “public figures” bear a heightened burden of proof when bringing a libel case against a news outlet. They must prove that the outlet acted knowingly to spread falsehoods or with reckless disregard of the truth — a standard known to lawyers as “actual malice.” Regular folks — non-public figures, that is — have much less burden to prevail in a libel action; they need prove only that the news outlet acted with negligence or carelessness. The spirit behind the bifurcated standard in libel cases is to “free criticism of public officials from the restraints imposed by the common law of defamation.”

Atlanta attorney Lin Wood calls public-figure arguments “the linchpin for successful defense of defamation cases.”

So what’s Zimmerman? Is he just a private guy under defamation law? Or is he a bona fide public figure?
Prior to Feb. 26, 2012, the answer to that question was simple. Zimmerman was about as private a citizen as they come; he patrolled his gated community in Sanford, Fla., as a neighborhood watchman. He attained international name recognition only through his deadly encounter with Martin on that night.

Yet Zimmerman’s status as a regular dude prior to the Martin confrontation doesn’t mean he cannot qualify as a public figure under defamation law. The Supreme Court has ruled that people who “thrust” themselves into the “vortex” of a public issue or dispute can become public figures for the purposes of defamation law, and thus create obstacles for themselves when it comes to filing a libel complaint.

Chuck Tobin is the chair of the media practice team Holland & Knight and has litigated defamation claims in Florida courts. The way he sees it, Zimmerman’s standing as a public figure under his suit against NBC is a “no-brainer.” The court, he says, will apply a straightforward test in determining the question:
*Whether there was a public contretemps over Zimmerman’s racial views;
*Whether those views are relevant to the criminal proceeding;
*What role did Zimmerman “voluntarily play or not play in that controversy?”

Precedent in Florida courts, says Tobin, has been quite friendly to news outlets — as judges have ruled over and over that otherwise private folks have qualified as “limited-purpose” public figures thanks to the controversies that they happened upon. As highlighted on the Web site of the Citizen Media Law Project, Florida courts in the past have applied the public-figure designation to a corrections officer, a police officer, a harbormaster and a hospital administrator.

As evidence that Zimmerman has thrust himself into controversy, Tobin cites his television appearance — the Hannity thing, that is — plus the Web site that promotes his viewpoints, not to mention his legal team’s use of the media during the controversy. “There’s a very strong case to be made that he’s a public figure,” says Tobin.

James Beasley, Zimmerman’s attorney in the case, argues that Zimmerman “didn’t thrust himself into the public light,” thus preserving his status as a private citizen. “Defendants [media outlets] try to make everyone a public figure…The press can’t create a monster and then say because this person’s now out, he’s a public figure.”

Oh yeah? The late Richard Jewell discovered a backpack containing a bomb while he was working at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics as a security guard. He acted heroically to clear out the area of Centennial Olympic Park where the device had been planted. Subsequently, he turned into an FBI suspect, as conveyed in media accounts. After he was exonerated, he sued news outlets for having reported him as such. Georgia courts, however, found that he was a public figure because of interviews that he’d granted to the media. “It’s a ruling that I still disagree with,” says Wood, who represented Jewell. “At the request of his employer, Richard had given a handful of interviews that were requested by the media to provide factual information about the circumstances of the bombing to the public. He did not advocate any position or express any opinions in those interviews.”

Wood focuses on chronology in determining whether Zimmerman is adjudged a public figure. The NBC News tape-manglings occurred in late March, though Zimmerman didn’t go on “Hannity” until months later. “If his public appearances … by way of the Internet and television interviews were subsequent in time to the edited tape, I believe he would be deemed a private figure,” says Wood.

Yet Wood also notes that NBC Universal could well try to categorize Zimmerman as an “involuntary public figure,” which is essentially someone who acquires a high profile for being “in the wrong place at the wrong time,” as Wood puts it. Should be a fascinating case.

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Both of them make me want to

Judge: George Zimmerman must keep wearing GPS tracker

Yamiche Alcindor, USA TODAY

1:07PM EST December 11. 2012 - The man charged in the shooting death of teenager Trayvon Martin in February must continue to wear a GPS monitoring ankle bracelet and remain in Seminole County, a Florida judge ruled Tuesday.

George Zimmerman is accused of second-degree murder in the Feb. 26 shooting of the 17-year-old in a gated Sanford community where he was on neighborhood watch. Zimmerman is claiming self defense.

Judge Debra Nelson also rejected a request to lower Zimmerman's $1 million bond, and ordered that Zimmerman remain in Seminole County and away from the Orlando-Sanford International Airport. In doing so, she kept in place a July ruling by Judge Kenneth Lester who previously presided over the case.

"He doesn't need to live under constraints that a previous court imposed," Zimmerman attorney Mark O'Mara said before the ruling. "This is not a person who has missed court appearances. He wants to be here. He's looking forward to an immunity hearing and a trial."

O'Mara also pulled out photos of Zimmerman's bloody face from the night of the shooting and asked Nelson to consider Zimmerman's innocence in making her ruling.

After hearing from both Assistant State Attorney Bernie de la Rionda and O'Mara, Nelson denied the motion saying Zimmerman would remain under the conditions set by a previous judge.

Nelson did agree to allow Zimmerman's lawyers to re-depose Sanford police investigator William Erwin, whom the defense says was present when police played 911 audio for Trayvon Martin's father. And the state also must turn over the original recording of Martin family attorney Benjamin Crump's interview of a girl identified as Trayvon's girlfriend, Nelson ruled.

Police say the teen's father initially denied that the voice heard screaming on the 911 call, before the fatal shot, was his son. The girlfriend, identified as Witness 8, says she was on the phone with Trayvon in the moments before the shooting. She is a key state witness.

On the GPS questions, Zimmerman argues that he "needs to be able to travel more freely... for reasons of his own personal safety and... to have the ability to assist his defense" by meeting with witnesses, including experts," according to a motion filed by his attorney.

Zimmerman will remain free on $1 million bond -- with the GPS monitoring -- while awaiting a trial scheduled for June 13.

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