Victim on Trial? George Zimmerman’s Defense Granted Permission To See Trayvon Martin’s Records
Judge Debra S. Nelson recently set a June 2013 date for the trial against Trayvon Martin’s killer and former Florida neighborhood watch volunteer, George Zimmerman. In the time leading up to his day in court, Zimmerman’s defense appear to be doing everything in their power to have the case dismissed, including seeking a “stand your ground” defense to get the murder charges dropped. They’ve even requested to see the unarmed teenager’s records to build a self-defense case for Zimmerman.
Judge Nelson ruled that Zimmerman’s attorneys can inspect the school records and social media postings of the 17-year-old he fatally shot in February. This information, according to Judge Nelson, will help Zimmerman’s team determine whether the slain teen had violent tendencies.
Martin’s family are reeling about the fishing exhibition, as they feel it’s an attempt to further victimize Trayvon Martin. In order to restore honor to their son’s legacy, Tracy Martin and Sybrina Fulton revealed plans to revise Stand Your Ground laws across the country and to create the Change For Trayvon Committee of Continuous Existence to actively support candidates, elected officials and causes that agree with their mission to revise these laws that originally allowed their son’s killer to walk free.
If I were on trial for murder I would want my attorney to do everything he could do to get me acquitted.
If that means trying to prove that what I did was justified, that’s what is going to be done.
I’m not shocked or surprised by this and I don’t think it’s “unfair.” I think it is a defendant’s right to mount the best defense possible, regardless if I agree with what that defendant has done or not.
It should also be noted that just because the defense gets the documents it does not follow that the judge will allow them to be used any way they chose. We have to wait and see what happens at trial.
I’m not surprised. If Zimmerman is trying to use SYG as his defense, it makes sense that he would try and prove Martin had a pattern of aggressive behavior. That said, prostitutes can be raped, charities can be robbed, paranoid people can be targetted, and aggressive teenagers can be murdered. Meaning this kid’s past has nothing to do with what transpired the day Zimmerman took his life, and I hope the prosecution knows enough to prove that point.
They should also pull Zimmerman’s old school records.
More appropriately, they should pull all of his police records, crimewatch complaints, performance reviews at work, etc to prove he’s hot headed, quick to overreact, and more a threat to his community than a watchmen. Basically, prove that regardless of what kind of kid Martin was, Zimmerman is prone to overreaching, which may have led to his misjudging the situation on the night in question.
I’m surprised this evidence could even be admissible. I don’t know much about Florida law but in New York there are evidence rules which prohibit prosecutors from using any evidence of character or bad acts to prove someone has a propensity to commit a crime. Scratching my head. Really Florida?