Trayvon Martin case: use of Stand Your Ground law or pursuit of a black teen?

[11B4V]

"The police concluded that none of this would have happened if George Zimmerman hadn't gotten out of his car," said attorney Ben Crump. "If George Zimmerman hadn't gotten out of his car, they say it was completely avoidable. That is the headline."

This.

Neighborhood watch observes and reports.

[CountDeMoney]

Did you guys miss this yesterday, or do you just don't care anymore?

Judge revokes bail for George Zimmerman in Trayvon Martin case
By NBC's Jamie Novogrod

A Florida judge on Friday revoked the bail for George Zimmerman in the Trayvon Martin case, saying he had misled the court about his finances, and ordered him to present himself to the court within 48 hours.

Prosecutors alleged in a court filing that Zimmerman, 28, hid from the court the fact that he had raised $135,000 on a website he set up before he was granted $150,000 bail on April 20. Zimmerman is facing second-degree murder charges in the shooting death of Martin, 17, in February.

In a hearing in Sanford, Fla., that Zimmerman did not attend, Judge Kenneth Lester said Zimmerman engaged in a "material falsehood" about his finances.

Assistant State Attorney Bernie de la Rionda  said Zimmerman's wife, Shelly, led the court to believe they were penniless, which he called a "blatant lie."

De la Rionda said the Zimmermans spoke in "code" about moving finances around during telephone calls while George Zimmerman was in custody.

The state also alleged Zimmerman held a second passport after surrendering one to the court when bail was granted. In revoking bail, Lester said he was not swayed by arguments about the second passport, often routinely obtained by people who lose their passports.

Zimmerman's attorney, Mark O'Mara, said it was his fault the court did not have the second passport earlier.

Trayvon Martin family attorney Benjamin Crump said Lester's finding that "Zimmerman was dishonest is very important because his credibility is the most important thing in this entire case."

"Credibility is the issue and we think it is the most important ruling so far in this entire case," Crump said.

The revocation motion was filed as a hearing opened on the confidentiality of evidence in the case, including Zimmerman's statement to police.

A consortium of more than a dozen media groups is asking the judge not to seal records in the case. Prosecutors and Zimmerman's attorney fear witnesses will be harassed if their names are publicized, but the media consortium says that's not a good enough reason to keep what is usually a public record from being released.

On Friday, De la Rionda asked that the names of witnesses be sealed. Lester said it would take several weeks to review evidence before unsealing any.

O'Mara said he concurred with the state's request to seal the identities of witnesses, because witnesses would be subject to ongoing requests for information from the media, he said, and their stories could change during retellings published in the press.  He added that he does not "deny" freedom of press, but wants "one trial" before a jury in a case that has enormous pressure from the "blogosphere."

Regarding Zimmerman's statements to police, O'Mara said he would like 30 days to review them before a decision is made on making them public. O'Mara said if Zimmerman's statements were not made voluntarily, he could file a motion to prevent them from being shown at trial. He added that a delay is "not unreasonable."

"I would suggest that this case is months and months and months away from a trial date," he said, adding, "We're six months out from finishing discovery."

Zimmerman is accused of killing Martin as he walked through a gated residential community in Sanford, Fla., near Orlando, on Feb. 26.

Police initially declined to arrest Zimmerman, who claimed self-defense, but a special prosecutor who was subsequently appointed charged Zimmerman with second-degree murder.

[Eddie Teach]

I didn't care when it happened. 

[Sheilbh]

I'm interested in the case, but not that sort of stuff.

[CountDeMoney]

Shellie Zimmerman, wife of George Zimmerman, charged with murdering Trayvon Martin, was arrested Tuesday on one count of perjury, the Seminole County, Fla., Sheriff's Department said.

Deputies arrested Shellie Zimmerman, 25,  about 3:30 p.m. ET, after they were advised by the office of State Attorney Angela Corey that a warrant had been issued.

She was booked into John E. Polk Correctional Facility and released on $1,000 bond, officials said.

George Zimmerman, 28, was charged with second-degree murder in the Feb. 26 shooting of Martin. He pleaded not guilty. Police say that he claimed on the night of the shooting that he acted in self-defense.

His $150,000 bond was revoked after allegations that during an April 20 bail hearing he and Shellie Zimmerman misled the court about their finances, neglecting to disclose they had raised at least $135,000 in a PayPal account.

The order issued Tuesday by Assistant State Attorney John Guy charged Shellie Zimmerman with knowingly making false statements during the April hearing.

Speaking outside the Seminole County Jail late Tuesday evening, George Zimmerman's attorney Mark O'Mara said his client is worried about his wife after learning of the arrest.

"Now that she's being charged with a crime he's worried about her," O'Mara said, adding that George Zimmerman is concerned because she is "out in the public eye."

O'Mara also said that the prosecution surprised him with Tuesday's arrest, complaining the surprise fell short of professional courtesy. "I didn't actually get a phone call until after the arrest, and I had asked for one before that," O'Mara said.

Also Tuesday, the court released Seminole County Circuit Judge Kenneth Lester's order revoking George Zimmerman's bond.

"There are several factors that weigh against his release ... Most importantly, though, is the fact that he has now demonstrated that he does not properly respect the law or the integrity of the judicial process."

[Phillip V]

Woman Accuses Zimmerman of Molesting

'An Orlando woman now in her mid-20s told investigators that George Zimmerman, who is charged with second-degree murder in the killing of Trayvon Martin, molested her over a decade, beginning when they were both young children, according to an audio tape released on Monday.'

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/17/us/george-zimmerman-accused-of-molesting.html

The woman, whose parents were close to the Zimmerman family, talked to investigators on March 20. Identified only as Witness 9, she said she had come forward now, a decade after her last encounter with Mr. Zimmerman, 28, because, after his arrest, she was no longer afraid of him.

It is unclear how, or whether, prosecutors plan to use the allegations in their case against Mr. Zimmerman, who is free on $1 million bond. Mark O'Mara, Mr. Zimmerman's lawyer, tried unsuccessfully at the last minute to block the special prosecutor from releasing the tape, which he said was irrelevant and prejudicial. He also sought to block the release of another tape in which the same witness describes Mr. Zimmerman's family as routinely disparaging black people.

The witness said that Mr. Zimmerman, who is about two years older than she is, first molested her when she was 6. She was staying in the Zimmermans' Virginia home while her mother and father were moving from Louisiana to Orlando, Fla. The woman said Mr. Zimmerman had groped her with his hands while they lay under a blanket as they watched television with a group of children.

Other groping episodes followed, she said. She visited the family "at least once a year" and she was molested during some of those visits, she said, including once behind a curtain when she was 7 or 8 and another time on a bunk bed when she was around 12.

"Before we left the room or left any place, he would say we weren't doing anything – we were just laying there or we were just playing hide-and-seek," said the woman, whose voice cracked as she recounted the events." He would always make sure that he told me that. And I didn't know. I was a kid. I didn't know any better."

The acts typically involved "a lot of kissing, groping. He would put his hands under my shirt and just rub and grab my chest and put his hands down my pants again," the woman said.

The woman said that she had been traumatized by what happened and that she had blocked much of it from her mind. She said she had been too ashamed to tell anyone, including her parents. But she said she also feared that no one would believe her because Mr. Zimmerman came across as so likable.

"He just sucked up to my dad," she said. "He was like the son he never had. He was always very charming and personable with everyone in the family and would always just laugh and entertain everybody. But he was different behind closed doors with me."

The last encounter, and the only one that took place in Florida, occurred shortly after Mr. Zimmerman arrived in Lake Mary, not far from where she lived with her family, the woman said. She was 16 and Mr. Zimmerman was 18. He had invited her to a housewarming gathering, she said. When she arrived inside, he was alone. Frightened, she said, she followed his instructions and lay down on the bed, and he started groping her again. At that point, she said, she got up, ran out and jumped into her car. He followed her to the door but no farther, she said.

[Caliga]

 

[Admiral Yi]

Sounds like someone wants a slice of that PayPal money.