Wow, what a surprise that they've found out that Trayvon's girlfriend (the state's most important witness) is a total liar:
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news...ess-8-medical-records-20130305,0,129597.story
Attorneys for George Zimmerman were expected to ask his judge this morning to order the state's most important witness, the young Miami woman who was on the phone with Trayvon Martin just before he was shot, to produce medical records.
However, defense lawyer Don West made a startling claim shortly after the hearing began: The state had revealed, before the hearing, that there are no medical records.
The woman, the defense lawyer said, "misrepresented" in a sworn statement that she missed Trayvon's funeral because she had been hospitalized.
"In fact, she lied," West said.
Prosecutor John Guy confirmed there will be no medical records, effectively confirming that there was no hospital trip.
The defense had requested the records to challenge her story. Zimmerman is not in court today. The hearing started about 9 a.m.
The young woman, typically referred to as Witness 8, already had credibility problems: Benjamin Crump, an attorney for Trayvon's family, identified her as 16 years old when he played for reporters a recorded interview he conducted with her in March.
But she was 18 at the time and 19 now, O'Mara says.
During that interview by Crump, Witness 8 said she had been on the phone with Trayvon and he said he was scared because a strange man was following him. She said she heard Trayvon and the man come face to face and heard them exchange a few words then the phone went dead.
Zimmerman shot him a short time later. He is charged with second-degree murder. He says he acted in self-defense.
O'Mara is trying to delve into the young woman's background and investigate her. He has already convinced the judge to allow him to subpoena her Twitter and Facebook accounts so he can read her posts.
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news...ess-8-medical-records-20130305,0,129597.story
Attorneys for George Zimmerman were expected to ask his judge this morning to order the state's most important witness, the young Miami woman who was on the phone with Trayvon Martin just before he was shot, to produce medical records.
However, defense lawyer Don West made a startling claim shortly after the hearing began: The state had revealed, before the hearing, that there are no medical records.
The woman, the defense lawyer said, "misrepresented" in a sworn statement that she missed Trayvon's funeral because she had been hospitalized.
"In fact, she lied," West said.
Prosecutor John Guy confirmed there will be no medical records, effectively confirming that there was no hospital trip.
The defense had requested the records to challenge her story. Zimmerman is not in court today. The hearing started about 9 a.m.
The young woman, typically referred to as Witness 8, already had credibility problems: Benjamin Crump, an attorney for Trayvon's family, identified her as 16 years old when he played for reporters a recorded interview he conducted with her in March.
But she was 18 at the time and 19 now, O'Mara says.
During that interview by Crump, Witness 8 said she had been on the phone with Trayvon and he said he was scared because a strange man was following him. She said she heard Trayvon and the man come face to face and heard them exchange a few words then the phone went dead.
Zimmerman shot him a short time later. He is charged with second-degree murder. He says he acted in self-defense.
O'Mara is trying to delve into the young woman's background and investigate her. He has already convinced the judge to allow him to subpoena her Twitter and Facebook accounts so he can read her posts.
[h=1]Zimmerman attorneys: Texts show Trayvon Martin 'hostile' day of shooting[/h] By Steve Almasy, CNN
updated 3:54 PM EDT, Sun May 26, 2013
Trayvon Martin in a picture released on Thursday, May 23, by attorneys for George Zimmerman, the neighborhood watch volunteer accused of killing Martin without provocation 14 months ago. The evidence, Zimmerman's attorneys say, paints a different picture of the 17-year-old than the one portrayed by his family and supporters.
HIDE CAPTION
New photos in Trayvon Martin case
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STORY HIGHLIGHTS
(CNN) -- Text messages sent from Trayvon Martin's cell phone the day he was killed show he had been arguing with someone on the phone and was "hostile," attorneys for George Zimmerman wrote in a recent court filing.
Zimmerman's lawyers argue the texts are relevant to the case, in which the unarmed teenager was fatally shot by the neighborhood watch volunteer during a confrontation in a Sanford, Florida, neighborhood in February 2012.
The texts speak to Martin's demeanor and emotional state, the Thursday filing said, and "may assist the jury in understanding why Trayvon Martin chose to hide then confront George Zimmerman rather than simply going home."
The filing said the texts were mostly with "Witness 8," and the messages showed Martin and the friend were "hostile and angry with each other at various points throughout the day."
Martin, 17, was talking on the phone with Witness 8 when he and Zimmerman met as Martin walked to the house of his father's fiancee after a trip to a nearby convenience store.
Zimmerman to argue self-defense, will not seek 'stand your ground'
Photos: Trayvon Martin evidence
Is the defense trashing Trayvon Martin?
Court evidence angers Martin family
Also in the document, Zimmerman's attorneys say the court should also consider text messages sent before that day, because they establish Martin's marijuana use and fights he had been involved in.
"This (fighting) evidence is admissible in support of Mr. Zimmerman's self-defense claim regarding the abilities and capacity of Trayvon Martin as an experienced fighter," Zimmerman's attorneys wrote.
The attorney for Martin's family, Benjamin Crump, said Thursday that evidence and other details -- like the defense's assertion that Martin had removable gold tooth caps -- are "irrelevant." He predicted they would never be used at Zimmerman's trial.
"Is the defense trying to prove Trayvon deserved to be killed by George Zimmerman because (of) the way he looked?" Crump asked in a statement.
"If so, this stereotypical and closed-minded thinking is the same mindset that caused George Zimmerman to get out of his car and pursue Trayvon, an unarmed kid who he didn't know. The pretrial release of these irrelevant red herrings is a desperate and pathetic attempt by the defense to pollute and sway the jury pool."
Two previous gag order requests by the prosecution have been denied.
George Zimmerman's brother apologizes for offensive tweet
Instead, he said, jurors will focus on Zimmerman's arrest for battery on a police officer, a domestic violence injunction and other issues he said demonstrate a "propensity for violence."
Other items taken from Martin's phone included text-message discussions of drugs and pictures of a gun and marijuana plants.
Lead defense attorney Mark O'Mara said he will try to use the evidence if prosecutors attempt to attack Zimmerman's character during his trial on second-degree murder charges, set to begin next month.
Zimmerman's brother slammed for tweets
O'Mara: Evidence shows Trayvon attacked
Also Thursday, O'Mara filed a request that his client's trial be delayed.
Much of the new evidence disclosed Thursday in filings by Zimmerman's attorneys comes from Martin's cell phone, including photos showing a semiautomatic pistol and ammunition and small marijuana plants growing in pots.
In another picture, Martin is pictured making obscene gestures in an apparent self-portrait. Others show him with friends and in other settings.
Gun, drug texts feature in new Trayvon Martin shooting evidence
Zimmerman recently waived his right to a pretrial hearing under Florida's "stand your ground" law, which allows people to use deadly force when threatened regardless of where they are.
His attorneys will claim self-defense at trial.
A representative of the special prosecutor handling the case did not return an e-mail message Thursday seeking comment on the evidence.
Prosecutors renewed their motion for a gag order in the case Thursday because, they said, they're concerned about finding an impartial jury given the "inordinate amount of media coverage."
Two previous gag order requests by the prosecution have been denied.
updated 3:54 PM EDT, Sun May 26, 2013
HIDE CAPTION
New photos in Trayvon Martin case
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STORY HIGHLIGHTS
- Defense: Trayvon Martin exchanged angry texts on the days he was killed
- Defense attorneys says the messages are relevant because they establish Martin's mood
- Martin's family attorney says the new evidence is irrelevant and meant to prejudice a jury
- Other messages indicated drug use, included photos of a gun
(CNN) -- Text messages sent from Trayvon Martin's cell phone the day he was killed show he had been arguing with someone on the phone and was "hostile," attorneys for George Zimmerman wrote in a recent court filing.
Zimmerman's lawyers argue the texts are relevant to the case, in which the unarmed teenager was fatally shot by the neighborhood watch volunteer during a confrontation in a Sanford, Florida, neighborhood in February 2012.
The texts speak to Martin's demeanor and emotional state, the Thursday filing said, and "may assist the jury in understanding why Trayvon Martin chose to hide then confront George Zimmerman rather than simply going home."
The filing said the texts were mostly with "Witness 8," and the messages showed Martin and the friend were "hostile and angry with each other at various points throughout the day."
Martin, 17, was talking on the phone with Witness 8 when he and Zimmerman met as Martin walked to the house of his father's fiancee after a trip to a nearby convenience store.
Zimmerman to argue self-defense, will not seek 'stand your ground'
Also in the document, Zimmerman's attorneys say the court should also consider text messages sent before that day, because they establish Martin's marijuana use and fights he had been involved in.
"This (fighting) evidence is admissible in support of Mr. Zimmerman's self-defense claim regarding the abilities and capacity of Trayvon Martin as an experienced fighter," Zimmerman's attorneys wrote.
The attorney for Martin's family, Benjamin Crump, said Thursday that evidence and other details -- like the defense's assertion that Martin had removable gold tooth caps -- are "irrelevant." He predicted they would never be used at Zimmerman's trial.
"Is the defense trying to prove Trayvon deserved to be killed by George Zimmerman because (of) the way he looked?" Crump asked in a statement.
"If so, this stereotypical and closed-minded thinking is the same mindset that caused George Zimmerman to get out of his car and pursue Trayvon, an unarmed kid who he didn't know. The pretrial release of these irrelevant red herrings is a desperate and pathetic attempt by the defense to pollute and sway the jury pool."
Two previous gag order requests by the prosecution have been denied.
George Zimmerman's brother apologizes for offensive tweet
Instead, he said, jurors will focus on Zimmerman's arrest for battery on a police officer, a domestic violence injunction and other issues he said demonstrate a "propensity for violence."
Other items taken from Martin's phone included text-message discussions of drugs and pictures of a gun and marijuana plants.
Lead defense attorney Mark O'Mara said he will try to use the evidence if prosecutors attempt to attack Zimmerman's character during his trial on second-degree murder charges, set to begin next month.
Also Thursday, O'Mara filed a request that his client's trial be delayed.
Much of the new evidence disclosed Thursday in filings by Zimmerman's attorneys comes from Martin's cell phone, including photos showing a semiautomatic pistol and ammunition and small marijuana plants growing in pots.
In another picture, Martin is pictured making obscene gestures in an apparent self-portrait. Others show him with friends and in other settings.
Gun, drug texts feature in new Trayvon Martin shooting evidence
Zimmerman recently waived his right to a pretrial hearing under Florida's "stand your ground" law, which allows people to use deadly force when threatened regardless of where they are.
His attorneys will claim self-defense at trial.
A representative of the special prosecutor handling the case did not return an e-mail message Thursday seeking comment on the evidence.
Prosecutors renewed their motion for a gag order in the case Thursday because, they said, they're concerned about finding an impartial jury given the "inordinate amount of media coverage."
Two previous gag order requests by the prosecution have been denied.
