FOX: George Zimmerman breaks his silence on Trayvon Martin case
Worth noting that Zimmerman and Hannity had a prior relationship — while with his original lawyers, Zimmerman talked directly to the Fox News host, even though he wasn’t authorized to.
Everyone loved him and he made everyone happy. I knew that if I said anything he would just deny it.A woman referred to as “Witness 9” • Discussing sexual abuse allegations she made against George Zimmerman, who is currently facing trial in the shooting of Trayvon Martin. The victim, who is two years younger than Zimmerman, says that the incidents took place between the ages of 6 and 16, and she’s tried to block them out of her mind ever since. The witness also claimed that Zimmerman and his family showed prejudiced tendencies. The witness’ testimony came to light as part of an evidence release by Special Prosecutor Angela Corey. (Editor’s note: Audio of the testimony is available, but is very graphic; be advised. This post only touches basic details covered in the testimony.)
There’s more where that came from: Trayvon Martin’s alleged killer has an online legal defense fund containing over $200,000. His initial bond was revoked due to Zimmerman and his wife lying to the court about how much money and assets the family actually had. (His wife was also arrested and charged for related reasons.) Notably, however, the influx of monetary support Zimmerman had upon his initial arrest has significantly slowed down — partly as a result of his original site being taken down and being replaced with this. Though Zimmerman has been released on bond, the conditions are much stricter this time around — he can’t open a bank account, go to an airport, or order a passport; he must wear an electronic monitor at all times; and he faces a tight curfew of 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. daily. source
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This video, which appears to have been shot shortly after the shooting (there’s a bandage on the back of Zimmerman’s head), shows Zimmerman explaining that he only fired on Martin when he felt that he was in serious danger. “I didn’t want him to keep slamming my head on the concrete so I kind of shifted,” he says in the clip. “But when I shifted my jacket came up…and it exposed my firearm. That’s when he said you are going to die tonight. He took one hand off my mouth, and slid it down my chest. I took my gun aimed it at him and fired.” The video was initially posted on the site for Zimmerman’s legal defense, but that site is currently extremely down this morning — too much traffic, perhaps? In related news, the Sanford, Fla. police chief was fired on Wednesday.
» A possible crime vs. a questionable statement: Some have strongly criticized the audio, which paints Zimmerman as possibly making a joke about something which some might find offensive. (Here’s one example.) But, while troubling, the real issue to keep an eye on here is the possible money laundering. There is evidence (in the form of bank records) that Zimmerman and his wife tried to transfer the money at totals below $10,000 in an effort to avoid scrutiny of the money his Web site raised. A possibly tasteless joke? Definitely not great on top of everything else this case has thrust forward. But, of what’s been presented today, it’ll be those financial transactions which will have a real impact in the weeks and months ahead. Keep an eye out.
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Jail audio from George Zimmerman case released: Beyond this moment between him and his wife, the transcripts show that the couple seem to be discussing how to transfer money from the Paypal account which Zimmerman set up for his legal case. Our pal Matthew Keys has been uploading transcripts from the jail audio all morning — you can read them in full over here.
![thedailywhat:
Breaking News of the Day: Zimmerman’s Bond Revoked: The Orlando Sentinel’s Jeff Weiner is reporting via Twitter that George Zimmerman’s bail has been revoked, and that Zimmerman must surrender within 48 hours.
Weiner reports that the prosecution is saying Zimmerman and his wife “may have committed contempt of court by lying,” arguing that Zimmerman “misrepresented, misled and deceived the court” during a bond hearing regarding his U.S. passport and his family’s financial situation.
[mediaite]
A significant reversal in the case.](http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m4ychyJKp31qzpwi0o1_500.jpg)
Breaking News of the Day: Zimmerman’s Bond Revoked: The Orlando Sentinel’s Jeff Weiner is reporting via Twitter that George Zimmerman’s bail has been revoked, and that Zimmerman must surrender within 48 hours.
Weiner reports that the prosecution is saying Zimmerman and his wife “may have committed contempt of court by lying,” arguing that Zimmerman “misrepresented, misled and deceived the court” during a bond hearing regarding his U.S. passport and his family’s financial situation.
[mediaite]
A significant reversal in the case.
![producermatthew:
Among the evidence released by the Florida special prosecutor’s office on Thursday was this image of the gun George Zimmerman used the night teen Trayvon Martin was shot. [Photo: Florida special prosecutor’s office]
DOCUMENT: Evidence released in the George Zimmerman trial
Presented without comment.](http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m46sjellnW1qz5ew6o1_500.jpg)
Among the evidence released by the Florida special prosecutor’s office on Thursday was this image of the gun George Zimmerman used the night teen Trayvon Martin was shot. [Photo: Florida special prosecutor’s office]
Presented without comment.
» Trayvon’s lawyer wants his bond revoked: A few weeks back, when George Zimmerman was having lawyer trouble, he put up a Web site asking publicly for donations, complete with a PayPal link. People donated in the hundreds of dollars to Zimmerman’s legal fund. According to his lawyer, Mark O’Mara, Zimmerman didn’t inform him of the donations until this week, and they’re now under his authority. That said, Zimmerman will most assuredly need the funds — O’Mara’s normal rate is $400 per hour, and he’s already worked 100 hours on the case. Do the math on that one, guys. This morning, the judge in the case asked to learn more information on how this happened, while the lawyers for Trayvon’s family say that during the bond hearing, Zimmerman and his lawyer acted as though “that they did not have any money.” Lots of drama here.
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![thedailywhat:
Breaking News of the Day: Zimmerman Takes the Stand at Bond Hearing: The family of George Zimmerman, charged with second-degree murder in the February 26 shooting death of Trayvon Martin, asked a Florida judge this morning to grant bail while he awaits trial. Family members — testifying by phone because they say they have been threatened — argued that Zimmerman is neither a flight risk nor a threat to the community.
“He is absolutely not a violent person,” said his wife, Shellie Zimmerman.
Defense attorney Mark O’Mara would prefer that Zimmerman be allowed to leave the area, if he is granted bond, because of concerns about his safety. “Normally, the conditions are that you stay local. I think that is going to be difficult,” he said. “I think nobody would deny the fact that if George Zimmerman were walking down the street today, he would be at risk. That is a reality.”
George Zimmerman took the stand to make a statement.
“I wanted to say I am sorry for the loss of your son. I did not know how old he was, I thought he was a little bit younger than I am and I did not know if he was armed or not.”
[lat]
That Zimmerman statement hits a raw nerve. Let’s hope that as this trial commences, a much broader picture comes out. In related news, ABC News acquired a witness photo, allegedly of ZImmerman minutes after the shooting, that shows blood on the back of his head. However, the prosecutor in the case says they were aware of the photo but it did not affect the decision to charge Zimmerman with second-degree murder.](http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m2sa9hRyK11qzpwi0o1_500.jpg)
Breaking News of the Day: Zimmerman Takes the Stand at Bond Hearing: The family of George Zimmerman, charged with second-degree murder in the February 26 shooting death of Trayvon Martin, asked a Florida judge this morning to grant bail while he awaits trial. Family members — testifying by phone because they say they have been threatened — argued that Zimmerman is neither a flight risk nor a threat to the community.
“He is absolutely not a violent person,” said his wife, Shellie Zimmerman.
Defense attorney Mark O’Mara would prefer that Zimmerman be allowed to leave the area, if he is granted bond, because of concerns about his safety. “Normally, the conditions are that you stay local. I think that is going to be difficult,” he said. “I think nobody would deny the fact that if George Zimmerman were walking down the street today, he would be at risk. That is a reality.”
George Zimmerman took the stand to make a statement.
“I wanted to say I am sorry for the loss of your son. I did not know how old he was, I thought he was a little bit younger than I am and I did not know if he was armed or not.”
[lat]
That Zimmerman statement hits a raw nerve. Let’s hope that as this trial commences, a much broader picture comes out. In related news, ABC News acquired a witness photo, allegedly of ZImmerman minutes after the shooting, that shows blood on the back of his head. However, the prosecutor in the case says they were aware of the photo but it did not affect the decision to charge Zimmerman with second-degree murder.
Trayvon Martin’s family watches the announcement of a second degree murder charge against George Zimmerman. (From @trymainelee)
Live video: Family of Trayvon Martin and Rev. Al Sharpton speaking now.
Fascinating look on the other side.
George Zimmerman is in custody, the AP reports. He will be charged with second-degree murder.
In case you missed it, here’s the wild press conference held by the former attorneys for George Zimmerman, Craig Sonner and Hal Uhrig. This is a slightly lower-quality version is basically to show the horrible camera angle CNN had when they showed it live on the air. Note the people walking in the background staring. It made an already awkward press conference (seriously, who wants to be a lawyer in a high-profile case and admit your client has gone off the grid?) look even more awkward. If you look at some of the other videos, they portrayed the situation a little better. But, by just showing random awkward people in the background, it made the whole thing look even more farcical. In fact, the network appeared to realize this halfway through, showing secondary images on the air and cropping the frame tightly. This is a very serious case. CNN did a disservice to viewers with this poor camera angle.
EDIT: On a related note, special prosecutor Angela Corey says she plans to make an announcement on the case within the next 72 hours.
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