Witnesses in the upcoming George Zimmerman murder trial will not be permitted to testify anonymously, judge Debra Nelson ruled on Thursday, less than a week before the start of the highly-scrutinized murder trial.
Circuit Judge Debra Nelson has limited the evidence George Zimmerman's attorneys can use during his trial, in which he shot the unarmed 17-year-old Trayvon Martin last year. Details about Martin's marijuana, school suspension and fights cannot be used in opening statements, Nelson said.
The defense team for neighborhood watchman George Zimmerman, who was charged with fatally shooting an unarmed Trayvon Martin during a confrontation at a gated community in Sanford, Florida, a city near Orlando, released data from the 17-year-old's cellphone. This information ncluded texts with a friend about fighting, smoking marijuana and being forced to move out of his mother's house because of trouble at school.
In the pretrial hearing of the George Zimmerman trial involving the shooting death of Trayvon Martin, "audio experts" differed on whether screams for help captured on 911 call are those of the defendant or of the 17-year-old.
Prosecutors also argued that if Zimmerman were to claim immunity under Florida's "Stand Your Ground" law, which bars prosecution of someone who uses lethal force when in fear for their life rather than opting to retreat, it would have taken place before the start of his second-degree murder trial on June 10.
Gladys Zimmerman, the mother of the Florida neighborhood accused of fatally shooting 17-year-old Trayvon during a confrontation in a gated community in Sanford, releasing a letter where she criticized the media and the justice system for their role in the case.
Trayvon Martin's parents, Tracy Martin and Sybrina Fulton, have settled a wrongful death claim for an amount thought to be more than $1 million against the homeowners association of the Sanford subdivision where their son was killed, the Orlando Sentinel reported. The Martins' attorney Benjamin Crump filed their paperwork at the Seminole County Courthouse, a portion of which was made public on Friday.
The attorneys for George Zimmerman is again asking Circuit Judge Debra Nelson to reconsider a request to take the deposition of Benjamin Crump, the attorney who interviewed a teenager who says she was on the phone with Trayvon Martin before he was shot by the neighborhood watchman, according to the court filling made public on Monday.
The attorneys for George Zimmerman, the neighborhood watch captain accused stunned court observers on Tuesday by deciding to skip a "Stand Your Ground" hearing slated for April that might have led to a dismissal of the charges in the shooting death of unarmed teenager Trayvon Martin.
Attorneys for George Zimmerman, the former neighborhood watch volunteer charged with shooting Trayvon Martin, 17, to death is asking for more time to prepare for his case.
