Trayvon Martin Shooting - George Zimmerman

[American Patriot]

ALL the evidence should be heard, including the background of both the deceased and the shooter.

ALL of it.

Trayvon Martin hearing focuses on what jury can hear

Yamiche Alcindor, USA TODAY9:16 a.m. EDT May 28, 2013

(Photo: via defense attorneys)

Story Highlights

• Tuesday's hearing may be one of the last before June 10 trial
• George Zimmerman is facing a second-degree murder charge
• Prosecution and defense attorneys to spar over which evidence should be admitted

SANFORD, Fla. – Two weeks before the trial of the man charged with murdering Trayvon Martin is set to begin, lawyers will be back in court Tuesday to argue a number of issues, including how much the jury should learn about the late teen, which experts will be allowed to testify, and whether the trial will start on schedule.
On Tuesday, Mark O'Mara, George Zimmerman's defense attorney, will ask Circuit Judge Debra Nelson to postpone the trial, to assess whether voice identification experts should be allowed to testify, and to allow the jury to learn about Trayvon's drug use, fights and school history. State prosecutors will ask the court for the third time to enact a gag order as well as to keep Trayvon's past out of the trial and to let the jury hear from an expert who believes Trayvon was yelling for help just before he was shot.
O'Mara and Assistant State Attorney Bernie de la Rionda sparred at length during the last hearing on April 30 when Zimmerman waived his right to a pretrial, self-defense immunity. Tuesday's hearing may be one of the last before the trial connected to one of the nation's currently most sensational and race-sensitive killings takes place.
Zimmerman, a neighborhood watch volunteer, is facing a second-degree murder charge in the Feb. 26, 2012, shooting of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin in a gated Sanford, Fla., community. Trayvon's family argues the young man was profiled, pursued and killed. Zimmerman says he shot Trayvon in self-defense after being attacked.
The trial for Zimmerman, who remains free on $1 million bond, is scheduled to begin June 10.
TRAYVON MARTIN: Zimmerman defense releases new photos of Trayvon Martin
For months, O'Mara has claimed publicly that a June 10 trial date was too early to prepare his case. In his most recent filing, the attorney says he needs more time to hire a speech identification expert and vet Alan Reich, a state witness and forensic acoustics consultant who believes the voice heard crying for help on a 911 call the night of the shooting is Trayvon Martin. "The defense counsel will not have enough time to direct this new matter between now and the time of trial," O'Mara writes.
The 911 call in question has long been thought to be a critical piece of evidence in a case where no eyewitnesses seemed to get a good look at the fight between Zimmerman and Trayvon. During the call by a resident of Retreat View Circle, a voice screams for help until a gunshot is heard. Using "scientific observations," Reich tentatively concluded that the voice was that of Trayvon because, among other things, the screaming stopped when the shot went off, Zimmerman's voice samples didn't match the call, and the voice was that of a young boy.
Judge Nelson denied an earlier motion by O'Mara to delay the trial date.
Meanwhile, defense attorneys last week asked permission to show the jury Trayvon's text messages, unsavory photos of the teen smoking, and a photo of a hand holding a gun taken from the young man's cellphone. They also want to introduce Trayvon's toxicology report that showed he had marijuana in his system the night of the shooting, his school records, and evidence that he may have owned gold teeth and gotten into fights.
Prosecutors say the information should not be admitted. "Such evidence, and anything akin to such evidence, is irrelevant, has no probative value and would serve only to prejudice the jury," Assistant State Attorney John I. Guy wrote.
Assistant State Attorney de la Rionda is also asking for a gag order for the third time, saying O'Mara's continued public comments will make it harder to find a jury. Each attempt at a gag order has been denied.
On Tuesday, Judge Nelson may also hear about several other issues including:
• State motions to prohibit witnesses from offering their opinions about Zimmerman's guilt, the proper punishment he should receive for his actions, and from telling the jury to disregard the law.
• A state motion to compel George Zimmerman's wife, Shellie Zimmerman, to testify at a deposition as well as a motion to keep George Zimmerman from testifying about his lack of prior felony convictions.
• A defense motion to keep the identities of potential and actual jury members anonymous as well as a motion to allow the the jury to visit the area in the gated community where Trayvon was killed.

[American Patriot]

Zimmerman is being railroaded.

New text messages revealed in Trayvon Martin shooting case reveal teen argued with friends, was 'angry' on night of shooting

Sanford : FL : USA | May 26, 2013 at 9:43 AM PDT
By Samantha86

1 of 7

File of a combination photo of George Zimmerman and Trayvon Martin



The Trayvon Martin shooting case hearings are still underway and latest evidence released by George Zimmerman's lawyers show that the teen was angry on the night he was killed by Zimmerman.
It has been more than a year since Trayvon Martin was killed by George Zimmerman and still a decision on the case is pending. Since Zimmerman was arrested, hearings have been going on to determine what the motive behind his killing was. George Zimmerman's attorneys maintain that their client shot the teen in self-defense, whereas prosecutors are alleging that this was a hate crime.
Attorneys for George Zimmerman say that some text messages have been drawn from Trayvon Martin's cell phone, showing that the 17-year-old was arguing with a friend and that he was very “angry” on the day he was shot and killed. These text messages have not been released yet and it is on the judge to decide whether they will formulate part of evidence in the case.
“This is relevant to Mr. Martin’s overall demeanor that day and relevant to his emotional state,” a new court filing by the defense team reads, according to a report by nbcnews.com. The filing goes on to say the messages “may assist the jury in understanding why Trayvon Martin chose to hide and then confront George Zimmerman rather than simply going home.”
Currently, the case is revolving around the admissibility of character evidence related to Martin, who died on February 26, 2012. His death ignited a national debate about race, guns and Florida's expansive self-defense laws.
George Zimmerman, 29, is accused of second-degree murder in Martin's death, but has pleaded not guilty. Zimmerman says that he resorted to self-defense after Martin punched and beat his head to the ground after they crossed paths inside a gated community in Sanford, Fla., that night.
Earlier this week, Zimmerman's lawyers released evidence obtained from Martin's cell phone, including two pictures of a handgun and text messages that appear to refer to an organized fight and smoking marijuana.
"He got mo hits cause in da 1st round," Martin says in a November 2011 message, apparently referring to a fight. "He had me on da ground nd I couldn’t do ntn."
Meanwhile, the prosecutors have asked the court to disallow text messages and other materials related to Martin's life to be presented as evidence because, according to them, they are irrelevant to the circumstances surrounding his death.

[American Patriot]

Judge just ruled in Zimmerman case. NONE of the facebook photos and phone text messages will be allowed. The judge ruled "none of this is 'pertinent'".

Martin's government-run-publik-skool suspension history will not be allowed either.

Zimmerman is being railroaded.

[Ryan Ruck]

WTF?!?! Is that really true?

Uh, hey judge, how about "state of mind" and "totality of circumstances"?

[American Patriot]

The articles are true. FNC confirmed it all a bit later. The judge ruled that phone text messages, and facebook images can NOT be used in court and the jury can NOT hear about those things. Also his school records have been barred from being seen (he was suspended from school more than once, but one time just prior to the shooting and apparently he was at someone's home other than his mom I guess).

Also, according to those text messages he was sending, his mother had booted him out of the house (thus he had to go live with his father in the area where he was eventually killed.)

I guess I can't really see how NONE of this is relevant.

Zimmerman was getting beat

[American Patriot]

huh? If the lawyers didn't get paid, where'd the money go then?

Zimmerman's lawyers: Defense fund is nearly gone

Mike Schneider, Associated Press1:35 p.m. EDT May 29, 2013

(Photo: Gary W. Green, Orlando Sentinel, via AP)

Story Highlights

• Defense team: George Zimmerman's defense fund is almost depleted
• Lawyers estimate Zimmerman needs an additional $120,000 for his defense
• Former neighborhood watch leader goes on trial for shooting of Trayvon Martin in less than two weeks

ORLANDO (AP) — George Zimmerman's defense fund is almost depleted with less than two weeks until the former neighborhood watch leader goes on trial in the fatal shooting of Trayvon Martin.


Zimmerman's attorneys posted on their website Wednesday that the fund had less than $5,000 left. The fund had almost $315,000 in January.

The attorneys say they calculate that Zimmerman needs an additional $120,000 to put on a good defense or even $75,000 to give him a fighting chance.


Attorneys Mark O'Mara and Don West say they haven't been paid a cent and many interns are working on the case without pay.


They say they will need the money in the coming weeks to pay experts and for transcripts of depositions.


Zimmerman is charged with second-degree murder. He is pleading not guilty.

[Malsua]

They might be parsing the word "paid"

See, if you submit an invoice for "expenses", like clerk fees and whatnot, you're not getting paid, you're getting reimbursed for costs.

They might have things like $100/hour clerk costs and are submitting bills to the fund for re-reimbursement. They aren't getting paid, you see.

They pay their clerks for their time and cover overhead. Of course, their real costs are probably about $30/hour and they pocket the rest, but hey,they aren't getting paid.

[vector7]

[Ryan Ruck]

The trial has started.

Heard some of the prosecution's opening statements and, all I can say is what a bunch of emotional drivel. Then again this may play well to the all female jury...

Hopefully though justice is served and Zimmerman is found not guilty.

[Malsua]

I can't watch stuff like that. It's pure theater and it pisses me off to no end.

[American Patriot]

I won't watch it. I'll post about it, but won't watch the videos. As Mal said, it just pisses me off.

[American Patriot]

Oh brother....

Zimmerman's Family Ordered to Leave Courtroom at Start of Trial

24 June 2013


(SANFORD, Fla.) — The trial of George Zimmerman for the killing of teenager Trayvon Martin began in a Florida courtroom with an emotional statement by Martin’s mother and the judge sending Zimmerman’s family out of the courtroom.


The case opened Monday in Sanford, Fla., 16 months after Martin was shot dead by Zimmerman.


Before opening statements could be introduced, Martin’s mother, Sybrina Fulton, gave a statement.


“I’m here today as Trayvon Martin’s mom as I have been every day. I will be attending every day to get justice for my son,” Fulton said moments before she and Martin’s father entered the court. “I ask that you pray for me and my family because I don’t want any other mother to have to experience what I am going through now.”
Benjamin Crump, a lawyer for the family, also summed up the arguments prosecutors may make.


“We think this is a simple case. There are two important facts. Number one, George Zimmerman was a grown man with a gun. And number two, Trayvon Martin was a minor who had no blood on his hands,” Crump said.


Once inside the courtroom, the families of Martin and Zimmerman settled into their seats, but Judge Debra Nelson ordered Zimmerman’s family to leave the room since they are on a list of possible witnesses who might be called.


Martin’s parents were allowed to stay and watch the proceedings.


According to Florida law, a victim’s family can stay inside a courtroom and watch the proceedings. However, no such rule covers family rights for the accused.
Crump was also kicked out of court.


Prosecutors will begin opening statements in the second-degree murder trial against Zimmerman by trying to paint the former neighborhood watch captain as a “wannabe cop” who over-stepped his role in the community.


They will argue that he profiled, followed and, ultimately, killed a 17-year-old high school student who was innocently walking to his father’s girlfriend’s home after leaving a convenience store on Feb. 26, 2012.


Zimmerman’s team might counter by highlighting the medical reports, photographs and relatively “consistent” statements he made to police immediately after the shooting that Martin aggressively confronted him and banged his head on the sidewalk several times, and that the two struggled over Zimmerman’s gun until he pulled the trigger. They will assert he killed the teen while trying to defend his own life.

[American Patriot]

June 25, 2013 1:40 PM



George Zimmerman Trial: Man who shot Trayvon Martin was concerned about burglaries, police volunteer coordinator says

George Zimmerman, left, arrives in Seminole circuit court, with his wife Shellie, on the 11th day of his trial, in Sanford, Fla., Monday, June 24, 2013.

/ Joe Burbank



(CBS/AP) SANFORD, Fla. - A volunteer coordinator with the Sanford Police Department testified Tuesday that murder suspect George Zimmerman was concerned about burglaries in his neighborhood and contacted her about starting a neighborhood watch program.

Wendy Dorival said Zimmerman passed out fliers and helped coordinate a neighborhood watch meeting on Sept. 22, 2011 - several months before Zimmerman shot unarmed teen Trayvon Martin in the community after calling a non-emergency dispatcher to report him as a suspicious person.


Zimmerman is standing trial in the teen's shooting death, charged with second-degree murder. He claims he killed Martin in self-defense.


"The first time [Zimmerman] emailed me was about starting a neighborhood watch," Dorival said. "There were several burglaries that had occurred in the community. He was concerned about them."


Dorival said Zimmerman "seemed like he wanted to make changes in his community and make it better." She asked him to join another program, Citizens on Patrol, a training program for citizens to patrol their neighborhoods, but he declined. She described Zimmerman's role as a neighborhood watch volunteer as someone who would act as a liaison with police about community safety concerns, encourage citizens to act as "eyes and ears" for police and recruit "block captains."




Dorival was questioned repeatedly by attorneys about the advice she gave to citizens about what to do when they saw a suspicious person in their neighborhood. On the evening of the fatal altercation, Zimmerman told a non-emergency dispatcher he was following Trayvon Martin.


VIDEO: Zimmerman trial: Prosecutor opens with profanity
She said neighborhood watch volunteers shouldn't follow suspicious people. She emphasized that citizens shouldn't engage anyone suspicious, but rather, contact police.


Defense attorneys questioned Dorival about when it would be appropriate to call a non-emergency number, asking if she would advise residents to call about a person "doing something that seemed to be inconsistent with what people would be doing in a similar circumstance...like walking around without any particular purpose in the rain."

She replied in the affirmative.


VIDEO: George Zimmerman trial: Self-defense, murder at case's core
The defense team has implied that on the night of the altercation, Zimmerman was attempting to give the dispatcher more information about Martin's location, and stopped following the teen after the dispatcher said, "We don't need you to do that."


Also testifying Tuesday was Donald O'Brien, president of the Retreat at Twin Lakes homeowner's association.


"Since day one with the neighborhood watch, they said at that meeting and every meeting we had after that, 'Do not get close to anyone, stay at a safe distance, call 911 and let the police handle it,'" O'Brien said.


Still at issue is whether several non-emergency calls Zimmerman placed in the months leading up to the fatal altercation will be allowed to be played for the jury.


Prosecutor Richard Mantei told a Florida judge Tuesday that the half-dozen calls are central to the prosecution's argument that Zimmerman committed second-degree murder since it shows his state of mind. Mantei said the calls demonstrate Zimmerman's prior "profiling," and will give jurors context on a "building level of frustration this defendant had" that the suspicious people he reported in his neighborhood were getting away, the Orlando Sentinel reports.



The defense said the calls are irrelevant and shouldn't be introduced.



Attorneys and Circuit Judge Debra Nelson listened to the calls in court Tuesday morning before the jury was called into the courtroom. "We've had a lot of break-ins in our neighborhood recently, I'm on the neighborhood watch," Zimmerman said in one of the calls. "There are two suspicious characters at the gate of my neighborhood. I've never seen them before - I have no idea what they're doing. They're just hanging out, loitering."

[American Patriot]

TRAYVON MARTIN CASE

George Zimmerman trial tensions emerge as Miami teen continues testimony


SANFORD, FL - JUNE 26: Witness Rachel Jeantel gives her testimony to the defense during George Zimmerman's trial in Seminole circuit court June 26, 2013 in Sanford, Florida. Zimmerman is charged with second-degree murder for the February 2012 shooting death of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin. (Photo by Jacob Langston-Pool/Getty Images) Pool / Getty Images








By Evan S. Benn

SANFORD -- Frustrations ran high in the George Zimmerman murder trial Thursday as Trayvon Martin’s childhood friend from Miami remained locked in a lengthy cross-examination by Zimmerman’s defense team.


Rachel Jeantel, 19, on the witness stand for the second day, spoke softly and at times seemed annoyed and confused by repeated questions about her past statements regarding her calls with Trayvon in the final minutes before the Miami Gardens teen’s shooting death on Feb. 26, 2012. In an admission that sent a hush through the courtroom, Jeantel said she could not read a handwritten letter, composed by her but written by a friend, because “I don’t read cursive.”


Defense attorney Don West tried to remain patient while meticulously combing through Jeantel’s recollection of her conversations with media, investigators and Trayvon’s parents. He frequently asked Jeantel to speak up or repeat herself.


On the other side of the aisle, prosecutor Bernie de la Rionda objected several times to West’s cross-examination. West dropped his pen on a lectern in frustration during one objection.


Jurors, meanwhile, stayed engaged throughout the West-Jeantel exchange, taking notes and swiveling their heads back and forth between the attorney and witness, though several suppressed yawns as the questioning drew on.


Jeantel is one of the prosecution’s most important witnesses because she bolsters the contention that Zimmerman was the aggressor in his confrontation with 17-year-old Martin. She claims to have heard Trayvon ask “why are you following me” then “get off! get off!” seconds before Zimmerman fatally shot the teen last year.


But as she acknowledged under cross-examination Thursday, Jeantel did not mention hearing Zimmerman say “What are you doing around here?” or Trayvon say “get off, get off” in her initial statements on the case. She told West that was because she didn’t think they were important or relevant at the time.


Jeantel, a rising senior at Miami Norland Senior High who had known Trayvon since elementary school, testified the previous day under direct examination that Trayvon “kept complaining that a man was just watching him.”


At some point on Trayvon’s walk back to the home of his father’s fiancée the night of the shooting, Trayvon told Jeantel that a “creepy-ass cracker” (RD edit by me to put the word ASS back IN) was following him.


Her much-anticipated testimony could be key in the case. Prosecutors have tried to depict Zimmerman as an overzealous neighborhood watch volunteer who followed and shot Trayvon, who was unarmed. Defense lawyers have said Trayvon was the aggressor and Zimmerman, 29, shot in self-defense as Trayvon hit Zimmerman’s head on the sidewalk.


Zimmerman, charged with second-degree murder, faces up to life in prison if convicted as charged.


Throughout West’s questioning, he tried to chip away at Jeantel’s credibility. He pointed out that she initially lied to Trayvon’s mother about her age, saying she was 16 when she was actually 18, and about her reason for missing the funeral, which Jeantel told Sybrina Fulton was because she had been hospitalized.


“You got to understand,” she said to West in one of several tense exchanges Wednesday. “You’re the last person who talked to a person. You don’t know how I felt. You think I really want to go see the body after I just talked to him?”


Her role in the case came to light when Benjamin Crump, the Martin family attorney, revealed that through cell phone records he had found a young woman from Miami who had been talking to Trayvon. Jeantel and Trayvon, a student at Dr. Michael Krop Senior High, had been talking and texting that day, including a series of nine calls in less than two hours right before his death.


The case sparked protests and marches in the 44 days between Trayvon’s shooting death and Zimmerman’s arrest. It also led to vigorous debates about race and Florida’s controversial Stand Your Ground law, which does not apply to this case. A six-person, all-female jury will decide Zimmerman’s fate.


Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2013/06/2...#storylink=cpy

[American Patriot]

hahahahahahahohohohohohohohlOL YA THINK??????????

LOL!!!!!!!!!

Zimmerman Lawyer Says ‘Crazy A** Cracker’ 7 Times, Seems To Be Trying To Make A Point



Folks following the George Zimmerman trial are probably beginning to notice some common themes. One of the big ones is race, with the defense turning the tables on victim Trayvon Martin where that’s concerned. To wit, defense attorney Don West used the term “creepy ass cracker” seven times within about three minutes. We’ll tell you why.




Race, perhaps more accurately “racism,” has been an element in the case since Zimmerman’s initial arrest. Some argue that it is being forced in to the trial without basis by those who want to see a “guilty” verdict, which is probably what Zimmerman attorney West is trying to do.


On Thursday, the second day of witness Rachel Jeantel’s testimony, West continued to press her about a phone conversation she had with Martin moments before he was shot and killed by Zimmerman.


“So when you say it’s a racial event, what did he tell you that makes you think it’s a racial event?” West asked.
Jeantal simply responded that Martin found it “strange” that he was being “stalked” by Zimmerman.


“That’s because he described him as a ‘creepy ass cracker’?” West wondered aloud. “So, it was racial, but it was because Trayvon Martin put race in this.”


“Creepy ass cracker” was used by West six more times, while Jeantel said the comment wasn’t racial.


“Can we move on to another topic?” Judge Debra Nelson finally intervened.


The implication West is making is that Trayvon Martin is guilty of turning his death into a racial incident. Check out our list of everyone who is not on trial in the Trayvon Martin case here, and check out the video below via Raw Story:

[Ryan Ruck]

I've been watching some video of this Rachel Jeantel's testimony and, honestly, it is downright embarrassing. I seriously think she has an IQ in the 70-80 range and I'm really not exaggerating.

The best part is she is the prosecution's star witness.

Cities are going to burn.

[American Patriot]

Ryan, you got that right.

They have been trying to railroad that "creepy ass cracker the white Hispanic" guy. I don't think they will now.

I've see some of it. The girl has been rude, downright arrogant and if you think calling someone a 'creepy ass cracker' isn't racist then you're a moron. So I think you hit her IQ about right.

[American Patriot]

Trayvon Martin's friend describes final phone call
June 27, 2013
Associated Press


SANFORD, Fla. (AP) — A friend who was on the phone with 17-year-old Trayvon Martin moments before he was fatally shot by George Zimmerman testified that she heard the Miami teen shout, "Get off! Get off!" before his telephone went dead.

Rachel Jeantel, 19, recounted to jurors in Zimmerman's second-degree murder trial how Martin told her he was being followed by a man as he walked through the Retreat at Twin Lakes townhome complex on his way back from a convenience store to the home of his father's fiancee.

Jeantel is considered one of the prosecution's most important witnesses because she was the last person to talk to Martin before his encounter with Zimmerman on Feb. 26, 2012.

She testified that Martin described the man following him as "a creepy-ass cracker" and he thought he had evaded him. But she said a short time later Martin let out a profanity.

Martin said Zimmerman was behind him and she heard Martin ask: "What are you following me for?"

She then heard what sounded like Martin's phone earpiece drop into the grass and she heard him say, "Get off! Get off!" The phone then went dead, she said.

Zimmerman, 29, could get life in prison if convicted of second-degree murder for killing Martin. Zimmerman followed him in his truck and called a police dispatch number before he and the teen got into a fight.

Zimmerman has claimed self-defense, saying he opened fire after the teenager jumped him and began slamming his head against the concrete sidewalk. Zimmerman identifies himself as Hispanic and has denied that his confrontation with the black teenager had anything to do with race, as Martin's family and its supporters have claimed.

Jeantel's testimony came after two former neighbors of Zimmerman testified Wednesday about hearing howls and shouts for help in the moments before the shooting.

Jayne Surdyka told the court that immediately before the shooting, she heard an aggressive voice and a softer voice exchanging words for several minutes in an area behind her townhome at the Retreat at Twin Lakes.

"It was someone being very aggressive and angry at someone," she said.

During the struggle, she said, she saw a person in dark clothes on top of the other person. Martin was wearing a dark sweatshirt and Zimmerman wore red clothing. Surdyka said she saw the person who was on top get off the body after the shot was fired.

Surdyka said she heard cries for help and then multiple gunshots: "pop, pop, pop." Only one shot was fired in the fatal encounter.

"I truly believe the second yell for help was a yelp," said Surdyka, who later dabbed away tears as prosecutors played her 911 call. "It was excruciating. I really felt it was a boy's voice."

During cross-examination, defense attorney Don West tried to show there was a lapse in what Surdyka saw. Defense attorneys contend Martin was on top of Zimmerman during the struggle, but after the neighborhood watch volunteer fired a shot, Zimmerman got on top of Martin.

West also challenged Surdyka about her belief that the cry for help was a boy's voice, saying she was making an assumption.

The other neighbor, Jeannee Manalo, testified that she believed Zimmerman was on top of Martin, saying he was the bigger of the two based on pictures she saw of Martin on television after the fight. Manalo also described hearing howling, but she couldn't tell who it was coming from, and then a "help sound" a short time later.

Under cross-examination, defense attorney Mark O'Mara asked why Manalo had never mentioned her belief that Zimmerman was on top in previous police interviews. He also got her to concede that her perception of Martin's size was based on five-year-old photos on television that showed a younger and smaller Martin.

Martin's parents have said they believe the cries for help heard by neighbors came from their son, while Zimmerman's father believes the cries belong to his son. Both prosecutors and defense attorneys believe they could show whether Zimmerman or Martin was the aggressor in the encounter. Defense attorneys successfully argued against allowing prosecution experts who claimed the cries belonged to Martin.

Jeantel on Wednesday testified that she believed the cries were Martin's because "Trayvon has kind of a baby voice." The defense attorney challenged that, claiming she was less certain in a previous deposition.

Jeantel, 19, also explained that she had initially lied about her age — she claimed to be 16 — to protect her privacy when she was initially contacted by an attorney for Martin's family to give a recorded statement over the telephone about what she knew about the few moments before Martin's encounter with Zimmerman. She was expected to finish her testimony on Thursday.

While being cross-examined, Jeantel had several testy exchange with West, including one moment when she prompted the defense attorney to ask his next question: "You can go. You can go."

Before the February 2012 shooting, Zimmerman had made about a half dozen calls to a nonemergency police number to report suspicious characters in his neighborhood. Judge Debra Nelson on Wednesday ruled that they could be played for jurors.

Prosecutors had argued that the police dispatch calls were central to their case that Zimmerman committed second-degree murder since they showed his state of mind. He was increasingly frustrated with repeated burglaries and had reached a breaking point the night he shot the unarmed teenager, prosecutors say.

Defense attorneys argued that the calls were irrelevant and that nothing matters but the seven or eight minutes before Zimmerman fired the deadly shot into Martin's chest.

Seven of the nine jurors and alternates scribbled attentively on their notepads as the calls were played.

[Malsua]

Holy cow is that ignorant woman a beast. Can you imagine her doing anything worthwhile in her life? Other than stuffing food in her face, she can't seem to do anything else right.

[Ryan Ruck]

They have been trying to railroad that "creepy ass cracker the white Hispanic" guy. I don't think they will now.

I heard that and literally lost it laughing. Especially after she said it wasn't offensive.

I really want to change my User Title here to "Creepy Ass Cracker".