Trayvon Martin Shooting - George Zimmerman

[Ryan Ruck]

Another witness for the prosecution (first cop to interview Zimmerman) on the stand currently coming off more as a witness for the defense.

This is starting to become a pattern in this trial. I wonder why!

[American Patriot]

Obviously they are all "whites".

LOL

I've been watching, this is amazing. She's been giving testimony favorable to the defense. Now the prosecution is getting pissed.

[Ryan Ruck]

LMFAO! Prosecution now getting hostile with their own witness!

This is such a fucking circus.

[American Patriot]

This is great!

You know, I expect the excuses to be "We needed black lawyers!" and "It was a set up by whites!"

and more shit like that

[American Patriot]

Detective recounts somber Zimmerman citing his faith, fear after Martin shooting

By Perry Chiaramonte, Serafin Gomez
Published July 01, 2013
FoxNews.com

The Sanford police detective who questioned George Zimmerman the night he shot Trayvon Martin took the stand in Zimmerman's murder trial and recalled a somber conversation that touched on Zimmerman's faith and the fear he said he felt when Martin told him "You're going to die tonight."

Det. Doris Singleton testified Monday that Zimmerman seemed somber and conflicted as she interviewed him after the February, 2012 shooting. She said Zimmerman asked her about the crucifix around her neck and buried his head in hands upon learning Martin had died. Assistant Prosecutor Bernie de la Rionda appeared frustrated at times by the prosecution witness' testimony, which like previous witnesses put on by the state, at times seemed to put Zimmerman in a sympathetic light. Several times, De La Rionda turned his back on the witness stand and looked to his co-counsel, almost in frustration.

"I had a silver cross on and he asked me if I was Catholic," Singleton said during testimony. "I said, 'No. I'm Christian. Why are you asking?'"

She said Zimmerman replied saying that he had noticed the cross and told Singleton that it was "always wrong to kill" someone.

"I said to him, 'If what you're telling me is true then I don't think that's what God meant. [That]you couldn't save your own life,'" she told the court.

Singleton testified that a shocked Zimmerman replied, "He's dead?" to which she said, "I thought you knew that."

Audiotape of Singleton, who did not respond to the crime scene, was played in court. On it, Zimmerman stated that Martin seemed suspicious because he was, "taking his time, and looking at all the houses" while Zimmerman was patrolling the gated community. Zimmerman said Martin "jumped out" at him from the bushes and said, "What the f--- is your problem, homey?" The defendant claimed on the tape that he responded by saying that he didn't have a problem, to which Martin responded by saying, "Now you have a problem," and punched him in the nose.

Zimmerman said on the tape that the strike caused him to fall to the ground and Martin got on top of him and started to throw more punches.

"He was whaling on my head and I was yelling for help," Zimmerman can be heard saying to Singleton on the tape. "He put his hands on my nose and said, 'You're going to die tonight.'"

He added that he thought Martin was going for his gun, before he pulled on it and shot the young man.

Zimmerman also said that he started the neighborhood watch after a break in at his home and others had made him nervous and that since he started patrols, he saw a few suspicious people in the neighborhood.

The testimony came as the prosecution began the second week of testimony in Zimmerman's murder trial with a voice analyst who said it was "impossible to determine" the age of the person who was heard screaming on the 911 call.

Hirotaka Nakasone, an FBI audio voice analyst who examined eight audio recordings related to the February, 2012, shooting of Trayvon Martin, said he was unable to identify or even peg an age to the person whose screams were heard on the tape. He said the pitch of one's voice goes "all over the place" under extreme stress.

It "was not possible to determine" the age of the person who was screaming, for approximately 2.5 seconds, he said under questioning from Assistant Prosecutor Richard Mantei. "Guessing age is a little complicated."

The issue is critical, because Zimmerman claims to have acted in self-defense when he shot the 17-year-old Martin. Determining who was doing the screaming could go a long way toward bolstering - or undermining - his defense. Prior to testimony beginning in the case, the prosecution had tried to block Nakasone in a Frye hearing, as they sought in vain to admit audio experts that said the voice was Martin's.

On cross examination by defense attorney Don West, Nakasone said people who harbor preconceptions or "a bias" prior to hearing a recording could make a mistake in identifying the speaker.

"There is always that danger," Nakasone said.

During re-direct questioning by the prosecution, Nakasone stated that he had advised the Tampa Field Office of the FBI not to attempt a re-enactment because of too many variables that could have affected the results.

More than 20 witnesses testified during the opening week of a trial that has opened up national debates about race, equal justice, self-defense and gun control.

Zimmerman has said Martin was banging his head into the concrete sidewalk behind the townhomes in a gated community. Zimmerman is charged with second-degree murder and has pleaded not guilty.

Zimmerman defense attorney Mark O'Mara said at the end of last week that the trial was progressing at a faster pace than anticipated, but that he was reserving judgment on the prosecution's case so far.

"We're in the middle of it. They've got a lot more to show. These things build up slow, and it's sort of like pieces of a puzzle," O'Mara said. "People say, 'wait a minute, I can't see the picture yet.' They're very good prosecutors, they're gonna do very good job, and they're gonna put on their evidence. We'll see how it goes. We're certainly ready to respond to it."

Zimmerman, 29, could get life in prison if convicted of second-degree murder. The state argued during its opening statement that Zimmerman profiled and followed Martin in his truck and called a police dispatch number before he and the teen got into a fight.

Zimmerman has denied the confrontation had anything to do with race, as Martin's family and their supporters have claimed.

Over the first five days of testimony, jurors heard 911 calls from neighbors that included cries for help and the fatal gunshot. Zimmerman's attorneys are adamant that he is the one screaming on the recordings, while Martin's parents have said it's their son.

Jurors also listened to more than six hours of testimony from Martin's friend Rachel Jeantel, who testified that she was talking on the phone with the teen as the fight started.

She testified that Martin told her he was being followed by "a creepy-ass cracker." But it was her testy cross-examination exchanges with defense attorney Don West that commanded the most attention.

West attacked inconsistencies in multiple statements she gave attorneys and law enforcement officials about what she heard, including whether she heard Martin say "Get off! Get off!"

There also was conflicting testimony from neighbors that witnessed parts of the struggle between Martin and Zimmerman. Some said it appeared the larger Zimmerman was straddling Martin, but neighbor Jonathan Good said it appeared Martin was on top.

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/us/2013/07/01...#ixzz2Xp1nFroy

[American Patriot]

Zimmerman: Trayvon Martin Said, 'You Are Going to Die Tonight'
Posted 2013-07-01 13:14:33

Joe Burbank - Pool/Getty Images
(SANFORD, Fla.) -- George Zimmerman, the Florida man accused of second degree murder for the death of Trayvon Martin, said the teen told him "you are going to die tonight" shortly before Zimmerman pulled the trigger.

Zimmerman made the statement in his first interview with police immediately after the Feb. 26, 2012 shooting. He is now on trial for second degree murder in Martin's death. He maintains he shot the teenager in self defense.

The recorded audio interview between Zimmerman and Sanford police investigator Doris Singleton occurred after the former neighborhood watch captain agreed to waive his Miranda rights and speak without an attorney present.

"He jumped out from the bushes and said what the f**k is your problem," Zimmerman said to Singleton. "I said I don't have a problem and then he punched me in the nose."

"As soon as he punched me I fell backwards. He was whaling on my head and I started yelling help," said Zimmerman. "He grabbed my head and started hitting me into the sidewalk. I slid into the grass to get out from under him. I was still yelling out for help."

Zimmerman, 29, said he was screaming for help and felt like he couldn't breathe as Martin allegedly attacked him.

Zimmerman said Martin, 17, told him, "You are going to die tonight" and kept banging his head into the sidewalk, and that he shot and killed the teen soon after.

Early in the audio interview Zimmerman talked about burglaries in the Retreat at Twin Lakes subdivision that led him to form a neighborhood watch team in his community. He said he had never seen Martin and that he appeared suspicious.

"It was raining out and he was leisurely walking looking at open houses," said Zimmerman. "I had called before and the police had come out but these guys know the neighborhood very well."

Zimmerman appeared stoic and jurors furiously took notes as the interview played in open court.

"I pulled my car to the side and I called the non-emergency line and I just reported that there was a suspicious person in the neighborhood," he told Singleton.

Singleton testified that when Zimmerman entered the Sanford police department for his interview that night he had crusted blood on his nose and was using tissues to stop bleeding. She said that he did not ask for further medical assistance and that if he had she would have moved to take him to the hospital.

Prosecutor Bernie de la Rionda walked Singleton through a map of the Retreat at Twin Lakes subdivision. Court documents show that investigators believe Martin was running in the direction of the home where he was staying as a guest in the neighborhood.

Singleton pointed out where Zimmerman said he lost Martin behind bushes, but said she didn't see any indication of bushes on the map.

As the second week of testimony began Monday, the prosecution appeared to be moving away from neighbor witness testimony and are now focusing on forensics and the initial investigation in the early days of the case.

Hirotaka Nakasone, an FBI voice analysis expert took the stand before Singleton and said the 911 audio that investigators used to try and determine who screamed is not nearly enough to learn who screamed that night.

"The screaming goes in and out when the dispatcher…was talking," said Nakasone. "We cannot really analyze voice when it is stepped over by something else."

Nakasone said he heard 18.8 seconds of screams but only 2.53 could be isolated, not nearly enough to make a valid analysis. However, Nakasone testified that the best person to ID a voice is a person familiar with the voice.

Martin's family insists the screams came from the teenager, but Zimmerman insists those screams for help are his.

In pre-trial hearings, Nakasone was called to take the stand by the defense to rebut two state experts who said they could hear Martin screaming during those 911 calls. The judge has ruled their testimony inadmissible because the methodology used by those experts to determine the scream was unproven.

[vector7]

Unreal: CNN Broadcasts Zimmerman’s Social Security Number, Other Personal Information…

Via Twitchy who redacted Zimmerman’s confidential info (CNN aired it with all of the numbers showing):





ZIP | July 1, 2013 2:00 pm

[American Patriot]

hey, they have to fight whitey with sneaky shots you know!

[American Patriot]

Officer: Zimmerman was shocked to learn Trayvon was dead

Jurors in the George Zimmerman murder trial on Monday heard a recording and a reading of the statement from the neighborhood watch volunteer describing his fatal encounter with 17-year-old Trayvon Martin. NOTE: Graphic language. (July 1)
Yamiche Alcindor, USA TODAY 3:03 p.m. EDT July 1, 2013
zimm

(Photo: Pool Getty Images)

SANFORD, Fla. — The first police officer to interview George Zimmerman after he shot Trayvon Martin testified Monday that Zimmerman appeared "shocked" to learn the teen was dead.

Officer Doris Singleton told the jury in Zimmerman's murder trial that the defendant didn't appear angry or spiteful to Trayvon, 17, who Zimmerman shot during an altercation in a gated community here on Feb. 26, 2012.

Singleton's testimony came as a videotape of her interrogation of the defendant was played to jurors, some of whom appeared to take copious notes.

The videotape shows Singleton asking Zimmerman to explain what happened that night. Zimmerman says his neighborhood was dealing with an increase in burglaries, and he started a neighborhood watch program. He says he has called the police on suspicious people in the past, but often people were not stopped.

"These guys always get away," Zimmerman says on the videotape.

Zimmerman says the tragedy began when, while in his car, he saw Trayvon walking in the neighborhood in the rain. Zimmerman says he called police and pulled over before Trayvon started circling his car, then walked off.

Zimmerman says he got out of his car to find a street sign and to see where Trayvon was going. Zimmerman says he was walking back to his car when Trayvon, probably hiding in the bushes, came out and said, "You got a problem, homie?"

Trayvon then punched Zimmerman and was banging his head into the concrete, Zimmerman says. Within seconds, Trayvon's hand was moving down his body toward his gun, Zimmerman says. Fearing for his life, he says, he shot the teen.

In the interview, Zimmerman tells Singleton Trayvon said, "You got me," then "Owww" as Zimmerman held him down.

Singleton, following a prosecution request, also read from a written statement Zimmerman gave to police. Assistant State Attorney Bernie de la Rionda pointed out to jurors that Zimmerman repeatedly refers to Trayvon as "the suspect" in the statement Zimmerman signed.

Singleton said she didn't ask Zimmerman to use that language and that officers refer to suspected criminals as "the suspect." Singleton added however that Zimmerman only referred to Trayvon as "the suspect" in written statements and not in conversations with officers.

The issue is relevant because prosecutors maintain Zimmerman was a "wannabe cop" who liked to use police language.

Earlier Monday, an FBI voice analysis expert testified that it could not be determined who was crying for help in the background of the 911 call that recorded the fatal gunshot.

Voice analysis expert Hirotaka Nakasone, called to testify by the state, previously helped defense attorneys at a pretrial hearing discredit state voice experts who said Trayvon was screaming in the background of the call. Those state experts were barred from testifying at trial.

"That type of sample is not fit for voice comparison," Nakasone said Monday of the 911 call in question at the trial.

The recording was too short and the cellphone recording the screams and gunshot was too far away, Nakasone determined. As a result, the 911 call didn't meet the standards needed to be evaluated.

Nakasone testified that the best people to identify the 911 call in question would be people familiar with the voices of Trayvon and Zimmerman. Members of both men's families claim their loved ones are screaming before the gunshot.

The jury, as a result, may hear from the parents of Zimmerman and Trayvon and have to decide what to believe.

In the first week of testimony for the trial, the state called 22 witnesses to the stand to go over details of what they saw or heard that night. Several law enforcement officials and residents who lived nearby the shooting took the stand. This week, photos of Trayvon's body and Zimmerman's injuries will be further explained.

"It's going quicker than any of us thought," said Mark O'Mara, Zimmerman's attorney, of the trial. "I'm happy with the pace."

Zimmerman, 29, is accused of second-degree murder in the shooting death of Trayvon, 17. Zimmerman, who has pleaded not guilty, has said he acted in self-defense after he was attacked.

The shooting and speculation that Zimmerman — who is Hispanic — profiled, followed and murdered Trayvon sparked racial controversy and protests across the nation last year. Zimmerman, who could face life in prison if convicted, has maintained that race did not factor into his actions.

Last week, several witnesses told conflicting stories of what they believed happened the night of the shooting.

Rachel Jeantel, 19, told jurors that she was on the phone with Trayvon right before he was killed and that Zimmerman stared at, then followed Trayvon, who tried several times to run away. She was one of three state witnesses who painted Zimmerman as the aggressor.

"A man was watching him," Jeantel said. "He (Trayvon) told me he was going to try to lose him."

Trayvon was out of breath when he told Jeantel he had lost the man. Shortly after, Trayvon told Jeantel the man was back and behind him, she said.

Jonathan Good, a neighbor of Zimmerman's, testified that it appeared Trayvon was striking Zimmerman while straddling him moments before the teen was shot.

Good, who lives in the same townhouse complex as Zimmerman, said he heard a noise behind his home and saw what looked like a fight. When he stepped outside, he said he yelled, "What's going on? Cut it out."

"It looked like there were strikes being thrown, punches being thrown," Good said.

The potential witness list for Zimmerman's trial includes about 200 people, including family members of both Zimmerman and Trayvon.

"I'm very encouraged by the witnesses who have come forth," said Daryl Parks, an attorney for Trayvon's parents. "We believe this jury is paying attention. We're going to get a fair verdict."

[American Patriot]

Shep Smith is a weird asshole.

"But as we all know, he continued to do that...." referring to Zimmerman following Martin.

He's so full of shit he stinks, and the media keeps spinning it that way, and that ain't the way it went down.

[Ryan Ruck]

He's so full of shit he stinks...

I don't know Rick... Shep strikes me as the kind of guy who's so "worn out" he hasn't heard the sound of his own farts in years.

[American Patriot]

lol

[American Patriot]

George Zimmerman trial: Jury being asked to weigh inconsistencies

• 
• Comments
  46
  

• Email

  Share 0

  
  
  

Officer Chris Serino of the Sanford, Fla., Police Department testifies in the trial of George Zimmerman. (Joe Burbank / Pool Photo / July 1, 2013)

By Michael Muskal July 2, 2013, 4:00 a.m.




Jurors in the George Zimmerman murder trial got to hear the neighborhood watch volunteer describe in his own voice the events that led to his being charged with second-degree murder in the shooting death of teenager Trayvon Martin.


Unfortunately, Zimmerman’s words in different statements to police were inconsistent at times -- discrepancies that the prosecution is hoping will help convince the six-person jury that Zimmerman profiled the teenager.


The defense, in its cross-examination of key police witnesses on Monday, got officials to agree that Zimmerman was being open and helpful with police and that the different versions could be expected from a person who had just gone through a traumatic event.


GRAPHIC: Who's who in the Trayvon Martin case
Defense attorney Mark O’Mara asked lead police investigator Christopher F. Serino to evaluate Zimmerman on a scale ranging from pathological liar to generally telling the truth. The officer, who returns to the stand on Tuesday, agreed with telling the truth.


The level of inconsistency is something the jury will have to wrestle with as it weighs the charge against Zimmerman, stemming from a Feb. 26, 2012, confrontation with Martin at a gated community in Sanford, Fla. Zimmerman maintains he shot Martin in self-defense after the teenager attacked him.


The interviews were done by Sanford Police investigators Doris Singleton and Chris Serino in the hours and days after the shooting. Singleton conducted the first interview just after the shooting, and Serino led one just after midnight. Zimmerman gave a recorded guided tour of the scene on the following day.


PHOTOS: The Martin case in pictures
Some of the difference stick out. For example, in the video, Zimmerman said that after he called Sanford police to report Martin, a police dispatcher had asked him, “Can you get to somewhere where you can see him?”


That is not reflected in the recording of the call played in court. The dispatcher is heard in that call advising Zimmerman to stay away and let police handle the situation.


Investigators at various points ask why Zimmerman never explained to Martin why he was being followed, suggesting that the teenager might have had grounds to be fearful of being followed by a man.


“Do you think he was scared?” Serino asked at one point, challenging Zimmerman.


“Did you pursue this kid, did you want to catch him?” Serino asked.


“No,” Zimmerman said.


Perhaps the biggest inconsistency involves the level of injuries and Zimmerman’s statements.


Zimmerman told authorities that he lost track of Martin and got out of his truck to look for a street name he could relay to a police dispatcher. When the dispatcher suggested Zimmerman didn't need to follow Martin, Zimmerman said, he started to head back to his vehicle. At that point, Zimmerman said, Martin jumped out and punched him, and he fell to the ground.


After a punch to the nose, “somehow he got on top of me. ... That's when I started screaming for help,” Zimmerman said in the video.


Zimmerman said that Martin began hitting his head against the sidewalk. “You're going to die tonight,” Zimmerman said Martin told him.


In some statements, Zimmerman said his head was battered many times, perhaps 25 or more, Serino said. But Zimmerman’s injuries, a bloody nose and two lacerations to the back of the head, are far less severe than what one would expect from such a beating.
Serino tells Zimme

[American Patriot]

They played a 911 call that had Zimmerman screaming in the background....

[American Patriot]

No way it was Martin. NO WAY.

The guy on the stand is the male cop that interviewed him originally.

[American Patriot]

Man they are really trying HARD to nuke him.

Judge strikes detective’s statement that George Zimmerman’s account of fight was credible

(Orlando Sentinel, Joe Burbank, Pool/ Associated Press ) - George Zimmerman arrives for the 17th day of his trial in Seminole circuit court, Tuesday, July 2, 2013 in Sanford, Fla. Zimmerman is charged with 2nd-degree murder in the fatal shooting of Trayvon Martin, an unarmed teen, in 2012.

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

• CAPTION

• 13
• Share to Facebook
• Share on Twitter
• Add to PersonalPost
• Save to Kindle
• Share via Email
• Print Article
• More

By Associated Press, Updated: Tuesday, July 2, 9:24 AM

SANFORD, Fla. — A prosecutor in George Zimmerman’s murder trial on Tuesday tried to pick apart the statements of a Sanford Police detective who had been called as a prosecution witness a day before but gave testimony that seemed to benefit the defense.


Prosecutor Bernie de la Rionda began by asking the judge to strike from the record a statement Detective Chris Serino made Monday in which he said he found credible Zimmerman’s account of how he got into a fight with Trayvon Martin. De la Rionda argued the statement was improper because one witness isn’t allowed to give an opinion on the credibility of another witness. Defense attorney Mark O’Mara argued it was proper because Serino was vetting Zimmerman’s veracity in his probe.

Judge Debra Nelson told jurors to disregard the statement.


“This is an improper comment,” the judge said.


De la Rionda then questioned Serino about his opinion given Monday that he didn’t believe Zimmerman displayed any ill will or spite to Martin. Prosecutors must prove there was ill will, spite or a depraved mind by the defendant to get a second-degree murder conviction.


De la Rionda played back a police call Zimmerman had made to report Martin in the neighborhood: Zimmerman uses an expletive and “punks” and then says, “These a-------. They always get away.” The prosecutor asked the investigator if those words showed some spite, and Serino conceded it could be construed that way.


Next, de la Rionda challenged Serino’s contention that he found Zimmerman’s story without major inconsistencies. The prosecutor played back Zimmerman’s police interview in which investigators question Zimmerman about small differences in the neighborhood volunteer’s story. The prosecutor also pointed out Zimmerman claimed that after he shot Martin, he spread out the teen’s arms. But a photo taken immediately after the shooting shows Martin’s arms under his body.


“Is that inconsistent with the defendant’s statement he spread the arms out?” de la Rionda asked.


“That position, yes it is,” Serino said.


But under cross examination, Serino said Zimmerman’s description of Martin’s body position was consistent with the medical examiner’s report.


Later, in response to Serino’s cross-examination testimony that he’d seen a convenience store video that showed Martin in a hooded sweatshirt, de la Rionda asked, “Are you saying in Seminole County, it’s illegal for someone to wear a hoodie at night?”


“No sir. I’m not,” Serino said.


It was Serino’s second day on the witness stand. He and another investigator, Doris Singleton, testified Monday about their investigation as jurors heard a series of police interviews in which the detectives grew more pointed in their questioning.


In an early interview, just hours after the Feb. 26, 2012, shooting, Singleton recounted that Zimmerman noticed a cross she was wearing and said: “In Catholic religion, it’s always wrong to kill someone.”


Singleton said she responded, “If what you’re telling me is true, I don’t think that what God meant was that you couldn’t save your own life.”


But in an interview days later, Singleton and Serino suggest that Zimmerman was running after Martin before the confrontation. They also ask Zimmerman why he didn’t explain to Martin why he was following him. The officers insinuate that Martin may have been “creeped out” by being followed.
“Do you think he was scared?” Singleton asked Zimmerman in one video interview.


Under cross-examination, though, Serino said Zimmerman seemed straightforward in his answers and didn’t show any anger when talking about Martin. Serino said the increasingly pointed questioning is a tactic known as a “challenge interview,” where detectives try to break someone’s story to make sure they’re telling the truth.
Zimmerman has said he fatally shot the unarmed black teen in self-defense in February, 2012, because he says Martin was banging his head into a concrete sidewalk behind townhomes in a gated community. Zimmerman, 29, could get life in prison if convicted of second-degree murder.


The state argued during its opening statement that Zimmerman profiled and followed Martin in his truck and called a police dispatch number before he and the teenager got into a fight. Zimmerman has denied the confrontation had anything to do with race, as Martin’s family and their supporters have claimed. A 44-day delay in Zimmerman’s arrest led to protests around the nation; he was ultimately charged by a Florida special prosecutor. Zimmerman’s father is white and his mother is Hispanic.

[MinutemanCO]

Watch how this thing ramps up as the trial nears an end. There will be so much chaotic energy surrounding this case and anyone who even thinks about the outcome that riots are inevitable. I don't know if I believe this or not; but, could it be another straw placed onto the camel's back leading to social destruction?

[American Patriot]

In effect the police department wasn't going to charge this guy. They believed him sufficiently to let it go on the "stand your ground" law.

I suppose if you spin it properly you could say Martin had the right to do what he did too. However, Zimmerman merely followed him. Martin attacked.

The law is based on who did the first thing.

I promise you, if you ASK any Cop "if someone grabs your gun, what will you do?" they will tell you they will try to stop him and if necessary shoot a person attempting to take their guns away from them.

I was trained to do that in the military. Most of us were. You don't give up your weapon normally.

As a civilian I won't give up my gun to a bad guy, and I will defend myself. I don't know he's not going to try to shoot me with my own gun!

Now - it comes down to the fact that it took 44 days of protests around the country, nearly to the point of rioting before they DID charge him.

So anyone that thinks this isn't political is foolish. Even Obama got involved.

[American Patriot]

Pal testifies that Zimmerman said Martin grabbed his gun
Published July 02, 2013
FoxNews.com

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/us/2013/07/02...#ixzz2XuPkKYLu


George Zimmerman's best friend and the author of a book defending him said the neighborhood watch volunteer told him Trayvon Martin went for his gun as the two grappled in a gated community in Florida last year.

Mark Osterman took the stand in Zimmerman's second degree murder trial and told jurors what Zimmerman recounted to him when he picked him up from the Sanford Police station after the Feb. 26, 2012 incident.

"Somehow I broke his grip on the gun when the guy grabbed between the grip and hammer," Osterman, author of "Defending our Friend: The Most Hated Man in America," said, quoting a Zimmerman he described as "stunned" and "detached.

Click here for full coverage of the George Zimmerman Trial

Osterman also said that Zimmerman told him that he got out of his truck after seeing the 17-year-old Martin walking through two buildings, which he thought was suspicious.

Earlier Tuesday, the lead police detective who investigated the shooting, took the stand for a second day and said the defendant's story remained consistent throughout the investigation. Sanford Police Det. Christopher Serino, who initially wanted to charge Zimmerman with manslaughter but was overruled, said under cross examination by Zimmerman defense attorney Mark O'Mara that the neighborhood watch volunteer stuck to the same story and was cooperative. Although he said he considered Zimmerman's injuries to be minor, he said he found nothing to prompt him to doubt the 29-year-old's story, that we shot Martin in self-defense as he was being beaten.

Prosecutor Bernie de la Rionda emphasized profane language Zimmerman used on a 911 call as he observed Martin walking through the gated community, and asked Serino if Zimmerman's use of "a--holes" and "f---ing punks" indicated Zimmerman might have been profiling and following Martin.

The prosecutor also attempted to point out inconsistencies in Zimmerman's statements to Serino, including the defendant's claim that that he could not find the street address. De La Rionda also asked the former lead investigator, "Did George Zimmerman exaggerate the manner in which he was hit?" Serino replied that he felt that he did.

But O'Mara attempted to quell the prosecution's claim that Zimmerman's use of bad language show "ill will" and "spite" bay asking Serino if he would, "agree that a------ is used as a slang term?" the witness replied, "I have used it before."

O'Mara also asked Serino, "Did you think there was anything wrong with Mr. Zimmerman following Trayvon Martin?"

Serino replied, "Legally speaking, no."

Although Serino acknowledged to De la Rionda that Zimmerman had no reason to believe Martin was armed, O'Mara, noting Zimmerman claims to have shot Martin while the youth was bashing his head into the pavement, asked Serino if Martin was "armed with concrete." Serino replied that he was.

The defense attorney asked if Zimmerman's neighborhood had a "rash" of burglaries before the shooting. Serino said he did not believe there to be a crime spree but added that the defendant had believed there was.

Serino testified Monday that at first he did not believe Zimmerman's story, but when he told Zimmerman the fatal, February, 2012 encounter may have been caught on video, Zimmerman's response of "Thank God" changed his mind, Serino said.

Serino's Monday testimony became the latest prosecution witness to appear to do more harm than good to the state's case, recalling a somber conversation that touched on Zimmerman's faith and the fear he said he felt when Martin told him "You're going to die tonight."

On Tuesday, De La Rionda sought to mitigate the damage done by Serino's Monday testimony, getting the detective to concede that, as a neighborhood watch volunteer, Zimmerman would know there were no surveillance cameras. And, he said, Zimmerman would have known if Martin had taped the encounter on his cellphone.

"So he basically knew you were bluffing?" De La Rionda said, before an objection from the defense was sustained.

Zimmerman could get life in prison if convicted of second-degree murder. The state argued during its opening statement that Zimmerman profiled and followed Martin in his truck and called a police dispatch number before he and the teen got into a fight.

Over the first five days of testimony, jurors heard 911 calls from neighbors that included cries for help and the fatal gunshot. Zimmerman's attorneys are adamant that he is the one screaming on the recordings, while Martin's parents have said it's their son.

Jurors also listened to more than six hours of testimony from Martin's friend Rachel Jeantel, who testified that she was talking on the phone with the teen as the fight started.

She testified that Martin told her he was being followed by "a creepy-ass cracker." But it was her testy cross-examination exchanges with defense attorney Don West that commanded the most attention.

West attacked inconsistencies in multiple statements she gave attorneys and law enforcement officials about what she heard, including whether she heard Martin say "Get off! Get off!"

There also was conflicting testimony from neighbors that witnessed parts of the struggle between Martin and Zimmerman. Some said it appeared the larger Zimmerman was straddling Martin, but neighbor Jonathan Good said it appeared Martin was on top.

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/us/2013/07/02...#ixzz2XuPbnXcC

[Ryan Ruck]

Watch how this thing ramps up as the trial nears an end. There will be so much chaotic energy surrounding this case and anyone who even thinks about the outcome that riots are inevitable. I don't know if I believe this or not; but, could it be another straw placed onto the camel's back leading to social destruction?

42. Create the impression that violence and insurrection are legitimate aspects of the American tradition; that students and special-interest groups should rise up and use ["]united force["] to solve economic, political or social problems.