walking while black - Trayvon Martin

[Duchess]

God's plan. Jesus Christ.

[ramseycat]

He is so full of shit. I saw one thing on the news this morning where he said he was not in pursuit of Trayvon. Well, if he was not in pursit how did he come to be in a position to fight him and shoot him? The 911 operator told him to let the police take care of it. If he had done that, we wouldn't be talking about it now.

[Lady Cop]

George Zimmerman, in an interview Wednesday with Fox News' Sean Hannity, called the shooting death of unarmed teen Trayvon Martin a "tragic situation" and "the most difficult thing I'll ever go through in my life."

The volunteer neighborhood watch leader spoke about details of the shooting, said he's sorry that Martin’s mother and father had to bury their child and, when asked if he regrets anything that happened that February night, he said, "No."

"I feel that it was all God's plan, and for me to second guess it or judge it," Zimmerman shook his head.

Martin's mother and father watched the interview and appeared on "Fox & Friends" Thursday morning. His mother and father both said Zimmerman's apology appeared insincere and were troubled that the man accused of killing their son considered it all "God’s plan."

"I don't understand what he was thinking by saying it was God's plan that he murdered our child," Tracy Martin, the teen’s father said. "I really don’t understand what God he worships because it’s not the same God that I worship."

Sabrina Fulton, Martin’s mother, also appeared angered by the comment.

"Why would God have him kill an unarmed teenager?" she asked. "It makes no sense."

[heartbreaker6713]

He apologized again to Trayvon's parents.

"I would tell them that again I'm sorry. I don't have, my wife and I don't have any children. … I am sorry that they buried their child. I can't imagine what it must feel like, and I pray for them daily," he said.

Isn't he not suppose to communicate to/with Trayvon's parents directly or indirectly? Wouldn't this be breaking that? I know it's not maliciousness in nature but making statements like in "god's plan" isn't necessarily innocent statement and i could see how some would say it could be provoking emotion from Trayvon's parents. I don't think he should have done the interview in the first place and if he was going to do the interview then he shouldn't be sending messages to them via an interview.

[Midwest Spy]

He is so full of shit. I saw one thing on the news this morning where he said he was not in pursuit of Trayvon. Well, if he was not in pursit how did he come to be in a position to fight him and shoot him? The 911 operator told him to let the police take care of it. If he had done that, we wouldn't be talking about it now.

Ramsey, this has been talked about over and over.

There had been crime occurring in that community. In one case, a woman had been home as two men tried to break in to her home.

Trayvon fit the 'profile' of a potential criminal. Zimmerman wanted to make sure he didn't get away.

Whether or not he initiated the confrontation, we may never know.

With that knowledge I understand him trying to at least keep an eye on him.

[ramseycat]

My point MS was that he said in his interview that he did NOT pursue Trayvon when in fact he did. I understand the crime in the neighborhood and all that. So yes, call the police and then let them do their jobs. Or. If he just had to keep an eye on Trayvon, why not say hey, I am keeping an eye on things. Do you live around here? Or something like that. then Maybe T would have said "I'm going home from the store." If he had been a thug, it might have deterred him from hanging out in the neighborhood that night. It appears that he was pursuing Trayvon and due to G's pursuit and attitude a fight ensued. At this point we don't really know the truth as to who started it.

[username]

Or identifying himself as neighborhood watch. Dumbass (for a change, that was directed at Z, not you Rams).

[ramseycat]

Or identifying himself as neighborhood watch. Dumbass (for a change, that was directed at Z, not you Rams).

Well thank you User.

[FAHQTOO]

What kind of retard, other than Jerry Sandusky does an interview before they go on trial. Can't certain things they say be used against them at the trial?
Why the hell wouldn't his lawyer advise him to NOT do an interview.

[ScientistsCanvas]

Barbara Walters Rejects Zimmerman's Interview Demands

According to Walters, Zimmerman said that the plans had changed, and he was refusing to do the interview unless ABC granted him one request. Walters refused to confirm that he had requested a month-long stay in a hotel. "It was a condition that, being a member of ABC News, I was unable to grant," she said.

Walters described Zimmerman as "desperate for money" and "very worried about his family." She also said he was "polite, soft-spoken, stubborn." She said that his lawyers "wanted him to do the interview."

[Lady Cop]

i'm surprised O'Mara admitted to this stupid demand:

(CNN) -- The man accused of murdering an unarmed Florida teenager dropped plans for a second television interview after the ABC network would not provide a month of "shelter and security" for his family, his attorney said Thursday.

George Zimmerman had been in talks with ABC's talk show "The View" about an interview to be aired Thursday, a day after he sat down with Fox News commentator Sean Hannity. One of the show's hosts, Barbara Walters, told viewers Thursday that she had been forced to scrub the plans when Zimmerman demanded "a condition that we could not agree to."

Walters would not specify the demand, but Zimmerman's lawyer, Mark O'Mara, told CNN that Zimmerman "asked for shelter and security for his wife for a month. They said they could not do that." Zimmerman had not yet agreed to sit for questions from ABC, O'Mara said, and "decided to wait on doing another interview."

But near the end of Thursday's show, Walters said Zimmerman had called in and offered to talk. She refused.

"If you could not do the interview yesterday, I don't think we should do a quick one today," she said to applause from the studio audience. "If in the future you feel different, we will consider it."

O'Mara said Zimmerman is again soliciting money through the website he set up in the aftermath of the shooting, and the legal defense fund amassed so far is "basically broke." But he said Fox had not offered his client anything in exchange for its session with him, and that Zimmerman agreed to go on the show because Hannity "was fair to him from the beginning, telling everyone to not rush to judgment."

[Lady Cop]

Shellie Zimmerman says she's not guilty of perjury.

Her new attorney, Kelly B. Sims, filed paperwork Friday entering that plea on her behalf. That means she won't have to show up at the Seminole County criminal building Tuesday for arraignment.

[Lady Cop]

News13

SANFORD --
Kenneth Lester, the judge handling George Zimmerman's second-degree murder case, will not recuse himself.

Zimmerman's attorneys filed a motion asking Lester to remove himself, claiming the judge was biased against Zimmerman.

But in a ruling released today, Lester said he found the allegations in the motion filed by the attorneys to be "legally insufficient."

George Zimmerman is on trial for the death of Trayvon Martin back in February.

Zimmerman's attorneys filed the motion to have Lester removed earlier this month. The motion stems from Lester's decision to revoke Zimmerman's $150,000 bond after it was revealed that he had more money from donations than originally disclosed.

Lester later granted Zimmerman a $1 million bond, and in that ruling made several comments about Zimmerman's character, and even hinting at future contempt proceedings.



also...shellie Z did not appear for her perjury arraignment yesterday. her lawyer entered not guilty plea. don't know when it's set for trial yet.

[Lady Cop]

The bills are mounting for George Zimmerman’s mom and dad and they’re calling on donors for help.

The parents of Zimmerman, the neighborhood watchman charged with second-degree murder for fatally shooting unarmed Florida teen Trayvon Martin, have established an online fund to help pay their living expenses. On the recently-launched donation site, Zimmerman’s dad, Robert, writes about his medical bills and how he and his wife, Gladys, have been on the move since the February shooting.

“We fully realize that the peaceful, secure life we once knew is now just a memory,” Robert writes. “Therefore, I am providing a link for those supporters who would like to leave us a personal message or contribute to our greatly increased living expenses, and our eventual relocation.”

Before retiring, Robert served in the U.S. Army for 21 years and Gladys was a physical education teacher before working at a court in Virginia, according to the site. The two initially asked only for prayers after the shooting and their son's arrest, but now say that they need monetary support.

According to the site, Robert is suffering from numerous health conditions, including rheumatoid arthritis and heart problems. After receiving a number of death threats, the Zimmermans say they have also been forced to pay to frequently relocate.

send wads of cash!

robertandgladys.com

[HairOfTheDog]

It's just wrong for the Zimmermans, any of them, to seek donations from the public imo. Just really rubs me the wrong way.

[Duchess]

Pfft. "Our dreams ended on February 26". I snorted when I read that.

[Lady Cop]

SANFORD
News13

The case against George Zimmerman will resume in October, according to new court documents.

Judge Kenneth Lester has agreed to the defense's request to postpone the case until Wednesday, October 3, at 8:30 a.m.

Zimmerman has been charged with second-degree murder for shooting and killing 17-year-old Trayvon Martin in February.

He remains free on $1 million bond. Zimmerman's current location has been kept a well-guarded secret, though he is forbidden to leave Seminole County while he awaits his eventual trial, and the Seminole County Jail is monitoring his whereabouts to make sure he stays in the county.

The latest update in the case comes as Trayvon Martin's mother said she is seeking money from a state fund that helps crime victims in Florida.

Sybrina Fulton has applied for victim compensation benefits, according to public records.

State officials and an attorney for Martin's parents would not immediately say how much they are seeking.

Money for the fund comes from court fees paid by offenders, as well as other sources.

[Duchess]

I don't view the parents as victims & I would hope that whomever is in charge of those funds feels the same way.

[Lady Cop]

well Ray Charles saw this coming. i wish i knew date.

just this morning:
----------------------------------
News 13
A new hearing scheduled in the case against George Zimmerman could clear him of all charges in the death of Trayvon Martin, but only if the judge finds that Zimmerman shot the 17-year-old out of reasonable fear for his life.

Early Thursday morning, defense attorney Mark O'Mara announced on his website for the Zimmerman legal case that there will be a "Stand Your Ground" hearing in the case.

O'Mara described the hearing as essentially a "mini-trial," saying he would use the same arguments, witnesses, experts and evidence that he would use in a criminal trial.

George Zimmerman has been charged with second-degree murder for the shooting death of Trayvon Martin in February. But he has repeatedly claimed that he shot the teen in self-defense.

O'Mara did not immediately announce a date for the hearing, but said it would take months to research and put together his case.

There are significant differences between a 'Stand Your Ground' hearing and a trial. In a 'Stand Your Ground' hearing, there is no jury; the decision is made by the judge alone. In a criminal trial, the prosecution must prove the defendant’s guilt beyond a reasonable doubt, but in a 'Stand Your Ground' hearing, the burden is on the defense to prove that the evidence fits the conditions of the 'Stand Your Ground' law. If the Court rules in favor of the defendant in a 'Stand Your Ground' hearing, not only are criminal charges dismissed, the defendant is also immune from civil actions related to the shooting.

[Duchess]

Meh. If the charges get dropped I'm comfortable knowing he'll be scared shitless in public for years to come. He'll pay one way or the either.