Zimmerman wants better management of evidence
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) - Attorneys for former neighborhood watch volunteer George Zimmerman said in a motion Monday that prosecutors are dragging their feet on turning over evidence.
Zimmerman's attorneys said prosecutors aren't turning information over in a timely manner and are providing some material in a format that's useless for defense experts to examine. They're asking for monthly hearings to manage the turnover of evidence from prosecutors to defense lawyers.
"The state's approach to discovery has been to require the defense to figure out what the state has failed to provide and then ask for it rather than fulfilling the state's legal obligation to provide complete and timely discovery," attorney Donald West said in the motion.
A spokeswoman for the State Attorney's Office didn't immediately respond to an email and phone call seeking comment.
Zimmerman is charged with second-degree murder in the fatal shooting of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin during a confrontation in a central Florida gated community in February.
Zimmerman's attorneys also asked prosecutors for cellphone photos taken by a witness and a police officer on the night of the shooting.
Zimmerman's latest filings come less than a week after his attorneys asked prosecutors for any evidence that might suggest Martin's civil rights were violated by Zimmerman. Martin was black, and Zimmerman has a Peruvian mother and a white father.
The U.S. Justice Department launched a probe into the initial handling of the investigation after Zimmerman wasn't arrested for 44 days after the shooting. Zimmerman's attorneys also asked for information on any probe into the Sanford Police Department's handling of racial tension in Sanford after Martin's death.
Martin's parents and supporters claim that the unarmed teenager was targeted because he was black and that Zimmerman started the confrontation that led to the shooting. But Zimmerman's family members have denied that he was racist in anyway.
Martin's parents have started a website aimed at changing "stand your ground" laws around the nation. ChangeforTrayvon.com was launched this week. A Florida task force charged with reviewing the Sunshine State's "stand your ground" law is in Jacksonville on Tuesday for its sixth meeting.
Zimmerman's attorneys said prosecutors aren't turning information over in a timely manner and are providing some material in a format that's useless for defense experts to examine. They're asking for monthly hearings to manage the turnover of evidence from prosecutors to defense lawyers.
"The state's approach to discovery has been to require the defense to figure out what the state has failed to provide and then ask for it rather than fulfilling the state's legal obligation to provide complete and timely discovery," attorney Donald West said in the motion.
A spokeswoman for the State Attorney's Office didn't immediately respond to an email and phone call seeking comment.
Zimmerman is charged with second-degree murder in the fatal shooting of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin during a confrontation in a central Florida gated community in February.
Zimmerman's attorneys also asked prosecutors for cellphone photos taken by a witness and a police officer on the night of the shooting.
Zimmerman's latest filings come less than a week after his attorneys asked prosecutors for any evidence that might suggest Martin's civil rights were violated by Zimmerman. Martin was black, and Zimmerman has a Peruvian mother and a white father.
The U.S. Justice Department launched a probe into the initial handling of the investigation after Zimmerman wasn't arrested for 44 days after the shooting. Zimmerman's attorneys also asked for information on any probe into the Sanford Police Department's handling of racial tension in Sanford after Martin's death.
Martin's parents and supporters claim that the unarmed teenager was targeted because he was black and that Zimmerman started the confrontation that led to the shooting. But Zimmerman's family members have denied that he was racist in anyway.
Martin's parents have started a website aimed at changing "stand your ground" laws around the nation. ChangeforTrayvon.com was launched this week. A Florida task force charged with reviewing the Sunshine State's "stand your ground" law is in Jacksonville on Tuesday for its sixth meeting.
This POS isn't sentenced to life in prison yet?
The prosecutors are dragging their feet on releasing evidence as required by law? Shocking. Couldn't be to hide evidence of a trumped up, unjustified murder charge against a man defending himself could it? Naw....the courts totally wouldn't hang this guy out to dry in order to make themselves look better to the minority constituents and avoid a repeat of the LA riots.....nope. I don't know for sure what happened that night, but it looks awfully dang suspicious when people drag their feet on stuff like this...you'd think the prosecutors would be happy to release evidence of Zimmerman's guilt if they had it.
Sources say that Mike Nifong has been called in to consult with the Prosecutors office. Apparently, judges are looking favorably on PA's that hide exculpatory evidence and Nifong is just the cat who can tell ya' how.
Now, Â if the boy was white, Â there would not be all of this hoopla.
 @HullenbeckCowl Some latino guy shooting some rich white kid wandering through the neighborhood? No hoopla? Me thinks you are highly mistaken.Â
@HullenbeckCowl sad to say, this is true.
Zimmerman should be worried. The fact that he said he and Martin at one in the struggle, Martin had a grip of the gun. Yet the had no fibger or palm prints or Martin's DNA on the the gun.
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I'll say it again. An adult armed man followed a teen age boy, a boy who was minding his own business. Martin's state of mind was relaxed walking home talking to his girl friend on the phone. A man starts following him and now the boy is dead.
If this boy was any one of your sons, you would be outraged. I will also say this again, I don't think Zimmerman meant to kill him but was an over zealous wanna be hero and things went deadly wrong.
 @snoopy84 And what if it is true that Martin assaulted him first?
@Audio Cat A armed man got out of his car followed and confronted a teen who was arm with a bag of skittles and ice tea minding his own business. The teen is now dead.
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If you you were walking in your nieghbor hood and someone started following you, what would you do?Â
Remember, Zimmerman's state of mind was this kid is a crimanal. Martin's state of mind was, he is minding his business walking home from the store talking to his girlfriend on a cell phone when of now where an adult man confronts him.
@snoopy84 what if you are right, and Zimmerman started the whole thing, but the sucker punch really did take place, and zimmermans head really was being smashed into the sidewalk? I can only put myself in that situation, and I would tell the guy to F off, and dare him to call the police, but I wouldn't have physically attacked, you don't attack people because they are a&&holes. This isn't a slam dunk either way, and there is nobody to tell Martins side of the story.
@Eichler4 " Â and there is nobody to tell Martins side of the story."
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You are right on with that statement. But in the state of Florida's "stand your ground" law,
wouldn't Martin be the defending himself? That is what one of the authors of the law thought.
 @snoopy84  @Eichler4 Not unless he was attacked. Which is the whole thing here. If Zimmerman swung first, then Martin would have a case for self defense, and Z man is guilty - if Martin swung first then the self defense aspect swings over to Zimmerman.
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It all comes down to who swung first.
Humm, stands like the the prosecutors are hoping this case goes away
Gods, our court system is slow! Can this thing get to trial already!?
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"ChangeforTrayvon.com was launched this week"Â Â Looks like mommy and daddy aren't done making money off cute little Trayvon yet..........
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 @snoopy84  @Wolfen Although I truly appreciate your input, I too am entitled to my opinion. Before you go to the extent of calling someone an "idiot" however, I would suggest you review the sentence structure, punctuation, and grammatical errors in YOUR post, before trying to diminish MY I.Q. with such a comment.
Oh, here I would have thought he'd be hoping for worse evidence management...