I don’t know that it will be introduced by the defense, but it seems that it can be:
The s. 794.022 exception refers to Florida’s rape shield law, which is obviously inapplicable. So, that means the defense can introduce evidence of a “pertinent trait of character” of the victim, and the prosecution can introduce evidence that rebuts that trait. Whether the evidence the defense introduces is evidence of a “pertinent trait of character” of Martin’s is of course totally subjective.
There is a reason the law is set up this way, and as with much of our criminal procedure, it’s to protect the accused from injustice. And the pertinent trait needn’t be “thuggery”, as such.
you always seem to forget the beating part. That shows he was a thug. The phone text shows a background in fighting as does his school record. The truth is not slander.
I don’t see any slander, but that’s not the point. Zimmerman does not have, in any meaningful sense, a “violent arrest record”, and shooting and killing someone is not, by itself, a crime or necessarily an immoral action.
As the evidence all points to Zimmerman being the victim, as well as the defendant, anyone who doesn’t defend him is in the wrong, and obviously has an agenda that is nothing to do with morality, justice, or law.
Yes, a conviction is necessary, and just conviction – it has to be a conviction of a crime punishable by death or imprisonment in excess of 1 year before it’s admissible to attack credibility:
It would be really funny to total up all the confident, declarative statements you’ve made in this thread that have been proved inaccurate within a few posts of your making them.
DeeDee and Trayvon exchanged text message that fateful day. Angry, combative ones. Don’t know if they’re up at Gzlegal yet. Apparently they didn’t like each other very much.
The phone records are an interesting read. There are a number of exchanges about him getting into trouble. Dee Dee jokingly calls him a hoodlum. His response is that he’s a gangsta. She says “Boy don’t one planted in ya chest”. This is an interesting exchange because Dee Dee claims she thought Martin was in a fight with Zimmerman yet she doesn’t call the police about it. Anybody who was on the phone with a friend who claimed someone was stalking them and thought the friend had been attacked by the stalker would certainly be freaked out over it and do something. Unless fighting was an everyday event and it was no big deal.
He says he gets into a lot of fights but was caught at school for watching a fight and and got blamed for hitting someone and suspended. A lot of the texts involve his desire to purchase a gun and smoke weed.
His mother comes across as caring and involved. She says she prays every day for him and wants him to pray and that she loves him. She says she thinks it would be best if he stayed with his dad. The implication is that she can’t control him and he needs a father figure to get him back on track.
IF George Z had GPS-A, which is allegedly accurate to within ten feet, and it shows him moving east, instead of south, to pound his flashlight on a post, than moving west before the incident, as he claimed, you’d have to logically conclude he’s telling the truth and Trayvon returned, thus making Martin the instigator, and there should be no conviction, but of course, those who emotionally want Z to be guilty for political reasons still won’t accept it. No exculpatory evidence will change their opinion.
Interesting that Martin used the same tactic on Z. Get him on the ground nd pound him senseless. Z is lucky that he had that gun. Z probably hadn’t been in a real fight since grade school. Martin fought a lot and liked it.
I hope the jury sees this. This charade that Martin was some innocent kid carrying skittles has to stop. Fists are deadly weapons in experienced hands. Z could have easily been the one in a body bag.
It demonstrates a number of things. It shows that Martin wasn’t into boxing, he was into street fighting where anything goes. There are no rules. It also shows a learning curve. He learned the advantage of getting on top of someone and he used it.
It might also be possible for a psychiatrist to say he used Zimmerman as a fighting trophy for bragging rights. Trayvon Martin presented himself as a punk, it’s not a title that needs to be conferred. And while it’s not unusual for teenage boys to puff themselves up it Martin had taken it to a higher level with the fighting and active desire for a gun.
From his school records, Trayvon Martin had almost world class foot speed, and pumped iron several hours a day. Zimmerman was obese, and had sacroiliitis, inflammation of the lower joints. Apparent,y Trayvon couldn’t outrun George, despite a considerable head start, or overpower Z, after being cornered in an open area..
Idk about the stuff in re TM. I assume it’s of the same quality as your comment about GZ. idk.
But GZ got his lower back issue from his encounter with TM. At least according to the records which have been provided. So GZ wouldn’t’ve actually been experiencing the sacroiliitis until after GZ and TM had their encounter.
Pretty sure that has been explained here before. But, w/e
"The doctor said Zimmerman had two cuts on his head and did not require stitches because the wounds were healing. His nose was fractured and hurt, and her suffered joint pain likely because of the assault.
The records show Zimmerman takes a variety of medications, including pills that both elevate your mood and calm it. He suffers from sacroilliitis, inflammation of the joints in the lower back. He also has had irritable bowel syndrome."
What you did was combined the preexisting condition, with the joint pain from that evening, and concluded that they were the same, and they aren’t.
On the medical report, look under “Active Medications - Pre-Existing”. Note that Zimmerman was taking glucosamine. Now, look under “Diagnosis”. Note the entry for sacroiliitis.
Glucosamine is a treatment for joint pain, such as arthritis and sacroiliitis.
Put these facts together, and it’s clear that Zimmerman had a pre-existing case of sacroiliitis, for which he was taking medication, which was aggravated by the struggle with Martin.
Hope everyone is wathing the live feed of the hearing. Trayvon Martin filmed two of his buddies beating some poor homeless man senseless and this evidence is coming into trial. Trayvon isn’t quite what he’s been presented to be. I’m sure this will be in the news pretty quick.
Has the judge mentioned why this should be included? What does it have to do with the trial?
I think anybody paying attention is past the “innocent kid skipping along merrily with a song in his heart and Skittles in his pocket” a long time ago.
From the live blog of the proceedings I gather that for now it is excluded, and the defense will have to meet some criteria not yet met to include it. Unless I misinterpreted what was reported.