Did Trayvon Martin have a history of violence?

[DanTex]

I haven't followed the trial too closely, but I followed the story when it first came out. Z is claiming that TM basically just jumped him out of the blue and started bashing his head in to the ground and telling him that he was going to kill him.

That's extremely unusual behavior, and you'd think that if that were true, this wouldn't be the first time that TM was involved in a serious assault. Has any info along those lines come out? I heard that TM had smoked some pot or something like that, but smoking pot and life-threatening assaults are worlds apart.

[zbdent]

1. What gets me his how a lot of the T.M. bashers base their trashing on T.M.'s alleged (and often

bogus) facebook posts ...

Like Z had time to look at facebook, research T.M.'s school records, and judge, jury, and execute him.

[brush]

15. zimmerman is the one with the violent record

He was arrested for assaulting a cop, there was a domestic violence incident where he punched his girlfriend, and then there was the time he was working a party as security and he went off and manhandled a woman and was fired. A co-worker stated he had a Jeckel/Hyde temper.

Wonder if a similar temper display was why Martin was screaming his head off in fear before being killed?

[southernyankeebelle]

2. I think he had some minor kid problems. But if so Trayvon was minding his business

going home. He wasn't a threat to anyone. Zimmerman was foolish and you see what happens when he wanted to play real cop. Sad.

[Finnmccool]

3. That's what I don't. get

If you believe GZ you have to believe TM decided at some point during the walk home to beat someone to death with his bare hands.

[DanTex]

5. Not just that, but TM went through his whole life, which probably included as many

uncomfortable situations as anyone else's, without ever attacking anyone, at least not seriously. But then all of a sudden, one day he decides to attack someone who outweighs him by like 40 pounds and tries to kill him, just out of the blue.

[Finnmccool]

8. And then picks the most ineffective

way to do it , the old pinch their nose cover the mouth method.

[DanTex]

9. LOL. Exactly.

Welcome to DU!

[Finnmccool]

13. Thank you!

[grok]

4. allegedly Trayvon texted

that his mom sent him to stay with his dad for fighting.

allegedly he stated he got the best of somebody in a fight in a twitter.

Ive seen both.

allegedly he punched a school bus driver though i haven't seen any proof of that though there is supposed to be a FOIA document gotten out the MIami-Dade School system about the incident. Might have been his first suspension.

It really is irrelevant trial-wise since the Judge won't allow such info in.

Relevant links follow this one.
http://www.talkleft.com/story/2013/5/23/174547/402/crimenews/New-George-Zimmerman-Discovery-Trayvon-Liked-Guns-Fights-and-Pot

[DanTex]

6. Thanks for the link.

I'm not sure why this stuff would be inadmissible. It seems like determining whether TM was likely to attack someone out of the blue is an essential part of this case. Of course, I'm not a lawyer.

Facebook and twitter posts don't count for too much IMO, because a lot of people post dumb things on Facebook. But if he actually got into some serious fights before this, that would seem to me to be relevant information.

[bettyellen]

11. GZ's police record and restraining order- as well as Myspace posts about friends taking the rap for

him (jailed for assaulting his sisters ex) are not admissible either. That's the way it works.

[DanTex]

12. I guess that's how it works. Like I said, I'm not a lawyer.

All that stuff seems relevant to me, but I guess they want to focus on what can be proven about the actual incident, and not having both sides smearing each other's character.

[Voice for Peace]

14. They are not allowed to put Trayvon on trial, period.

Although his history of primarily NON violence might be a point
in the prosecution closing.

[DanTex]

16. Yeah, I'm coming to this more from the angle of his history of non-violence.

Like my other posts said, I find it hard to believe that someone with no history of serious assaults would just attack someone and start bashing their head out of nowhere.

But, legally speaking, wouldn't the admissibility of TM's non-violent history be sort of equivalent to the admissibility of evidence of TM's previous transgressions. I mean, if the prosecution gets to say that TM had no prior incidents to indicate that he would do something like that (which I think they should), then wouldn't the defense get to try to rebut that?

[grok]

17. The prosecution will do nothing of the kind

If you noticed they will NEVER bring up Trayvon's good character. Once they do they make an opening to the defense to rebutt.

To be fair to the prosecution aficionados same thing If gz's lawyer whip out documented proof say that he was part of a campaign to get justice for a black homeless man(there is good proof) or walked little old ladies across the street, they can bring up gz's old past, as old as it may be.

Perhaps a time limit going back would be fairer, human beings change. get better or worse with time. That is often why in job applications they often only go so far back when asking about criminal history. 10 years, 5 years. In any case, neither have records where somebody went to trial or pled.

As for real data on Trayvon, that is going to be rather hard to do anyway. In miami-dade, a real effort is done to keep juveniles out of the criminal system, when they transgress. the state goes extra mile to even avoid having records if at all possible.

[Boudica the Lyoness]

25. I did a quick search on the homeless man GZ stuck up for

and found this.

http://dailycaller.com/2013/06/24/black-legal-scholar-says-conflict-of-interest-could-earn-zimmerman-a-new-trial/


In Sanford, Zimmerman was the one who led the inquiry into the official death of a black homeless man. It turned out that the son of one of the investigators in the case was responsible for the crime. So there’s longstanding animosity from the Sanford Police Department toward Mr. Zimmerman,” Cooper said. “I think the defense is going to put witnesses on the stand that will show there may have been mixed motives.”

Zimmerman criticized the Sanford Police Department at a public forum for allegedly covering up the January 2011 beating of a black homeless man by the son of a white police officer, which resulted in the resignation of then-Sanford police chief Brian Tooley.


This whole racism angle fascinates me. Thanks for mentioning the homeless man.

[Voice for Peace]

18. you may be right, I don't know the answer

but I would think it wouldn't be allowed as part
of the defense closing, whereas the prosecution
closing could refer to him as a non violent person
and there is no rebuttal of closing statements.
as far as I know.

[JimDandy]

19. The prosecution can have a rebuttal closing

The defense only gets one shot at it, and their closing follows the prosecution's. The prosecution rebuttal comes after the defense's closing.

[Voice for Peace]

23. wow.. that is too good to be true

I also didn't know counsel can raise objections
during closing statements.

In this particular case I'm very glad for the
prosecution to have the last word. I guess
on balance the defendent always has an option
of appeal if convicted.

[yardwork]

29. It's inadmissible because it might not be true.

Don't believe everything posted on the internet. Martin is not on trial.

[grok]

30. Its all in discovery

Not just on the internet. And if GZ posted in Facebook that he "hated black kids", I would say it's fair game and allow it.

As far as it being true or not, hasn't stopped both sides from putting up evidence that "might not" be true.

Its all up to the Judge. I do wonder however if disallowing it would hold up under appeal. If a black man claimed shot an old KKKer in self defence, I would definitely allow him to bring up the dead man's past. It might be relevant.

[yardwork]

31. It's NOT all in discovery.

There is made-up crap about Trayvon Martin all over the internet.

[OwnedByCats]

32. Too prejudicial, being the reason

things are left out of trials, usually.

[michreject]

10. Thing is

That what is disallowed in this trial may take on a whole different importance in a second trial if zimmerman loses and appeals.

[JimDandy]

20. Content of the trial can't be argued in an appeal,

Zippy basically can only appeal rulings by the judge in the case, but not the facts of the case. Only in rare instances do appeals courts order cases to be retried.

[dipsydoodle]

7. If he had

then surely that wouldn't be admissible as evidence anyway - doubt it would in the UK.

[rustydog]

21. IF and that is a big IF, Trayvon had a violent history

Even an incompetent trial attorney would be trying to present that history to try to exonerate his client or place doubt in the mind of one or two jurors.
I haven't seen or heard of Trayvon having a juvenile arrest record. Haven't heard or seen where defense attorneys tried to present such evidence and having it quashed by the judge. So my guess is, no, he did not have a violent history.

[Skip Intro]

22. That's a good question. Did the prosecution make that case?

[pacalo]

24. Your OP is nothing more than Ricardo/Mertz logic to me.

Trayvon Martin would be alive if Zimmerman had not gotten out of his car.

Trayvon had a right to be walking in that neighborhood & it is due to Zimmerman's unfounded suspicions about him that Zimmerman hunted down Trayvon, who was minding his own business.

Zimmerman's complaints about his injuries remind me of an abuser who cowardly complains about the nicks he got as a result of his own aggression toward his victim.

[HowHasItComeToThis]

26. DON'T YOU REMEMBER " REEFER MADNESS"

CHECK YOUR SOURCES

[Deep13]

27. Don't know, but it's not really relevant. nt

[TorchTheWitch]

28. No

No history of violence. Zimmerman, however, does.