New info on Travyon Martin Case.

[warrior1]

http://thinkprogress.org/justice/2012/03/18/446768/what-everyone-should-know-about-about-trayvon-martin-1995-2012/

27. The lead investigator in Trayvon Martin shooting wanted manslaughter charge against Zimmerman. The lead investigator, Chris Serino, “stated he was unconvinced Zimmerman’s version of events.” His recommendation for a manslaughter charge was overruled by state attorney Norman Wolfinger, who subsequently removed himself from the case. [ABC News]

http://abcnews.go.com/US/trayvon-martin-investigator-wanted-charge-george-zimmerman-manslaughter/story?id=16011674#.T3IJ347AGr9

[seabeyond]

1. that is good to know warrior. thanks. nt

[qanda]

2. Someone should tell ABC News that those pictures circulating on the internet

Were not of Trayvon Martin. They should have more journalistic integrity than that.

On edit: I sent a letter to the editor asking them to correct the story.

[Baitball Blogger]

3. I told you! I called it! Norm Wolfinger has to go!

He is utterly useless with these kind of cases. He is the good ole boy's, good ole boy.

[Enrique]

4. time to look into Wolfinger's background

see if he has Klan ties for example.

By the way this doesn't get the Sanford Police off the hook, they still didn't arrest Zimmerman and did the shittiest investigation in the universe.

[Baitball Blogger]

10. Wolfinger isn't klan material, that I know of.

He is a good ole boy's good ole boy. Florida politics rule. The status quo must never be wrong. And people with ties to the court system and police get a free pass. It's a way of life, a culture. It just happens to favor klan types that live off the same kind of good buddy system.

[X_Digger]

16. The lead detective did what is normally done in such cases. Signed an affidavit and turned it over..

.. to the state's attorney.

What would you have him do, hold Zimmerman without charge until he could change the state attorney's mind?!?

[Bluerthanblue]

5. hmmmm..... interesting.

the lead investigator wasn't convinced by Zimmerman's version of the events.

And it was overruled? why?

[auburngrad82]

6. Could Wolfinger be associated with Zimmerman's dad in some way?

He's a retired judge. There could be some kind of relationship between the two and Zimmerman's dad could have called in a favor. It's just speculation, but there could be something to it.

[Lucy Goosey]

8. This is what I was wondering, too.

[Baitball Blogger]

11. It doesn't even have to be that obvious.

He could be protecting the Sanford police procedures.

[jeff47]

15. His dad was a judge in VA. It's unlikely he has connections in FL. (nt)

[zbdent]

7. interesting thing here ...

In #16 ... &quot Trayvon) said this man was watching him, so he put his hoodie on."

So, the hoodie wasn't up before Zimmerman started going after him?

[FarPoint]

9. Someone please...

Send this to Ed Schultz.....CurrenTV...get the word out. I'm at work and can't.

[Cali_Democrat]

14. Yes you can! Email!

[FarPoint]

18. I can't do it using my Droid.

I'm not that skilled with this smart phone.

[Uncle Joe]

12. Kicked and recommended.

Thanks for the thread, warrior.

[snagglepuss]

13. k & r

[lasttrip]

17. boom!

k&r.

[yardwork]

19. Wow. Thank you for posting!

I noticed that the Sanford chief of police, in early media reports, kept insisting that the DA didn't see any evidence to file charges. It's good that both the police chief and DA have removed themselves from this case. Maybe there is hope for an unbiased investigation.

[TorchTheWitch]

20. Not buying it

First they try blaming the victim, now they try blaming the higher-ups. They never at any point treated this case as a homicide investigation. No crime scene was roped off. Witnesses were ignored or told they didn't see or hear what they stated they did if what they stated didn't mesh with Zimmerman's account of events, standard procedures weren't followed such as bagging evidence like Zimmerman's wet and grass stained jacket, there was no drug or alcohol testing of Zimmerman, etc. And the most apauling icing on this rancid cake is that they didn't BOTHER to find out who Martin was and promptly notify his family. They didn't BOTHER to knock on doors and try to find out if anyone in the development knew him or if he lived there, and though they had his cellphone they didn't BOTHER to immediately use the information in it to find and notify the people that knew him. To them he was a NOBODY that came from somewhere else and was so unimportant as a human being that not a soul in the world cared about him.

From the very beginning they went out of their way to protect Zimmerman and did not treat the case as a homicide with all the procedural things every homicide investigation entails and are required REGARDLESS if self-defense is claimed. This was no mash up of a bunch of giant fuck-ups, it was a coordinated purposeful effort to excuse Zimmerman and sweep a homicide of a black boy they believed wasn't important enough as a human being under the rug.

Nope, not buying it one single iota. This is just more outrageous ass covering attempts by the local police.

[WillyT]

21. K & R !!!

[warrior1]

22. mj

UPDATE 29, 6:30 p.m. EDT, Tuesday, March 27: Sanford's lead investigator wanted to arrest Zimmerman; a struggle over Zimmerman's gun?

ABC News reported today that the lead homicide investigator of Trayvon Martin's killing recommended that Trayvon's shooter, George Zimmerman, be arrested and charged with manslaughter. That police investigator, Chris Serino, filed an affidavit on the night of the killing "that stated he was unconvinced by Zimmerman's version of events," according to ABC. But Serino was overruled by the state attorney's office, which said there wasn't enough evidence to secure a conviction in court.

The ABC report also recounted a new detail about Zimmerman's account of that night, concerning Zimmerman's gun: "Martin knocked him down with a punch to his nose, jumped on him, repeatedly banged his head on the ground, then tried to grab Zimmerman's gun," the report states. "In a struggle for Zimmerman's gun, the watchman shot the teenager, Zimmerman told police."

This account raises the question: How did Trayvon Martin know Zimmerman was armed with a handgun? Under Florida law, Zimmerman was licensed only to carry it concealed; the state's permit guidelines also instruct licensees not to brandish their weapons as a deterrent. But in claiming that there was a struggle for his gun, Zimmerman's account suggests he had the weapon out, or visible on his person. It's possible that this inconsistency could have contributed to the investigator Serino's suspicions about Zimmerman's story.


http://motherjones.com/politics/2012/03/what-happened-trayvon-martin-explained#struggle

[Life Long Dem]

24. Seeing the gun would also cause someone to retreat from the confrontation.

Just as two witnesses say happened. The evidence the police have will tell us how close the gunshot was because the cops have the clothes and would show any gunshot powder residual. Which they refuse to release.

But at this point, no one knows how close each other were to each other when the gunshot was fired.

[barbtries]

23. a manslaughter charge

would be a travesty of justice imo. murder.