EXCLUSIVE: Martin Family Attorney Raises Questions About The Role Of George Zimmerman’s Father

[Cali_Democrat]

By Judd Legum on Apr 3, 2012 at 3:40 pm

In an interview with ThinkProgress, Martin family attorney Natalie Jackson raised serious questions about the role of George Zimmerman’s father, Robert Zimmerman, in the case.

Specifically, Jackson pointed to Robert Zimmerman’s presence during police questioning of his son. The New York Times reported the following:

The day after the shooting, George Zimmerman, according to his father, returned with at least three police officers to the Retreat at Twin Lakes, back to that grassy area where plaintive cries for help had gone unanswered. The investigators, accompanied by someone with a video camera, wanted him to re-enact the events of the night when the two strangers had stood their ground.

Mr. Zimmerman’s father watched from nearby.

Jackson noted that Robert Zimmerman was a retired magistrate judge who “issued warrants” and knows “what probable cause needs to be” to justify an arrest. His presence at the questioning, according to Jackson, was unusual and potentially inappropriate because “we don’t know what coaching went on.”

In an interview with Fox 35 Orlando, Robert Zimmerman, speaking of his son’s conduct, said “If a law enforcement officer presented those facts to me and requested a warrant, he would absolutely be denied.” Robert Zimmerman’s unusual role could help explain how George Zimmerman avoid arrest despite the recommendation of the lead homicide investigator that he be charged with manslaughter.

http://thinkprogress.org/justice/2012/04/03/457593/trayvonmartin-family-attorney-questions-robert-zimmerman/

[Junkdrawer]

1. Again, One wonders how many of the police reports now on record were done that night....

and how many were, shall we say, recreated after careful consideration with attorneys.

My guess is that, if anyone does time for this, it will be those caught in a cover-up.

[atreides1]

2. From officer Ricardo Ayala, the second to arrive:

"I attempted to get a response from the black male, but was met with negative results. At that time, Sgt. Raimondo arrived and attempted to get a pulse from the black male but none was found. At that time, Sgt. Raimondo and I turned the black male over and began CPR. Sgt. Raimondo did breaths and I did chest compressions."

Now if Trayvon were shot in the chest, why would they have to turn him over to begin CPR?

Could Trayvon had been trying to get away and Zimmerman shot him in the back? The ME report hasn't been released, pending the investigation of the task force.

[Kaleva]

7. Some spin after getting shot.

Or he could have turned to flee after being shot and then fell to the ground face first and died.

This eye witness, while walking his dog, heard screaming, saw someone lying on the ground, heard someone yelling for help and while he tried to get his dog which had gotten off its leash, then heard a shot and the screaming stopped.

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[X_Digger]

12. Hollywood has perpetuated the myth...

.. that when a person is shot, they immediately collapse, then {utter cryptic statements that only make sense later in the film|reach out to a buddy/lover/partner|talk about their wife/mother/father/husband}, and finally die.

The reality is, only about 20% of gunshots are fatal, people have driven themselves to the ER with collapsed lungs, gunshots don't usually throw someone into the air and backwards (into a conveniently placed plate of glass), and even when shot directly through the heart, a person can often stumble around for a bit. Hell, there are people who didn't know they were shot til later when the adrenaline started to wear off.

[Kaleva]

21. Trayvon was shot in the chest

According to what the funeral director who prepared his body said in an interview. The funeral director did not see an exit wound on the body.

An eye witness said he saw two men on ground wrestling with one man on top of the other. He could not tell who was who because it was too dark but he did say the bigger man was on top. He then heard a gunshot and one of the men got up and started walking around and then the witness could identify him as Hispanic. The witness said the other man remained on the ground laying face down.

Another eye witness said he was out walking his dog and heard screaming and cries for help. He then observed one man laying on the ground and another standing over him. The witness's dog then got loose and as he was retrieving his dog, then heard a gunshot and the screaming stopped. The witness left the area and went into his home.

A third eyewitness, identified only as "John", said in an interview that he saw one man on top of another who was screaming for help and also said the man on the bottom was wearing what he thought to be a red sweater. The witness said he was going to call 911 and went inside and upstairs. When he looked out the window, the man on top who had been beating up the other guy was laying on the grass and he thought the man was dead at that time.

[Junkdrawer]

5. Police report supposedly filed at 3:00 AM 2/27/12 has Trayvon's name, address, phone and DOB....

And yet, we're told that he wasn't IDed until his Dad called the police the next morning and was shown a death photo and his dad IDed him?

http://mit.zenfs.com/102/2012/04/69081607-29132322.pdf

[Junkdrawer]

6. Here's the Father's Story:

....

That was Feb. 27, one day after Trayvon was shot. The father thought that he was missing, according to the family’s lawyer, Benjamin Crump, but the boy’s body had actually been taken to the medical examiner’s office and listed as a John Doe.

The father called the Missing Persons Unit. No luck. Then he called 911. The police asked the father to describe the boy, after which they sent officers to the house where the father was staying. There they showed him a picture of the boy with blood coming out of his mouth.

....

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/17/opinion/blow-the-curious-case-of-trayvon-martin.html

[Catherina]

10. Notice something odd in that report? Time of dispatch and time arrived on scene

are exactly the same. 7:17 PM

In what world?

[Kaleva]

11. I beleive the police were already...

dispatched in response to Zimmerman's earlier call about a suspicious person. When they arrived on scene or were near it, the call came in about a shot being fired.

[Catherina]

13. That could explain it

but I'm like a dog with a bone for the moment.

According to the police report, on February 26, 2012, at about 7:17 p.m., Officer Ricardo Ayala was dispatched to 1111 Retreat View Cir. with regard to a complainant – presumably Zimmerman – spotting a suspicious person in the area. While en route, Ayala received information that shots had been fired. Upon Ayala’s arrival, Officer Timothy Smith had a “white male, later identified as George Zimmerman, in custody.”

http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Government/2012/04/02/Trayvon-Police-Reports

Ayala was the second to arrive on the scene so your scenario is plausible but this is one of those things where I wish I could triplecheck everything the SPD says.

On further thought, since the report of the first officer on the scene, whose story is the one with the holes, is on that same report, shouldn't the dispatch and arrival times be different? Dang it, I want a timeline now!

Thanks for your thoughtful reply.

[Kaleva]

15. I wasn't 100% positive about what I said...

and was going to edit my post saying I had read that somewhere but didn't know where. I'm also like a dog with a bone on this. It's a dark comedy of errors and much of that can be blamed on Zimmerman himself for trying to be more then he was.

[Catherina]

16. We can update each other then

I'd like to see the whole police report too.

None of it makes any sense. if Zimmerman scooted out from under Trayvon after shooting him while Trayvon was on top of him, how did Trayvon's hands end up back under his body?

[Kaleva]

17. Here's a youtube video of an eyewitness giving his account

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He describes the evening as dark and there was no moonlight. He heard screaming, saw one person standing and another laying down. Heard cries for help and then heard a gunshot and the screaming stopped. He didn't see who shot who or could identify who was laying on the ground and who was standing.

Edit: I see that I have already posted this video in this same thread already. Thought I had posted it in another.

[Catherina]

18. First time I've seen that one. How heartbreaking

I feel so terrible for all the witnesses who are torturing themselves now that if they had gone out when Trayvon was crying out, he might not be dead. I wish they wouldn't. The pain in this kid's video and in the voices of some of the other witnesses is terrible.

I spent the entire other night listening to this video, over and over again because I was so tired and would wake up to rewind and listen again.

Have you listened to these? The video starts with Zimmerman's call and then the witnesses follow. His sister's call is on there. They're all hurtful to hear but the woman at minute 18 is the most painful for me.

Thanks for posting that video

[Kaleva]

19. Very interesting! Thanks.

I found especially interesting the one caller who said the one man on top of the other was wearing a white t-shirt. Will have to look at the videos of Zimmerman being brought in to the police station.

[Catherina]

20. I'd like to know what Trayvon was wearing too

just in case he had on a white t-shirt (too?)

That was interesting. Let us know what you find out.

[Kaleva]

22. I mentioned in another post that a witness named "John"...

said the man on the bottom yelling the help was wearing what he thought to be a red sweater.

Here's a video of Zimmerman being brought to the police station wearing a red and black jacket:

"John" also said in the interview that the next time he looked out the window, the man who had been on top was laying on the ground and appeared dead

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[Catherina]

23. I hope the FBI gets more specific information

I heard that call too and it didn't make much sense to me though I don't blame the caller.

Thanks for posting those.

[cr8tvlde]

3. And we're just now finding this out? n/t

[Cali_Democrat]

4. I hadn't heard about George's father being at the re-enactment until the NY Times reported it

The Sanford Police are shady!

[LiberalFighter]

8. No. They are not shady.

They (not all) are corrupt.

[nadinbrzezinski]

9. We are seeing a pattern

FBI will probably file civil rights.

[uponit7771]

14. You can't make this stuff up...

[Ecumenist]

24. WHAT THE??!! pappyzimmy needs to be charged with tampering, at the very least...

zimmy the giggling sociopath needs a bigger cell so that pappy has a place to stay and lay his corrupt head too.