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| George Zimmerman prosecutors have proved his innocence, says lawyer | George Zimmerman prosecutors have proved his innocence, says lawyer |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| George Zimmerman's defence attorney urged a jury on Friday not to rely on "could have beens" and "what ifs" to determine the neighbourhood watch leader's guilt or innocence in the murder of Trayvon Martin. | George Zimmerman's defence attorney urged a jury on Friday not to rely on "could have beens" and "what ifs" to determine the neighbourhood watch leader's guilt or innocence in the murder of Trayvon Martin. |
| In his closing arguments at Zimmerman's second-degree murder trial in Sanford, Florida, Mark O'Mara said it was "a bizarro case" in which prosecutors themselves had proven his client's "pure, unadulterated innocence" beyond a reasonable doubt. | In his closing arguments at Zimmerman's second-degree murder trial in Sanford, Florida, Mark O'Mara said it was "a bizarro case" in which prosecutors themselves had proven his client's "pure, unadulterated innocence" beyond a reasonable doubt. |
| "What aren't words of good prosecutors are maybe, what if, I hope so, you figure it out, could have been," O'Mara said, referring to Thursday's closing arguments by state attorney Bernie de la Rionda, after three weeks of testimony. "Defence lawyers are the ones who live in could have beens and what ifs. If you have to presume something, you don't know it, and if you don't know it, it hasn't been proven. Don't connect dots." | "What aren't words of good prosecutors are maybe, what if, I hope so, you figure it out, could have been," O'Mara said, referring to Thursday's closing arguments by state attorney Bernie de la Rionda, after three weeks of testimony. "Defence lawyers are the ones who live in could have beens and what ifs. If you have to presume something, you don't know it, and if you don't know it, it hasn't been proven. Don't connect dots." |
| Judge Debra Nelson sent out the jury of six women on Friday afternoon to decide if Zimmerman, 29, acted with "ill will, spite or hatred" when he shot and killed the unarmed black teenager in Sanford's Retreat at Twin Lakes gated community on 26 February last year. | |
| Zimmerman, who pleaded not guilty on the grounds of self-defence and who has argued that Martin, 17, began the confrontation with a "sucker punch" that broke his nose, faces at least 25 years in jail if convicted of murder, or up to 30 years if found guilty on a lesser charge of manslaughter. | Zimmerman, who pleaded not guilty on the grounds of self-defence and who has argued that Martin, 17, began the confrontation with a "sucker punch" that broke his nose, faces at least 25 years in jail if convicted of murder, or up to 30 years if found guilty on a lesser charge of manslaughter. |
| O'Mara spent three and a half hours on Friday morning attacking the prosecution's case, using graphics, slides and props, including full size cut-outs of the defendant and victim and even a large slab of concrete he dumped on the courtroom floor. The cement, he said, proved Martin was not unarmed because he used the pavement as a weapon on which he slammed Zimmerman's head. | |
| O'Mara denounced the prosecution's portrayal of Zimmerman as an angry neighbourhood busybody and vigilante who was fed up with a string of burglaries in his housing development, and who pursued and shot Martin because he made the assumption that the hoodie-wearing teenager was a criminal. | O'Mara denounced the prosecution's portrayal of Zimmerman as an angry neighbourhood busybody and vigilante who was fed up with a string of burglaries in his housing development, and who pursued and shot Martin because he made the assumption that the hoodie-wearing teenager was a criminal. |
| Donning sunglasses and a large ring on his little finger, O'Mara told the jury: "If I were to walk I today like this, [you'd ask] 'What in God's name is he doing with the sunglasses on, who does he think he is? What's with the pinkie ring?' That's all it takes, is an impression. My fear is that it works against my client. | Donning sunglasses and a large ring on his little finger, O'Mara told the jury: "If I were to walk I today like this, [you'd ask] 'What in God's name is he doing with the sunglasses on, who does he think he is? What's with the pinkie ring?' That's all it takes, is an impression. My fear is that it works against my client. |
| "There is not one witness in there who will say, 'George Zimmerman, yeah the guy wandering round the neighbourhood, looking around, telling people to bring in their garbage cans,' or some absurdity like that. Not one witness to suggest that the guy is who they want you to believe he is, that neighbourhood watch cop wannabe crazy rider walking the neighbourhood looking for someone to harass." | "There is not one witness in there who will say, 'George Zimmerman, yeah the guy wandering round the neighbourhood, looking around, telling people to bring in their garbage cans,' or some absurdity like that. Not one witness to suggest that the guy is who they want you to believe he is, that neighbourhood watch cop wannabe crazy rider walking the neighbourhood looking for someone to harass." |
| Although he said it was only his obligation to introduce reasonable doubt, O'Mara said he would assume the burden of proving Zimmerman's innocence to the jury. Addressing the timeline of events of the night of the shooting, he said it contained gaps and inconsistencies. There was no proof, he said, that Zimmerman followed Martin after a request not to by a police dispatcher handling the defendant's call. | Although he said it was only his obligation to introduce reasonable doubt, O'Mara said he would assume the burden of proving Zimmerman's innocence to the jury. Addressing the timeline of events of the night of the shooting, he said it contained gaps and inconsistencies. There was no proof, he said, that Zimmerman followed Martin after a request not to by a police dispatcher handling the defendant's call. |
| "Is there any evidence that George Zimmerman ran anywhere or that he ran after Trayvon Martin after he said OK? If it's there I missed it," he said. There was a lengthy silence in the courtroom as O'Mara highlighted what he said was a "missing" four minutes on the state's timeline that Martin probably used to work out his next move, which was circling back and attacking Zimmerman. | "Is there any evidence that George Zimmerman ran anywhere or that he ran after Trayvon Martin after he said OK? If it's there I missed it," he said. There was a lengthy silence in the courtroom as O'Mara highlighted what he said was a "missing" four minutes on the state's timeline that Martin probably used to work out his next move, which was circling back and attacking Zimmerman. |
| "I'm not going to allow you or the state to ignore the realities of what actually happened that night," he said. | "I'm not going to allow you or the state to ignore the realities of what actually happened that night," he said. |
| Returning to the prosecution's theme of Zimmerman as an overzealous, self-appointed guardian of his neighbourhood, O'Mara referred to a series of calls he made to police over a six-month period to report suspicious people. | Returning to the prosecution's theme of Zimmerman as an overzealous, self-appointed guardian of his neighbourhood, O'Mara referred to a series of calls he made to police over a six-month period to report suspicious people. |
| "What did they show you to buttress their position that George Zimmerman is before you acting with ill will, spite or hatred, and just hated Trayvon Martin that night?" he said. "The phone calls to non-emergency? That's about it. I would suggest that's on the way towards absolute innocence. Listen to the calls. Anger, frustration, hatred, ill will, spite? 'Get out here and get these guys? I hate these young black males'. Do not allow them to give their words to your ears rather than George's. Listen to what he said, the cadence of his voice." | "What did they show you to buttress their position that George Zimmerman is before you acting with ill will, spite or hatred, and just hated Trayvon Martin that night?" he said. "The phone calls to non-emergency? That's about it. I would suggest that's on the way towards absolute innocence. Listen to the calls. Anger, frustration, hatred, ill will, spite? 'Get out here and get these guys? I hate these young black males'. Do not allow them to give their words to your ears rather than George's. Listen to what he said, the cadence of his voice." |
| Trayvon Martin's mother, Sybrina Fulton, left the courtroom as O'Mara discussed the autopsy photographs that were taken of her son. He concluded by running through the testimony of witnesses one by one, and asking the jury to rely only on the facts as they completed their "very difficult task". | Trayvon Martin's mother, Sybrina Fulton, left the courtroom as O'Mara discussed the autopsy photographs that were taken of her son. He concluded by running through the testimony of witnesses one by one, and asking the jury to rely only on the facts as they completed their "very difficult task". |
| In rebuttal, prosecutor John Guy also mentioned Zimmerman's call to the police non-emergency line, in which he was recorded saying: "Fucking punks" and "these assholes, they always get away". | In rebuttal, prosecutor John Guy also mentioned Zimmerman's call to the police non-emergency line, in which he was recorded saying: "Fucking punks" and "these assholes, they always get away". |
| "As a man speaks, so is he," Guy said. "If ever there was a window into a man's soul, it was the words from that defendant's mouth on that phone call. There's only two people who know what really happened. One of them can't testify and the other one lied." | "As a man speaks, so is he," Guy said. "If ever there was a window into a man's soul, it was the words from that defendant's mouth on that phone call. There's only two people who know what really happened. One of them can't testify and the other one lied." |
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