Trayvon Martin Shooting - Media Thread - NO DISCUSSION

[lauriej]

http://www.channel4.com/news/trayvon...rence-memorial
Trayvon Martin's Parents visit Stephen Lawrence Memorial


Report: Trayvon Martin's parents visit London, thank British supporters

May 10, 2012

The parents of slain teenager Trayvon Martin are in London visiting another family whose son also was killed, channel4.com reports.

Tracy Martin and Sybrina Fulton arrived Wednesday and met with the family of Stephen Lawrence, who was killed in 1993 in South London, according to the website.

http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/201 ... supporters

[ladonna]

George Zimmerman's attorney may get evidence Monday, could block public release

Normally, when evidence is exchanged between the state and defense it becomes public record, but O'Mara said that may not happen right away in this case.

"Public release... may be delayed as we may be filing a motion to further redact information, and an opportunity to review the discovery is necessary to determine the applicability of that motion," the statement says.

"While we understand the frustration of those who want to view the information as soon as possible, we believe that Mr. Zimmerman's right to a fair trial, decided by an impartial, unbiased jury is paramount," O'Mara said. [IMG]

http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/2012-05-10/news/os-george-zimmerman-trayvon-evidence-20120510_1_sanford-shooting-new-evidence-public-release

[Neige]

Mark Nejame on new Zimmerman family photo: "He really has significant multiracial, multicultural roots"

http://piersmorgan.blogs.cnn.com/201...ts/?hpt=pm_mid

[sleonardelli]

As Mother’s Day approaches, my friend and Trayvon Martin’s mom, Sybrina Fulton, has created a powerful video.

I urge you to watch it and to join folks all across America in sending a special Mother’s Day message to the people who most need to hear it.

Click here to watch this powerful video.

Together, we can end the pain that gun violence is bringing into too many mothers’ lives.

[lauriej]

http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/05/1...got-about.html
Trayvon Martin’s mother got about eight months of donated vacation time from county co-workers

The county commission passed a resolution in April allowing county employees to donate their vacation time to Fulton or Trayvon’s aunt, Yolanda Knight Evans, a water and sewer customer service representative.

Records show 192 county employees gave Fulton some of their hours, and 70 people donated to Knight Evans.

The donations for Fulton added up to 1,362 hours — meaning she can take 34 paid weeks off. Trayvon’s aunt collected nearly nine weeks.

[i.b.nora]

http://www.clickorlando.com/news/new...z/-/index.html

Trayvon Martin gun range targets sold online
Seller admits he wants to profit off controversy
Author: Mike DeForest, Reporter, mdeforest@clickorlando.com
Published On: May 11 2012 12:24:45 AM EDT Updated On: May 11 2012 12:35:21 AM EDT

"An unidentified entrepreneur admits he is trying to profit off Trayvon Martin's death by selling gun range targets featuring the teen who's death has sparked a nationwide controversy.

Although Martin's face does not appear on the paper targets, they feature a hoodie with crosshairs aimed at the chest. A bag of Skittles is tucked in the pocket and a hand is holding a can resembling iced tea."

+

"According to an advertisement for the targets that had been posted on a popular firearms auction website, the sellers stated they "support Zimmerman and believe he is innocent and that he shot a thug.""

Article includes comments by Mark O"Mara.

[SoSueMe]

Please do not post links to sites that ask for donations. I've had to remove a certain website asking for donations for Mr. Zimmerman several times. Keep it off this site PLEASE!

[daisy7]

SANFORD, Fla. -- George Zimmerman's attorney said Friday that he is preparing to receive 5,000 pages of critical evidence in the Trayvon Martin shooting investigation.

Even before that happens sometime by Monday, Mark O'Mara said he will file a motion to delay for at least a week that information being made public.

The evidence is said to include Martin's autopsy report and statements from key witnesses. O'Mara said he wants time to make sure the witnesses are protected, and he wants to challenge material he said he believes shouldn't be made public.

"I'm going to ask the judge to let us hold it until we have a chance to view all of it," O'Mara said.

Read more: http://www.wesh.com/trayvon-martin-e...#ixzz1ubFTetXm

[ladonna]

Corey Says The Rest of Us, (The Public) Will Not See The Evidence Released On Monday.

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/...,1089381.story

Zimmerman's lawyer expects to get evidence Monday; special prosecutor says the rest of us won't
May 14, 2012
George Zimmerman's lawyer expects to get his first look at the evidence against his client Monday.

The rest of us will not.

Special Prosecutor Angela Corey's office announced late Friday afternoon that it will not release the information to the public on Monday.

[daisy7]

The mother of slain teenager Trayvon Martin will be able to take about eight months of paid leave from her county job, thanks to the generosity of county employees.

Sybrina Fulton, who has worked at the Miami-Dade County housing authority for 23 years, collected $40,825 worth of donated vacation time, county records show. The paid time off is in addition to the nearly $100,000 the family raised on wepay.com and at rallies, which will be used to launch a criminal justice advocacy foundation in Trayvon’s name.

The donated days are the latest in a mounting fortune in contributions that have amassed on both sides of the controversial case. With websites dedicated to the grieving parents of Trayvon Martin as well as for the man who killed him, and now even his attorney, funds gathered in the wake of the Feb. 26 tragedy are set to reach half a million dollars. Donors continue to reach into their pockets, even as each side criticizes the other’s purpose and intent in seeking donations.

Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/05/1...#storylink=cpy

[lauriej]

--video includes comment from o'mara------as well as a shot of his law office and the place next door to it that he's in the process of buying as a "base of operations".


http://www.wjla.com/articles/2012/05...ght-75899.html

Only on 7: What Trayvon Martin, George Zimmerman might have seen that night
By Scott Thuman
May 12, 2012 - 12:01 am

In an investigation you will only see on ABC7 News, Scott Thuman gives us a closer look at the gated community in Sanford, Florida where George Zimmerman shot Trayvon Martin.

He shows us what they might have seen that cold, dark, rainy night.

[sleonardelli]

House to vote on Trayvon amendment

House Democrats said Tuesday they will offer an amendment to push to overturn stand-your-ground self-defense laws in states like Florida.

The amendment, which would withhold some grants from states that have such laws, will come as part of the House's debate on the Commerce Department spending bill.

"'Shoot-first' laws have already cost too many lives. In Florida alone, deaths due to self-defense have tripled since the law was enacted. Federal money shouldn't be spent supporting states with laws that endanger their own people," said Reps. Raul Grijalva of Arizona and Keith Ellison of Minnesota, the two Democrats who are offering the legislation. "This is no different than withholding transportation funds from states that don't enforce seat-belt laws."

Florida's law, which allows residents to use force in response to an attack without first having to retreat, has come under scrutiny after the nationally-polarizing death of teenager Trayvon Martin. George Zimmermann, a neighborhood watch volunteer, has been charged with murder in the case.

[CherokeeNative]

For those interested, it appears that under the sunshine laws, once the discovery is provided to the defense, it must also be turned over to the public/media, as it loses its exempt status as criminal intelligence or investigative information unless the Court has issued an order that the discovery may be withheld under one of the following circumstances:

1) If the information would reveal the identity of a victim of a sexual offense or child abuse pursuant to s. 119.071(2)(h), F.S.; or

2) If a court order has been issued finding that release of the information prior to trial would:

a) be defamatory to the good name of a victim or witness or jeopardize the safety of a victim or witness; and

b) impair the ability of a state attorney to locate or prosecute a codefendant.

It would appear to me that if O'Mara wants to withhold the discovery from being released to the public until he has time to review it and decide whether additional redactions need to be made over and above what the State has redacted, he would need to file a motion seeking an order in advance of the discovery being turned over to him. Will we see a motion by O'Mara tomorrow? I suspect so.

For more info, see: http://www.myflsunshine.com/sun.nsf/...2566F3006C7A1A

[Reader]

Crump: The Lawyer & The Man

http://www.wtxl.com/content/localnew...BXhR6Zm6g.cspx

...........Crump, says, “Whether it be the Martin Lee Anderson case or Trayvon Martin or any number of cases, when we get involved in them everybody said you will never win that one. Maybe we won't win. But it won't stop me from trying. That is why I went to law school. That is why I got this education, to try to make a difference in the community.”


More at link....

[daisy7]

SANFORD – Who gets to see the evidence against George Zimmerman, the Neighborhood Watch volunteer awaiting trial on a charge of second-degree murder? Today, that will likely become a point of dispute between lawyers in the case and the most powerful media companies in the country.

Defense attorneyMark O'Marahas said he expects to get his first look at the evidence today. He has also warned that he will likely file paperwork, asking the judge to keep key elements from everyone else.

If does, lawyers for the Orlando Sentinel, The New York Times, NBC, CBS, CNN and more than a half dozen other news organizations are expected to weigh in and try to prevent that.

(snip)

http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/...-rachel-fugate

[LiveLaughLuv]

Posted on Thu, May. 03, 2012 07:10 AM
Trayvon Martin case spurs other investigations around the country

By FRANCES ROBLES
McClatchy Newspapers

MIAMI -- Kenneth Chamberlain Jr.'s foray into activism started with a Facebook post.

Someone placed a petition demanding the arrest of Trayvon Martin's killer on Chamberlain's Facebook wall, and that got the New York behavior counselor thinking: What about his own dad's unprosecuted killing?

"I signed Trayvon's petition, sat back, and thought, 'Well, maybe I should do a petition,' " he said. "I did and got 1,000 signatures. I was happy with 1,000."
Then came more: Five months after Chamberlain's father was killed in his home by a White Plains, N.Y., police officer, Chamberlain has not only 208,000 online signatures - he got a grand jury investigation as well.



Read more here: http://www.kansascity.com/2012/05/03...#storylink=cpy

[Omachka]

FBI is investigating the possibility of charing George Zimmerman with a Hate Crime.

http://www.wftv.com/news/news/local/...e-crime/nN5pR/

SANFORD, Fla. — WFTV has learned charges against George Zimmerman could be getting more serious.
State prosecutors said Zimmerman, a neighborhood watchman, profiled and stalked 17-year-old Trayvon Martin before killing him, so the FBI is now looking into charging him with a hate crime.

Legal analyst Bill Shaeffer says:

Sheaffer said a federal hate crime murder charge could bring more serious consequences than the second-degree murder charge Zimmerman faces now.
“Mr. Zimmerman could be punished by up to life in prison or even the death penalty,” said Sheaffer.

[suzihawk]

http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/05/1...ives-will.html

Zimmerman's father: Our lives will never be the same.

[daisy7]

Zimmerman’s father: Our lives will never be the same

George Zimmerman’s father says he is living on the run with his wife and mother-in-law, fearful of death threats made after his son shot Trayvon Martin.

Robert Zimmerman is a retired magistrate living like a fugitive.

He stays in hotels under assumed names. He pays cash so no one will look at his surname and make the connection: This is the father of one of the nation’s most controversial murder defendants.

“It’s been unimaginable,” he said Monday. “Our lives will never be the same.”

Zimmerman, 64, is the father of George Zimmerman, the Central Florida neighborhood watch volunteer who faces a second-degree murder charge for the Feb. 26 killing of Miami Gardens teen Trayvon Martin.

Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/05/1...#storylink=cpy

[daisy7]

SANFORD – As many eagerly awaited the release of never-before-seen evidence in the case against George Zimmerman, members of Special Prosecutor Angela Corey's office provided a preview on Monday in the form of an eight-page document.

The paperwork, filed with the Seminole County clerk as closing time approached, included a list of witnesses the state plans to call and identified several pieces of the evidence prosecutors expect to use to support a second-degree murder charge in the death of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin.

Late Monday, Zimmerman attorney Mark O'Mara confirmed he had received the evidence at his office. It consists of dozens of CDs and "numerous" paper documents.

"It's 67 CDs. That's about all I know," O'Mara said.

(snip)

http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/...-rachel-fugate

ETA: does anyone have a link for the 8 page document?

[imamaze]

http://www.local10.com/news/Fire-cap...5/-/index.html
Fire captain demoted after Facebook post about Trayvon Martin
A Miami-Dade County firefighter under investigation by his department for a controversial posting he reportedly made on his personal Facebook page about the Trayvon Martin case has been demoted, Local 10 has learned.
The controversial post read, "I and my co-workers could rewrite the book on whether our urban youths are victims of racist profiling or products of their failed, (expletive), ignorant, pathetic, welfare dependent excuses for parents."
The post caused a firestorm of controversy. Locally, black civic activists staged protests, demanding that Beckmann be fired. Some called him a racist and questioned his ability to serve the community.
More... Video included...

http://www.wftv.com/news/news/local/...e-crime/nN5pR/
FBI may charge George Zimmerman with hate crime
WFTV has learned charges against George Zimmerman could be getting more serious.
State prosecutors said Zimmerman, a neighborhood watchman, profiled and stalked 17-year-old Trayvon Martin before killing him, so the FBI is now looking into charging him with a hate crime.
More...

http://miami.cbslocal.com/2012/05/14...facebook-rant/
Miami-Dade Fire Capt. Demoted For Controversial Facebook Rant
A Miami-Dade fire captain under fire for his controversial Facebook comments in the Trayvon Martin case has been demoted. Captain Brian Beckmann fell from the top of the command in his firehouse to the lowest rank of firefighter.
More...

http://www.clickorlando.com/news/Def...4/-/index.html
Defense receives Trayvon Martin evidence against George Zimmerman
The attorney for George Zimmerman, the neighborhood watchman who shot and killed 17-year-old Trayvon Martin, announced on Monday he has received the evidence against his client and a "credible threat."
Attorney Mark O'Mara posted on his defense website, GZLegalCase.com, that he received the discovery for the Zimmerman case just after 5 p.m. on Monday. According to the website, the discovery package included, "67 compact discs and numerous hardcopy documents, including the State’s Discovery Exhibit and Demand for Reciprocal Discovery. The discovery also includes witness statements, 911 calls, non-emergency calls, photos, video, medical records, and more."
"All the evidence has to be looked at in conjunction," O'Mara told Local 6.
More...

[daisy7]

The handgun George Zimmerman used to kill Trayvon Martin is a lightweight, inexpensive 9 mm semiautomatic manufactured in Cocoa.

The Kel-Tec 9 mm PF-9 is one of the lightest, thinnest 9 mm guns on the market — a gun so small and light you can carry it in your pocket undetected.

(snip)

http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/...owners-kel-tec

[sleonardelli]

Zimmerman’s Twin Lakes Community Was on Edge Before Trayvon Shooting

[i.b.nora]

ABC News Exclusive: Zimmerman Medical Report Shows Broken Nose, Lacerations After Trayvon Martin Shooting

By MATT GUTMAN and SENI TIENABESO
May 15, 2012

"A medical report compiled by the family physician of accused Trayvon Martin murderer George Zimmerman and obtained exclusively by ABC News found that Zimmerman was diagnosed with a "closed fracture" of his nose, a pair of black eyes, two lacerations to the back of his head and a minor back injury the day after he fatally shot Martin during an alleged altercation."

Much more...

[i.b.nora]

Autopsy results show Trayvon Martin had injuries to his knuckles

Updated: 6:01 p.m. Tuesday, May 15, 2012 | Posted: 5:54 p.m. Tuesday, May 15, 2012

"WFTV has confirmed that autopsy results show 17-year-old Trayvon Martin had injuries to his knuckles when he died.

The information could support George Zimmerman's claim that Martin beat him up before Zimmerman shot and killed him.

The autopsy results come as Zimmerman's attorney, Mark O’Mara continues to go over other evidence in the case.

O’Mara wouldn't comment on the autopsy evidence, but WFTV legal analyst Bill Sheaffer said it's better for the defense than it is for the prosecution."

more...