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03/21/2012
Trayvon Martin Killing: 911 tape reveals possible racial slur
The Florida police department handling the fatal shooting of an unarmed black teen by a self-appointed neighborhood watch leader admitted to ABC News tonight that investigators missed a possible racist remark by the shooter as he spoke to police dispatchers moments before the killing.
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Trayvon's parents: Trust friends' account
Trayvon Martin's parents appeared on the "Today" show Wednesday morning.
Matt Lauer asked Sybrina Fulton and Tracey Martin about the recent testimony of a 16-year-old girl who was talking over the phone with Trayvon just moments before he was shot to death.
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George Zimmerman dreamed of being a cop
When a rash of burglaries and other crimes broke out in and around a gated community in Sanford, Fla., residents wanted some form of protection. Someone raised the possibility of a neighborhood watch group. But only one resident seems to have come forward for the duties: George Zimmerman.
Zimmerman, 28, is the focal point for national outrage over the fatal Feb. 26 shooting of an unarmed teen, Trayvon Martin. The 17-year-old was returning from a sugar run -- he'd bought a bag of Skittles and an iced tea at a local convenience store -- and was reportedly talking on a cellphone to his girlfriend when he crossed paths with Zimmerman. Zimmerman, meanwhile, had spotted the teen and called police to report a young black male acting suspiciously, according to phone logs.
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Interview with Trayvon Martin's friend
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Who is crime watch volunteer George Zimmerman
George Zimmerman, the Neighborhood Watch volunteer who fired the shot that claimed the life of Trayvon Martin on a rainy night in Sanford last month, has been painted as a racist, a vigilante and a murderer.
More than a half-million people have signed an online petition calling for his arrest. He is in hiding, driven from his home by threats.
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Trayvon Martin's shooter had a domestic violence altercation in 2005
George Zimmerman, the Sanford man who shot and killed a Miami Gardens teen in a case that has sparked racial tension, was once part of a messy domestic violence case in Orlando.
In 2005, his ex-fiáncée, hair salon employee Veronica Zuazo, filed for a restraining order against Zimmerman — whom she called “Georgie.”
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Neighbor comes to defense of Trayvon Martin's shooter
A neighbor of George Zimmerman and fellow neighborhood watch captain in their Florida gated community came to his defense Tuesday, saying Zimmerman shot Miami teenager Trayvon Martin after numerous burglaries at The Retreat at Twin Lakes.
More... Video included...

Outrage, protests grow over shooting of unarmed Florida teen
Outrage over the killing of an unarmed Florida teenager grew nationwide Wednesday as at least 1,000 supporters of Trayvon Martin took to the streets of New York and a petition demanding the shooter's arrest amassed nearly 1 million signatures.

Members of Martin's family were among demonstrators in New York for a "Million Hoodie March," a reference to the attire the 17-year-old was wearing when he was shot.

"A black person in a hoodie isn't automatically suspicious," an online protest page says. "Let's put an end to racial profiling."
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Sanford commission votes 'no confidence' in police chief

Sanford city commissioners have voted "no confidence" in police Chief Bill Lee Jr., who has been publicly lambasted for his department's handling of the fatal shooting of Miami teenager Trayvon Martin.
Commissioner Mark McCarty made the motion that could lead to the ouster of the chief, who has been on the job just 10 months. Mayor Jeff Triplett and Commissioner Velma Williams voted with the majority.
"I take no pleasure in a public flogging of our police chief," McCarty said before a packed council chambers. "But he really should turn in his resignation."
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Was Fla. shooter a vigilante or good neighbor?
George Zimmerman once took criminal justice classes at the community college and was practically a one-man neighborhood watch in his gated part of town, calling police close to 50 times over the past eight years to report such things as slow-driving vehicles, strangers loitering in the neighborhood and open garages.
Now, suddenly, people are wondering if the 28-year-old Zimmerman is an earnest if somewhat zealous young man who was just looking out for his neighborhood, or a wannabe cop who tried to take justice into his own hands.
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03/22/2012
Atlantans head to Fla. to call for George Zimmerman's arrest
Even in a hoodie, 17-year-old Trayvon Martin could not hide his baby face.

At 140 pounds, few believe the unarmed teen could pose much of a physical threat to the much larger 28-year-old self-styled neighborhood watchman who fatally shot the teen in February. George Zimmerman told police it was self-defense. He has not been charged with a crime, but federal investigators are now looking into the shooting.
More... Video included...


03/22/2012
Anthony Raimondo, first officer in charge of scene, involved previous cover up
Sergeant Anthony Raimondo, the patrol officer who was initially in charge of the scene on the night Trayvon Martin was killed, was also involved in an alleged police cover-up in 2010. Raimondo was at the center of a controversy that ensued when Justin Collison, the son of a Sanford police lieutenant and part of a prominent family, punched a homeless black man but was not arrested.
Local news station WFTV broke this story, which revealed that preferential treatment had been given to Collison by police after he attacked and broke the nose of his African-American victim, Sherman Ware.
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Parents of slain Fla. teen to meet with Feds
The parents of a black teen fatally shot by a neighborhood watch captain will meet with U.S. Justice Department officials hours before a rally expected to draw thousands of protesters.
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Sanford city manager says police were barred from arresting Trayvon Martin's killer
The city manager of Sanford, Fla., says George Zimmerman wasn't arrested despite his confession that he fatally shot Trayvon Martin because police were legally barred from doing so.
"Zimmerman provided a statement claiming he acted in self defense, which at the time was supported by physical evidence and testimony," Sanford City Manager Norton Bonaparte Jr. wrote in a letter released publicly Wednesday evening. "By Florida Statute, law enforcement was PROHIBITED from making an arrest based on the facts and circumstances they had at the time."
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S. Fla. students march for Trayvon
Hundreds of students walked out of a South Florida high school, and thousands of protesters are expected in Sanford on Thursday to call for the arrest of a neighborhood watch captain accused of fatally shooting an unarmed 17-year-old South Florida boy.
Police said George Zimmerman, 28, fatally shot Trayvon Martin last month. Zimmerman claimed self-defense and was not arrested or charged in the case.
Hundreds of students left Carol City High School, which Martin once attended, and walked down streets in the area in support of Martin and in protest of the lack of an arrest.
More... Video included...

Trayvon Martin case: A collision of race, guns and Florida law
Sanford, Fla., on Thursday braced for what could be its biggest day of demonstrations over the death of Trayvon Martin, the black teenager shot by a neighborhood watch officer, George Zimmerman, last month. For those just catching up to the case that has galvanized the nation -- raising legal and social issues about race, guns and self-defense -- here's some background.
More... Video included...

Sanford police chief under fire in Trayvon Martin case
Initial police reports never mentioned that Zimmerman had a bloody nose or a wet shirt that showed evidence of a struggle. Attorneys for the dead teen’s family believe the information was added in a second report to justify the lack of an arrest.
• Police said witness statements supported Zimmerman’s account. But several of the witnesses expressed surprise, telling The Herald that they reported hearing someone crying for help just before a shot ended the cries. The 911 tapes of witness calls bolstered their claims.
• One of the witnesses who heard the crying said she called a detective repeatedly, but said he was not interested because her account differed from Zimmerman’s.
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Sanford police chief temprarily steps down
The police chief at the center of the Trayvon Martin shooting death says he is stepping down temporarily because he has become a distraction.
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http://www.orlandosentinel.com/vide...essed-part-of-Trayvon-Zimmerman-confrontation
Video: Teen witnessed part of Trayvon-Zimmerman confrontation
Teen recounts what he saw of the Trayvon Martin-George Zimmerman confrontation
(Austin and his sister are audible on one of the 911 recordings)
 
When Benjamin Crump got his first call from Trayvon Martin's father last month, the attorney counseled patience.
It had only been two days since a neighborhood watch volunteer had fatally shot the 17-year-old, and surely an arrest was imminent, thought Crump, who has pursued several civil rights cases against law enforcement agencies.
Another day passed. Nothing.
Two more days passed. Still nothing.
"I believed in my heart of hearts they were going to arrest him," Crump said Thursday in an interview. "I said, 'Oh, they are going to arrest him. You don't need me on this.'"
More than a month later, there still has been no arrest.


Read more: http://www.myfoxla.com/dpps/news/tr...ses-dpgapx-20120330-fc_18921706#ixzz1qc9kfouF
 
Zimmerman's Father worked as Virginia Magistrate
Robert J. Zimmerman served as a full-time magistrate from 2000-2006. Please be advised that in Virginia magistrates are judicial officers, but they are not considered "judges" and do not possess trial jurisdiction. More detailed information on the role of the magistrate in Virginia is available on Virginia's Judicial System Website .”

Virginia Court System
Virginia Magistrate System Chart (pdf)

George Zimmerman's Brother Says Medical Records will Prove Story
Robert Zimmerman Jr. spoke to CNN's Piers Morgan Thursday night saying he wanted to correct some of the "mythology" and untruths that have been spread about the controversial shooting.
"We're confident the medical records are going to explain all of George's medical history," Zimmerman Jr. said. "His nose looks swollen in that video. I'm his brother."

Official Trayvon Martin Song released
Trayvon Martin's parents have established the official Trayvon Martin Justice Foundation in honor of their slain son and will be releasing a single dedicated to the teenager which will be made available on iTunes on Friday, March 30th, RadarOnline.com is exclusively reporting.

Martin Family Lawyer Known for Civil Rights Cases
(Benjamin) Crump and his law partner, Daryl Parks, are Tallahassee-based personal injury attorneys who primarily handle wrongful death and negligence cases. But their everyday work often involves civil rights issues.
"Daryl and Ben look at things in a broader perspective," said James Messer, a Tallahassee attorney who serves on the board of the Tallahassee Bar Association with Crump. "While there may be a wrongful death issue, it involves, in their eyes, more than anything a civil rights cause ... (Crump) has a passion for issues that have something to do with civil rights violations."

Mayor Says Police Resisted Release of 911 Tapes
He described how, on March 16, he invited Martin's family and lawyers to his office at City Hall to listen to the 911 calls prior to the public release. Natalie Jackson, an Orlando civil rights lawyer, was also present.
Triplett played the calls on his office computer. Someone was heard crying for help. Martin's mother wept and ran from the room, convinced it was her son, Jackson said. Everyone was moved to tears.
Not everyone approves of Triplett's actions. Sanford City Commissioner Patty Mahany said she thought he meant well, but that he had drawn more attention to the case and the calls could influence jurors in any trial.

College Newspaper in Texas Apologizes for Cartoon ~ Artist Resigns
The controversial cartoon that appeared this week in the University of Texas at Austin's Daily Texan showed a mother sitting in a chair labeled "the media" reading to a child from a book titled, "Treyvon [sic] Martin and the case of yellow journalism.” The mother says: “And then the big bad ‘white’ man killed the handsome, sweet, innocent ‘colored’ boy.”

Spike Lee Apologizes for Tweeting Address of Wrong Zimmerman
David and Elaine McClain, a couple in their 70s whose home is about four miles from where Martin was killed, told CNN that besides apologizing as they requested, Lee agreed to pay the cost of them having to leave their home temporarily.
...The mistake by Lee, who has 250,000 Twitter followers, forced the McClains to flee to a hotel when reporters and hate mail began showing up at their home.
Elaine McClain has a son named William George Zimmerman who previously lived at the address.
 
Funeral Director confirms Autopsy and Saw No Fight Injuries
Richard Kurtz told CNN's Nancy Grace on Wednesday that Martin had a gunshot wound to his upper chest, but any other injury would have been difficult to detect because an autopsy was performed on the teen's body before he received it.
"As for his hands and knuckles, I don't see any evidence he had been fighting anybody," Kurtz said.
A Volusia County spokesman, Dave Byron, has confirmed that an autopsy was performed by them, but those results could take more than 30 days to be released. Results will not be unsealed until the investigation becomes "inactive."

Co-Worker: Zimmerman Lost Security Job for Being Too Aggressive
The source said Zimmerman, who made between $50 and $100 a night, was let go in 2005.
“He had a temper and he became a liability,” the man said. “One time this woman was acting a little out of control. She was drunk. George lost his cool and totally overreacted,” he said. “It was weird, because he was such a cool guy, but he got all nuts. He picked her up and threw her. It was pure rage. She twisted her ankle. Everyone was flipping out.”
 
State Attorney Angela Corey Stops Public Release of Information

The statement from Corey’s office:

“It has been one week since the Governor’s appointment of State Attorney Angela Corey, of the Fourth Judicial Circuit. Her team of prosecutors and investigators are diligently working to investigate the shooting death of Trayvon Martin.
In the last couple of days, numerous media outlets have reported a variety of information from a variety of sources. Some of that information is protected by Florida’s public records laws, sections F.S. 119.071(2)(c)1 and 119.011(3).
At this time, we are asserting an active criminal investigative information records exemption for any documents, videos, or factual information regarding the case.
We appreciate both your interest in the case and the public’s desire to know more details. However, in order to protect the integrity of the case, there will be no further comment at this time.
 
Rev. Al Sharpton Warns of More Protests and Economic Sanctions Against Florida
...If George Zimmerman is not arrested in the shooting death of Trayvon Martin soon, the Rev. Al Sharpton will call for an escalation in peaceful civil disobedience and economic sanctions.
Saturday's scheduled 11 a.m. march from Crooms Academy of Information Technology to the Sanford Police Department headquarters was organized by National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. Coordinators said people will be bused in from other states to participate.
..."I will speak about how the National Action Network will move to the next level if Zimmerman isn't arrested," Sharpton said, who founded the organization. He added that it was the Martin family and lawyers who first asked him to get involved and nationalize this story.
The Rev. Jesse Jackson is also expected to participate in the event.
 
03/22/2012
George Zimmerman withdrawn from Seminole State College
George Zimmerman, the neighborhood watchman who shot and killed 17-year-old Trayvon Martin, has been withdrawn from school at Seminole State College by school officials, citing safety reasons.
SSC officials released a statement saying, "Due to the highly charged and high-profile controversy involving this student, Seminole State has taken the unusual but necessary step this week to withdraw Mr. Zimmerman from enrollment. This decision is based solely on our responsibility to provide for the safety of our students on campus as well as for Mr. Zimmerman."
Zimmerman first enrolled at Seminole State in 2003, earning a vocational certificate in Insurance Agent, General Lines, officials said. He then was enrolled in 2009 – 2012, working toward an Associate in Arts degree, General Studies.
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Gov. Scott appoints special prosecutor in Trayvon Martin case
Gov. Rick Scott and Attorney General Pam Bondi have appointed a special prosecutor to take over the investigation of the shooting of Trayvon Martin, responding to increased pressure from national civil rights leaders outraged over the killing of the unarmed black 17-year-old by a neighborhood watch volunteer whom local authorities have not charged with any crime.

Scott and Bondi asked State Attorney Angela Corey of Jacksonville to take over for Seminole County State Attorney Norman Wolfinger. The appointment came the same day Sanford Police Chief Bill Lee temporarily stepped down amid outrage over his failure to charge George Zimmerman with any crime in the Feb. 26 shooting. Wolfinger said in a letter to Scotthe was stepping aside “in the interest of public safety” and to “avoid even the appearance of a conflict of interest.” The U.S. Justice Department is also investigating the case.
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Florida shooter George Zimmerman not easily pigeonholed
The shooter was once a Catholic altar boy, with a surname that could have been Jewish.
His father is white, neighbors say. His mother is Latina. And his family is eager to point out that some of his relatives are black.
There may be no box to check for George Zimmerman, 28, no tidy way to categorize, define and sort the man whose pull of a trigger on a Sanford, Fla., street is forcing America to once again confront its fraught relationship with race and identity. The slain victim, we know, was named Trayvon Martin, an unarmed black teenager in a hoodie.
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03/23/2012
Neighborhood watch scrutinized after Trayvon Martin shooting
Last August, Wendy Dorival got a call about setting up a local neighborhood watch. As the volunteer coordinator for the Police Department here, she gets such calls regularly, and the city already had at least 10 active watch groups. So she thought nothing of this call, from George Zimmerman.
She set up a visit for the next month at the Retreat at Twin Lakes, a gated community that had been dealing with a string of burglaries. When 25 residents showed up, a decent turnout, she had the residents introduce themselves; after all, people join the groups to look out for each other. She then gave a PowerPoint presentation and distributed a handbook. As she always does, she emphasized what a neighborhood watch is — and what it is not.
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Prosecutors subpoena Trayvon Martin's girlfriend to appear in front of Grand Jury
The Florida State Attorney's Office has prepared a subpoena for Trayvon Martin's girlfriend, who was on the phone with him in the moments before the unarmed African American teen was shot and killed by George Zimmerman, to appear in front a grand jury that will be impaneled on April 10, to determine if the neighborhood watch captain should be charged with murder, RadarOnline.com is exclusively reporting.
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Rallies set over Trayvon Martin shooting
The national controversy that accompanied the killing of an unarmed black teenager in suburban Orlando showed no signs of abating Friday.

Demonstrators plan to march to the state capitol in Tallahassee, Florida on Friday to protest the death of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin, who was shot and killed by a neighborhood watch volunteer while walking home from a convenience store.

The death has sparked outrage nationwide.
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More Trayvon Martin walkouts at Miami schools
Hundreds of students at several South Florida high schools staged walkouts Friday morning in a massive protest against the lack of an arrest in the Trayvon Martin shooting.
Students from Miami Central, Miami Edison, Miami Norland, American Senior, William H. Turner High and Southridge High in Miami and Blanche Ely High School in Broward held walkouts.
Click here for a complete list of Miami-Dade County schools that held walkouts.
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Slain teen's friends say he never picked a fight
Wearing a hoodie. Listening to music and talking on his cellphone. Picking up Skittles for his soon-to-be stepbrother. Friends say that’s how they would have imagined 17-year-old Trayvon Martin on a Sunday afternoon.

Starting a fight? Possibly high on drugs and up to no good? No, friends say that description of Martin from the neighborhood crime-watch volunteer who shot and killed the unarmed black teenager doesn’t match the young man they knew.

“There’s no way I can believe that, because he’s not a confrontational kid,” said Jerome Horton, who was one of Martin’s former football coaches and knew him since he was about 5. “It just wouldn’t happen. That’s just not that kid.”
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Pres. Obama: "If I had a son, he'd look like Trayvon"
During a morning briefing at the White House, President Barack Obama was asked about the Trayvon Martin case that has become a nationwide conversation since he was gunned down on February 26th in Sanford, Florida.
More... Video included...


Geraldo Rivera blames hoodie for Trayvon's death; critics tell him to zip it up
Zip it up. That was a common reaction Friday on the Web and elsewhere to Fox News personality Geraldo Rivera’s comments that the hoodie was as much to blame for Trayvon Martin’s death as the shooter.
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Shooter silent and slain teen's family cries for justice
People across the country have had something to say about the death of Trayvon Martin, but the man at the center of the case — George Zimmerman — remains silent.
The neighborhood watch volunteer told police he was acting in self-defense when he shot Trayvon last month. Zimmerman has yet to be charged with a crime — or to speak publicly about what happened, leaving others to speak for him.
There's been a lot of scrutiny of the call Zimmerman made to 911 moments before his collision with Trayvon. But that was hardly Zimmerman's first call to the police in Sanford, Fla.
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In Arlington, Jeb Bush says 'stand your ground' invalid in Trayvon Martin case
Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush said Friday that the “stand your ground” self-defense law he signed while in office should not apply to the case of a teenager who was killed by a neighborhood watch volunteer in his home state.
“This law does not apply to this particular circumstance,” Bush said after an education panel discussion at the University of Texas at Arlington. “Stand your ground means stand your ground. It doesn’t mean chase after somebody who’s turned their back.”
He was referring to last month’s incident in which 17-year-old Trayvon Martin was pursued by the volunteer and fatally shot in a scuffle.
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Trayvon Martin shooting timeline leaves many unanswered questions
Smith says that while canvassing the area, he came upon Zimmerman, bleeding from his nose and the back of his head, standing near Trayvon's body. Zimmerman told the officer he had shot the person lying face down in the grass, and that he was still armed. The officer handcuffs Zimmerman, and removed a Kel Tek 9mm PF9 semi-automatic handgun from Zimmerman's waistband.
Smith's report says at some point, police determine that the man in the red jacket is the same person who called police.
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Attorney for Zimmerman denies claims of racism
A lawyer advising the Florida man who shot and killed teenager Trayvon Martin continued to deny Saturday that racism motivated the deadly confrontation, as the teen's parents spoke about learning of their son's death.

Attorney Craig Sonner told CBS's "This Morning" that he was representing George Zimmerman, who is now in hiding, in an "advisory" position since there have been no formal charges filed against him.

Sooner said that "there are facts that will come out as the investigation goes on" but that his client maintains he was acting in self-defense when he shot the black teen.
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Witness: Martin attacked Zimmerman
A witness we haven't heard from before paints a much different picture than we've seen so far of what happened the night 17-year-old Trayvon Martin was shot and killed.
The night of that shooting, police say there was a witness who saw it all.
Our sister station, FOX 35 in Orlando, has spoken to that witness.
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03/24/2012
Friend of Martin shooter: I'd do the same thing
It was an extraordinary moment at the White House Friday. President Obama made his first public comments about Trayvon Martin, the unarmed Florida teenager who shot to death by a neighborhood watch volunteer. He spoke not only as the president, but as an African-American parent. He said, "When I think about this boy, I think about my own kids."
"I think all of us have to do some soul-searching to figure out how did something like this happen," said Obama. "And that means that we examine the laws and the context for what happened as well as the specifics of the incident. But my main message is to the parents of Trayvon Martin: You know if I had a son, he'd look like Trayvon."
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NBC obtains George Zimmerman voice mail
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Lawyer: Family of Trayvon Martin to pursue civil case
Attorneys for the family of an unarmed Florida teen shot to death last month plan to pursue a civil case against a homeowner's association, the family's lawyer said Saturday.

Daryl Parks, attorney for the family of Trayvon Martin, spoke to board members of the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) about the case.

He said there is evidence that the Twin Lakes homeowner's association told residents who saw suspicious activity to call George Zimmerman if they could not contact the police, according to an NABJ statement.
More... Video included...

Trayvon Martin's parents recall his last night
In his quiet moments, Tracy Martin keeps replaying the night of Feb. 26, when his son Trayvon Martin died, allegedly at the hands of neighborhood watch captain George Zimmerman.

"I had gone out for dinner," says Tracy, "and when I got home, Trayvon wasn't there. I tried calling his cell phone several times, and it went straight to voicemail. I wasn't that worried, because he had been spending time with my 20-year-old nephew who was a responsible young man. There wasn't a panic that he wasn't at home. I figured that they had gone to the movies, because they had said they might. So I laid down, thinking they would show up later."

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FAcing the nightmare: Trayvon's parents relive fatal night
Across the nation, across the sea of black hoodies, across the minds of millions of Americans runs the same question: Why did the innocent Trayvon Martin have to die a senseless death?

In addition to asking himself this question in every waking hour, Trayvon's father Tracy Martin replays the last day he saw his son alive in his head over and over again, searching for the one answer that we all want to know: Why?
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Zimmerman was not following neighborhood watch rules
Neighborhood Watch evokes scenes of get-to-know-you barbecues and folks keeping an eye on neighbors' homes while they're out of town or working late.
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New Black Panthers offer $10,000 bounty for capture of George Zimmerman
Members of the New Black Panther Party are offering a $10,000 reward for the "capture" of George Zimmerman, the Neighborhood Watch volunteer who shot Trayvon Martin.
New Black Panther leader Mikhail Muhammad announced the reward during a protest in Sanford Saturday. And when asked whether he was inciting violence, Muhammad replied defiantly: "An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth."
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Trayvon Martin cases myths, half truths
There is a great deal of misinformation surrounding the Trayvon Martin shooting. Here are some of the most prominent misunderstandings:

More... Video included...

Man arrested after written death threats made on Chief Lee
A Melbourne Beach man was arrested on Friday and charged with making written death threats to Sanford police Chief Bill Lee, who announced a day earlier that he would step down temporarily after public outcry in the Trayvon Martin case.
More...Video included...

Zimmerman's attorney comments on Martin shooting
The attorney representing George Zimmerman, the admitted gunman who shot 17-year-old Trayvon Martin, speaks publicly about the deadly incident.
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03/25/2012
Opinion: Welcome to Florida. Beware of gunmen standing their ground
Almost a quarter-century ago — in the halcyon days when human life was seen as more precious than property and people were regarded as something more than impoverished and non-influential corporations — I happened to be present at the tragic and needless shooting death of a black teenager.
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Attorneys in Trayvon Martin case makes arguments
Attorneys for the family of Trayvon Martin and the Florida neighborhood watch captain who fatally shot the unarmed teen joined the national chorus of voices calling Saturday for justice in the case.

As demonstrators took to the streets in major cities such as Washington and Chicago to voice outrage over Martin's death, an attorney for the Martin family told board members of the National Association of Black Journalists that federal and local officials have assured the family that the case is a priority.
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03/25/2012
Trayvon Martin: Family lawyer says no HOA lawsuit 'at this point'
Despite reports suggesting an imminent lawsuit, an attorney for Trayvon Martin's parents said Saturday night that the family won't be suing the Retreat at Twin Lakes homeowners association anytime soon.
"At this point, we haven't looked at that at all," said attorney Ben Crump late Saturday.
Martin, 17, was fatally shot during a confrontation with neighborhood watchman and Retreat at Twin Lakes resident George Zimmerman on Feb. 26 inside the gated townhouse community.
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New photo, details of George Zimmerman's employment
George Zimmerman, the neighborhood watchman who fatally shot 17-year-old Trayvon Martin last month, remains a mysterious figure as the controversy surrounding him continues to grow.
In hiding since the shooting, little is publicly known about him. However, new details have emerged, shedding light on Zimmerman's religious upbringing and his employment before the shooting.
Two sources have confirmed to the Orlando Sentinel that Zimmerman is, or until recently was, an employee at the Maitland office of Digital Risk, LLC, a mortgage risk-management firm.
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Trayvon Martin: a typical teen who loved video games, looked forward to prom
Trayvon Martin spent his 17th birthday, which would be his last, with his family. He ate a home-cooked meal followed by cake, opened presents that included Levis jeans, Adidas sneakers and a bottle of Issey Miyake cologne.
He would be 17 for 21 days. He died Feb. 26, a bullet in his chest, shot by a neighborhood crime watch captain patrolling a suburban gated townhouse community in Sanford, 250 miles from his home, where he had gone with his father after a school suspension. George Zimmerman, the shooter, has not been arrested, sparking a growing wave of outrage manifested in daily rallies, petitions, speeches and media scrutiny.
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Jesse Jackson discusses Martin case
Nearly one month after Trayvon Martin was shot and killed by George Zimmerman, renowned Civil Rights activist Jesse Jackson talked about the controversial case Saturday.
Trayvon Martin is the 17-year-old who has become a household name across the nation in the wake of his death.
"A kid was shot down in cold blood by a vigilante who is not even a guard," Jackson said. "We know right now that the child who was killed was drug tested and the killer was not, so we are humiliated by that."
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Gun that killed Florida teen was fired once not twice by crime watch volunteer
The handgun that killed Trayvon Martin, an unarmed black 17-year-old, was fired once — not twice — by a neighborhood crime watch volunteer, according to new information obtained by the Orlando Sentinel.

Police found a single shell casing at the scene, and when they seized George Zimmerman’s handgun, a Kel Tel 9 mm, its magazine was full, according to a source close to the investigation. The only bullet missing was the one in the chamber, the source said.
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Friend says Zimmerman cried for days after shooting Trayvon Martin
One of George Zimmerman's closest friends is now speaking out and defending one of the most controversial people today.

"He's a good man, who was trying to do the right thing and it turned out horribly wrong."

Joe Oliver gets emotional when talking about his friend of 10 years, Zimmerman. He's speaking about the man now widely hated for saying he shot and killed 17-year-old Trayvon Martin in an act of self-defense.

Oliver said Zimmerman is being portrayed as someone he's not.

"He's extremely remorseful, he cried for days after it happened, okay. He's just now realizing how big this is," Oliver said.
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03/26/2012
Trayvon Martin leaks claim teen attacked first was suspended for pot
Pressure continues to mount for police in Sanford, questions continue to go unanswered, and there looks to be some dissension amongst the ranks.

An internal investigation has been launched after someone inside the Sanford Police Department leaked information about the Trayvon Martin case to the media.

The information revolves around the statements made by George Zimmerman, 28, in the moments before the shooting.

According to the report, Zimmerman said he was on his way to the grocery store, when he spotted Trayvon Martin. He said he stopped to talk to the teen, but then lost track of him.

Zimmerman then told police Martin came up from behind and attacked him, punching him in the nose.
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Trayvon Martin shooter couldn't stop crying after shooting
After fatally shooting Trayvon Martin, Florida community watch captain George Zimmerman "couldn't stop crying,'' according to a family friend who spoke with him Saturday.

"After this started -- the reports I got -- [Zimmerman] couldn't stop crying,'' Joe Oliver told "Good Morning America" today.

Oliver, who described himself as a close friend of the family, said Zimmerman has gone into hiding, fears for his life, and is "just now becoming aware of how big this has gotten."

More... Video included...

Witness: Zimmerman never... tried to help Trayvon Martin
A woman who says she and her roommate witnessed the final moments of Trayvon Martin's life told Dateline NBC that George Zimmerman had "his hands pressed on his back" and "never turned him over or tried to help him."
More... Video included...
 
03/26/2012

Report: Zimmerman told police teen punched him before fatal shooting
The core of Trayvon Martin's story has been told again and again in recent days -- about how the 17-year-old went out to a Sanford, Florida, convenience store, only to be killed on his way back to his father's fiance's home.

Yet one month later, questions persist as to exactly how and why that happened. The man who admitted shooting the teen has not been charged in connection to the case, much to the dismay of Martin's parents and thousands of strangers nationwide who've rallied behind them.

On Monday, the story continued to gain both complexity, and clarity, thanks to details of the account that Martin's shooter gave to police after the shooting.
More...

Trayvon Martins parents to turn to petition for George Zimmermans arrest

The parents of slain teen Trayvon Martin spoke at a news conference on Monday afternoon at the Macedonia Baptist Church in Eatonville.
It's been one month since the shooting death of Martin, and the lack of arrest in the case has sparked national outrage.
Trayvon's family is expected to deliver a petition with 1,000,000 signatures, during a rally, demanding the arrest of gunman George Zimmerman, who shot and killed Martin as he was returning from a 7-Eleven.
More...

Friend: Watch captain would say he's sorry
A man identified as a friend of the Florida neighborhood watch captain who fatally shot an unarmed black teenager said Monday the man would tell the teen's parents he's "very, very sorry" if he could.

Speaking on ABC's "Good Morning America," Joe Oliver said George Zimmerman is not a racist and has virtually lost his own life since the shooting.

"This is a guy who thought he was doing the right thing at the time and it's turned out horribly wrong," Oliver said.
More...

Police: Zimmerman says Trayvon decked him with one blow then began hammering his head
With a single punch, Trayvon Martin decked the Neighborhood Watch volunteer who eventually shot and killed the unarmed 17-year-old, then Trayvon climbed on top of George Zimmerman and slammed his head into the sidewalk, leaving him bloody and battered, law-enforcement authorities told the Orlando Sentinel.
That is the account Zimmerman gave police, and much of it has been corroborated by witnesses, authorities say. There have been no reports that a witness saw the initial punch Zimmerman told police about.
More...

Witness: Martin attacked Zimmerman
A witness we haven't heard from before paints a much different picture than we've seen so far of what happened the night 17-year-old Trayvon Martin was shot and killed.

The night of that shooting, police say there was a witness who saw it all.

Our sister station, FOX 35 in Orlando, has spoken to that witness.

What Sanford Police investigators have in the folder, they put together on the killing of Trayvon Martin few know about.
More...

Trayvon Martin shooter told cops teenager went for his gun
George Zimmerman, the neighborhood watch crime captain who shot dead 17-year-old Trayvon Martin, originally told police in a written statement that Martin knocked him down with a punch to the nose, repeatedly slammed his head on the ground and tried to take his gun, a police source told ABC News.

Zimmerman had claimed he had called police about Martin, whom he found suspicious, then went back to his car when Martin attacked him, punching him.

More... Video included...

Multiple suspensions paint complicated portrait of Trayvon Martin
As thousands of people gathered here to demand an arrest in the Trayvon Martin case, a more complicated portrait began to emerge of a teenager whose problems at school ranged from getting spotted defacing lockers to getting caught with a marijuana baggie and women’s jewelry.
The Miami Gardens teen who has become a national symbol of racial injustice was suspended three times, and had a spotty school record that his family’s attorneys say is irrelevant to the facts that led up to his being gunned down on Feb. 26.
More...

Convicting George Zimmerman may not be easy
The Florida prosecutor chosen to investigate the Trayvon Martin case told ABC News that convicting his killer, George Zimmerman, may not be easy.
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Marijuana beating claims put slain Florida teen's supporters on the defensive
The family and supporters of slain Florida teenager Trayvon Martin found themselves on the defensive Monday following revelations he had been suspended for marijuana before he was shot to death by a neighborhood watch volunteer. Police also confirmed a report that the watchman claimed Martin was the aggressor, punching him in the nose and smacking his head on a sidewalk.
Martin, 17, was suspended by Miami-Dade County schools because traces of marijuana were found in a plastic baggie in his book bag, family spokesman Ryan Julison said. Martin was serving the suspension when he was shot Feb. 26 by George Zimmerman, who was patrolling the neighborhood that Martin was visiting with his father.
More...

New Orleans Police Officer Suspended For Saying Trayvon Martin Was A '' And Deserved To 'Die Like One'
The New Orleans police department has suspended an officer under who is currently under investigation for a fatal police-involved shooting for posting that Trayvon Martin "acted like a " and deserved to "die like one" in a comment on a news website.
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Trayvon Martin attacked George Zimmerman report says
Trayvon Martin, the boy whose death has sparked a national outcry, hit his shooter in the face and left him bloodied and battered on the sidewalk, according to a new report from the Orlando Sentinel.

That is the account the shooter, George Zimmerman, 28, gave police, and, according to the Sentinel, authorities say much of it has been corroborated by witnesses.
More...
 
New Trayvon Martin dispatch recordings raise questions

April 1, 2012: "SANFORD, Fla. -

A Trayvon Martin family spokesperson says information within the newly released fire rescue dispatch recordings from the night George Zimmerman shot and killed Martin is just another reason why Zimmerman should be arrested.

The recordings, which were first obtained by the New York Daily News and then shared by the newspaper with Local 6, detail communication from emergency medical responders on the night of Martin's death."
 
What is known, what isn’t about Trayvon Martin’s death
dated 3/31/12

Good 4 page article covering from the beginning.

Below quote was new info, at least for me.

Police stressed that Zimmerman was interviewed at least three times and gave a videotaped statement and a walk-through of what happened. Zimmerman, whose father is a retired Virginia magistrate, never asked for an attorney or changed his story, former Sanford Police Chief Bill Lee said
Click to expand...

Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/03/31/2725442_p4/what-is-known-what-isnt-about.html#storylink=cpy
 
Past Zimmerman 911 recording in which he reports that there was a burglary in his neighborhood and his "wife saw one of the kids who did it." The description is of a black teenager walking down the street. He also refuses once again to give his own address and directs the dispatcher to the clubhouse.

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/vide...male-that-matches-robbery-suspect#pl-62773735

Transcript by me...

Zimmerman: Hey, our neighborhood got burglarized, er, robbed today, and my wife saw one of the kids who did it. And we see someone who matches his description in the neighborhood right now again.

Dispatcher: Okay, and what's your address again out there?

Zimmerman: Uh, I'd rather not give out my address because he's obviously in the neighborhood which is the clubhouse.

Dispatch: Okay, so does he live in the neighborhood or is he just out walking?

Zimmerman: I don't know. It's the first time I've ever seen him.

Dispatch: (pause) Okay. And what is your name?

Zimmerman: My name is George.

Dispatch: Your last name, George?

Zimmerman: (gives name)

Dispatch: Okay, and is he white, black or hispanic?

Zimmerman: Black. (crosstalk) Uh, my wife talked to Detective Walker and gave her...him... a description of the guy we see now.

Dispatch: Okay, and what's he wearing right now?

Zimmerman: A white tank top and black shorts, brown sandals and black socks.

Dispatch: Okay, and is he walking?

Zimmerman: Yes.

Dispatch: Okay, and so is he near the...

Zimmerman: Near the back entrance to the neighborhood.

Mrs. Zimmerman's voice in background: He just went between the houses now

Zimmerman to wife: Between the houses to the back?

Wife: Yeah.

Zimmerman: Shoot.

Wife: He's looking at cars.

(garbled)

Dispatch: Okay, we'll get an officer out there to check the area.
 
March 22nd, 2012
12:03 AM ET
Did Trayvon Martin's shooter use slur in 911 tapes?

CNN's Gary Tuchman explores a crucial part of the 911 call George Zimmerman made to police before Trayvon Martin died. Jeffrey Toobin explains why it's significant to the case. A warning, some of the language you'll hear is offensive. It's uncensored because it is evidence, and bleeping it could make it even harder to hear anything.

http://ac360.blogs.cnn.com/2012/03/22/did-trayvon-martins-shooter-use-slur-in-911-tapes/
 
Trayvon Martin's parents seek federal review of prosecutor

<(CNN) -- Trayvon Martin's parents will ask the U.S. Justice Department to review a local Florida prosecutor's interactions with police investigating the teen's shooting death, the family's lawyer said.
The Justice Department launched an investigation into Martin's death on March 19, but the family is now asking it to look for possible interference by State's Attorney Norm Wolfinger's office with Sanford, Florida, Police Detective Chris Serino, attorney Ben Crump said.>
http://www.cnn.com/2012/04/01/justice/florida-teen-shooting-review/index.html
 
http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/entertainment_tv_tvblog/2012/04/trayvon-martin-should-al-sharpton-recuse-himself-from-msnbc-show.html
posted by halboedeker on April, 1 2012 4:22 PM
Callie Crossley, the African-American host of “The Callie Crossley Show” on WGBH Radio, agreed. Crossley told Kurtz: “This is so highly charged I really think that he should do the work that he does with the National Action Network and step aside during this — during this time because it can’t be anything but polarizing with his role on the television show as well. It just can’t be anything else.”
Click to expand...
 
Daily Beast - All of George Zimmerman's 911 Calls
Example:
43. Jan. 29, 2012 &#8211; 5:38 p.m.
Type: TEL
Subject: Disturbance
Report: Children &#8220;running and playing in the street&#8221;


Florida Division of Licensing Question and Answer about Concealed Weapons

Q. When can I use my handgun to protect myself?

A. Florida law justifies use of deadly force when you are:

* Trying to protect yourself or another person from death or serious bodily harm;
* Trying to prevent a forcible felony, such as rape, robbery, burglary or kidnapping.

*snip*

Q. What if I see a crime being committed?

A. A license to carry a concealed weapon does not make you a free-lance policeman. But, as stated earlier, deadly force is justified if you are trying to prevent the imminent commission of a forcible felony. The use of deadly force must be absolutely necessary to prevent the crime. Also, if the criminal runs away, you cannot use deadly force to stop him, because you would no longer be "preventing" a crime. If use of deadly force is not necessary, or you use deadly force after the crime has stopped, you could be convicted of manslaughter.

Much More at Link: http://licgweb.doacs.state.fl.us/weapons/self_defense.html
 
Source: Sanford police chief, state attorney made Zimmerman 'no charge' call in person

http://www.thegrio.com/specials/tra...mmerman-no-charge-call-in-person.php#46882946

A source with knowledge of the investigation into the shooting of Trayvon Martin tells theGrio that it was then Sanford police chief Bill Lee, along with Capt. Robert O'Connor, the investigations supervisor, who made the decision to release George Zimmerman on the night of February 26th, after consulting with State Attorney Norman Wolfinger -- in person.

******

Trayvon Martin case: Grieving a tragic death in the spotlight

http://www.thegrio.com/specials/tra...-grieving-a-tragic-death-in-the-spotlight.php

.........Dr. Alfiee Breland-Noble, professor of psychiatry at Georgetown University Medical Center, says dealing with high-profile tragedy can sometimes delay the normal process of grief.

"When people are thrust into the spotlight, it forces them to deal with the grief in a way that none of the rest of us have to deal with," says Breland-Noble. "People have to make a decision: how am I going to address this in the public eye, [in a way] that honors the person's past, and speaks to my outrage?"
 
03/26/2012
Trayvon Martin's parents coming to capitol hill
The parents of Trayvon Martin, the Florida teen shot and killed last month by a neighbor, plan to appear Tuesday afternoon at a Capitol Hill forum on racial profiling and hate crimes.
More...

Trayvon Martin shooting: New details emerge from twitter account
As George Zimmerman's supporters work to stem the rising tide of public outrage aimed at the neighborhood watchman who shot and killed Florida teenager Trayvon Martin last month, a new picture of the victim&#8212;culled from the 17-year-old's Twitter account and witness testimony leaked from local law enforcement&#8212;has emerged.
More...

03/27/2012
City manager says residents should have their concerns heard by outside agency
City Manager Nelson Bonaparte Jr. told reporters today the city is working to make changes designed to satisfy critics who accuse the police department of botching the Trayvon Martin investigation and for years, ignoring the concerns of blacks.
TheU.S. Department of Justicelast week launched a civil rights investigation into Trayvon's death. He was shot to death Feb. 26 by a Neighborhood Watch volunteer who had followed him after calling police and describing the unarmed, black 17-year-old as suspicious.
More...

Trayvon Martin protesters ransacked N. Miami Beach Walgreens
North Miami Beach Police are investigating after a group of high school students who walked out of school in protest of the Trayvon Martin shooting were caught on video ransacking a drug store last week.
The incident happened shortly before 11 a.m. Friday at the Walgreens at 1501 Northeast 163rd Street, minutes after between 400-500 North Miami Beach Senior High students walked out to protest the 17-year-old's shooting death in Sanford.
More...

NMB students turn Trayvon march into criminal mischief investigation
Thousands of students in South Florida have taken part in school walkouts as a way to protest the lack of an arrest in the Trayvon Martin killing at the hands of a volunteer neighborhood watch captain.

All of them remained peaceful except for one and North Miami Beach police released surveillance video Tuesday of that incident which took place at a Walgreens located at 1501 NE 163rd Street.
More...

Witness reportedly saw Trayvon Martin beating George Zimmerman before shooting
This is a rush transcript from "Hannity," March 26, 2012. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated.

SEAN HANNITY, HOST: New developments in the tragic case of Trayvon Martin, the teenager who was shot and killed in Florida by a neighborhood watch member by the name of George Zimmerman. Now, Zimmerman has not been charged by police and is now in hiding, fearing for his life.
More...

03/28/2012
What witnesses say in the Trayvon Martin case
On the night of February 26, Trayvon Martin was wearing a hoodie and had bought Skittles and an Arizona tea at a convenience store in Sanford, Florida. Some time after that, he was shot and killed by neighborhood watch member George Zimmerman.

But beyond those established facts about the shooting of the unarmed teenager in an Orlando suburb last month, much is in dispute about the case that has gripped the nation.

Of the two people directly involved, Martin will never be able to describe what happened, and Zimmerman has kept mum. His lawyer vows that, once all the facts surface, things will not appear as clear-cut as they are to many of Martin's supporters at the moment.
More... Video included...


Trayvon Martin investigator wanted manslaughter charge
The lead homicide investigator in the shooting of unarmed teenager Trayvon Martin recommended that neighborhood watch captain George Zimmerman be charged with manslaughter the night of the shooting, multiple sources told ABC News.

But Sanford, Fla., Investigator Chris Serino was instructed to not press charges against Zimmerman because the state attorney's office headed by Norman Wolfinger determined there wasn't enough evidence to lead to a conviction, the sources told ABC News.

More... Video included...

New Black Panther leader jailed in Dekalb County
A leading member of the controversial New Black Panther Party remains in the DeKalb County Jail Tuesday after deputies arrested him on weapons charges.
The DeKalb County Sheriff's Office Fugitive Squad arrested Hashim Nzinga, 49, Monday night on charges he possessed a handgun even though he was a convicted felon.
More...

Trayvon Martin started confrontation Zimmerman lawyer says
The attorney for George Zimmerman, the man who shot and killed 17-year-old Trayvon Martin last month, said Monday that Martin initiated the confrontation, beating his client so badly he suffered a broken nose and injuries to the back of his head.
Physical evidence, including a grass stain on the back of his shirt, showed there was a scuffle, lawyer Craig Sonner told ABC News. &#8220;When the evidence comes out, it will show that George Zimmerman was acting in self-defense in this case,&#8221; Sonner said. &#8220;It&#8217;s not a racial issue.&#8221;
More...

Elderly couple forced out of home after tweet claims killer of Trayvon Martin lives there
An elderly Florida couple have been forced to move into a hotel after their home address was wrongly tweeted as belonging to the man who shot teen Trayvon Martin.
The tweets were traced back to a man in California and the address was also reportedly retweeted by director Spike Lee to his almost 250,000 followers.
The couple, aged 70 and 72, have been harassed with hate mail, been hassled by media and had scared neighbors questioning them since the tweet, their son Chip Humble told the Orlando Sentinel.
More...

Zimmerman's father says Trayvon Martin threatened to kill his son
The father of George Zimmerman, the man accused of shooting and killing and unarmed black teen, says the teen threatened to kill Zimmerman and beat him so badly that it forced Zimmerman to shoot Trayvon Martin.

"Trayvon Martin said something to the effect of you're going to die now or you're going to die tonight, something to that effect," Robert Zimmerman told Orlando news station WOFL. "He continued to beat George. At some point, George pulled his pistol. Did what he did."
More... Video included...

Trayvon Martin case: Police wanted warrant to arrest George Zimmerman, prosecutor says
The special prosecutor in the Trayvon Martin case said that the Sanford Police Department asked the state attorney's office for an arrest warrant to charge George Zimmerman early in the investigation, but the state's attorney's office decided to wait.
More...

Tough minded prosecutor in spotlight on Trayvon Martin case
The prosecutor at the center of the national firestorm over whether the man who killed Trayvon Martin should be charged in his death says she&#8217;s not likely to need a grand jury to make the decision for her.
More probable, she said, is that she&#8217;ll be the one to decide.
More...

Zimmerman accused of domestic violence, fighting with a police officer
Court documents obtained by msnbc.com on Tuesday evening show that George Zimmerman, who fatally shot 17-year-old Trayvon Martin, went to court in 2005 and 2006 for accusations of domestic violence, tussling with a police officer and speeding.
More...
 
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