George Zimmerman/Trayvon Martin General Discussion Thread 9 (For Friday)

[AngelWings444]

In my opinion, an adult walking around aimlessly in several people's yards is suspicious and eye-catching.

Little kids do that - but usually adults don't. Maybe a condo complex is kind of different.

IMHO.

Trayvon was not an adult. Please use the facts in this case.

 

[Phoebeb]

I'm watching WESH and they're talking about "notegate". Wouldn't it have been funny if the notes were written in Chinese!

Written in Chinese... exactly what I was thinking (and I'll bet the ME wishes he had!)
I wonder if he wrote anything derogatory about the defense team in those notes... he sure didn't want those read for some reason!

 

[AngelWings444]

What was the "home invasion" Shellie witnessed? Did that actually happen?

I don't know if Shelly witnessed it, but I think it did happen and they caught the perp long before this happened. From my recollection...

 

[Isabelle]

I agree. Just another day at the office for him. Nothing memorable.

Mundane work, I am sure. Wonder how many autopsies a month he does?

 

[DIBSY]

What odds? The judge has bent into a pretzel to favor the prosecution. And if the prosecution is facing "all odds," it means they don't have a case IMO.

I see the total opposite, with the judge fawning over the defense and their two day hammering on one witness and then limiting the Prosecution to 10 or 15 minutes...nah can't buy it. Have never seen a defense insult the victim's family in such a manner either...with the Prosecution not objecting nor the judge intervening...stomach turning IMO.

What I meant by all odds was that the prosecution's case is handled with contempt by this judge who appears to be some where else or detached the majority of the time....and allows and disallows certain items that may be grounds for a mistrial....Florida's worst nightmare. This defense rambles on for hours in an attempt to wear witnesses down...not get at the truth...it's clear the truth is their enemy. IMO

 

[Karmady]

What was the "home invasion" Shellie witnessed? Did that actually happen?

I don't know if Shellie witnessed it. It actually happened.

~snipped from the link

For Olivia Bertalan, he was the face of compassion: a neighbor of consummate graciousness and low-key gallantry.

About six months before Zimmerman shot and killed an unarmed black teenager in his town house complex, he was standing in Bertalan's doorway, asking what he could do to help her.


A group of young men had just broken into Bertalan's town house as she and her infant cowered in a locked bedroom. The intruders took a $600 camera and a laptop. After police had come and gone, the doorbell rang, and there was Zimmerman: 5 feet 9, in a shirt and tie, his body a little doughy, his demeanor gentle.

He introduced himself and gave her phone numbers at which she could call him anytime. He gave her a heavy-duty lock to bolster the sliding-glass door that the men had forced open. He told her she could stay with his wife down the street if she ever felt scared again.

"That first impression was really sweet," Bertalan, 21, said this week. "It really does break my heart how they're portraying him as a coldblooded murderer."

http://articles.latimes.com/2012/mar/28/nation/la-na-zimmerman-profile-20120329

 

[JeannaT]

Trayvon was not an adult. Please use the facts in this case.

I was describing whether his behavior would be eye-catching to me.

When I look at him, he appears to be an adult. If I saw him wandering through other people's properties, approaching their buildings, he would look suspicious.

If I saw an 8 year old doing that, I wouldn't think he was suspicious.

And that's the "fact" I'm referring to - the fact that if I witnessed TM doing that, I would have been suspicious.

IMHO.

 

[Zoe Bogart]

How on Earth did he, as an expert witness, find this in any way appropriate? Preparing answers to potential questions in writing as some sort of script? It's mind boggling.

I have no idea! I was shocked. Then WFTV replayed the exchange and ME stated it was his anticipated answers to anticipated questions, and I do believe even the judge's heart paused a moment.

 

[Isabelle]

Written in Chinese... exactly what I was thinking (and I'll bet the ME wishes he had!)
I wonder if he wrote anything derogatory about the defense team in those notes... he sure didn't want those read for some reason!

That would have been a riot if he had written the notes in his native language!

 

[Love Never Fails]

The families on both sides are often so maligned and blamed in deaths like this (that go on trial).

Why oh why isn't his family taking that Taaffe off the front lines? His tweets are TERRIBLE! Flaming the fumes of racist claims. All I know is he has definitely altered my opinion of the Zimmerman's being out there speaking for them while tweeting as he does. It's really terrible.

I agree. I don't understand. O/T but it reminds me of CMJA's aunt, who is supposedly tweeting for her now. It only makes people hate CMJA more. Well okay, that isn't possible IMO, but it is still so offensive to the Alexander family!

But in defense only of the Zimmermans, I think though this was a tragedy and we will never know what really happened that fateful night, the media jumped all over this, edited tapes, claimed racism, etc. That is why, IMO, this case was charged for political reasons. If anything, again IMO, it was manslaughter and would require probation. Since any of us could be wrong, I am willing to give the benefit of the doubt totally to the jury and pray they won't vote out of fear but out of a true conviction.

 

[gracielee]

Written in Chinese... exactly what I was thinking (and I'll bet the ME wishes he had!)
I wonder if he wrote anything derogatory about the defense team in those notes... he sure didn't want those read for some reason!

And then he questioned 'are you laughing at something in my notes?' :floorlaugh:

 

[iluvmua]

So was the ME coached by Mr. Crump as well?

 

[bellaalex]

Trayvon is shown on the convenience store video footage pulling up his pants a few times as they seemed to be falling down. I believe this is what GZ saw when he said Trayvon was reaching into his waistband.

I wonder why it took TM so long to walk home from the store? It took 45min to walk 1 mile??? There is also footage outside of the store which is interesting.

MOO.

 

[mdana]

Media coverage tonight...

I have never witnessed an ME testify with such precision and accuracy...

He was in total control of the courtroom...

One word...authentic...

This post was so good I had to break out of lurking mode and give you a thanks. Not just in this case but in almost all media instances of selling us some questionable meme or character, "authenticity" is the absolution for any of our qualms.

 

[DIBSY]

I don't know if Shelly witnessed it, but I think it did happen and they caught the perp long before this happened. From my recollection...

Exactly, from all tv accounts, the perp-perps were apprehended long before this incident.IMO JMO MOO

 

[JeannaT]

Okay.

I have a question about "notes".

I see that all the time, witnesses say "may I refer to my notes"? Then they're allowed to, and they answer a question.

I've never seen a witness asked for their notes, and never seen them refuse (because I've never seen them asked).

But if I were a witness, even a nonexpert one, i think I'd write down timelines, dates, impressions, quotes from my memory, etc.

I believe I've seen witnesses doing that - is that not pretty typical witness behavior?

 

[Nezumi]

Did you catch the look on MOMs face when he went over to the Prosecution table just before the sidebar. Whatever is in those notes much be a doozy.

 

[Truthy]

I don't know if Shellie witnessed it. It actually happened.

~snipped from the link

For Olivia Bertalan, he was the face of compassion: a neighbor of consummate graciousness and low-key gallantry.

About six months before Zimmerman shot and killed an unarmed black teenager in his town house complex, he was standing in Bertalan's doorway, asking what he could do to help her.


A group of young men had just broken into Bertalan's town house as she and her infant cowered in a locked bedroom. The intruders took a $600 camera and a laptop. After police had come and gone, the doorbell rang, and there was Zimmerman: 5 feet 9, in a shirt and tie, his body a little doughy, his demeanor gentle.

He introduced himself and gave her phone numbers at which she could call him anytime. He gave her a heavy-duty lock to bolster the sliding-glass door that the men had forced open. He told her she could stay with his wife down the street if she ever felt scared again.

"That first impression was really sweet," Bertalan, 21, said this week. "It really does break my heart how they're portraying him as a coldblooded murderer."

http://articles.latimes.com/2012/mar/28/nation/la-na-zimmerman-profile-20120329

No mention of Shellie witnessing the break in- I guess he thought the police wouldn;t catch that lie, IMHO.

 

[Love Never Fails]

I see the total opposite, with the judge fawning over the defense and their two day hammering on one witness and then limiting the Prosecution to 10 or 15 minutes...nah can't buy it. Have never seen a defense insult the victim's family in such a manner either...with the Prosecution not objecting nor the judge intervening...stomach turning IMO.

What I meant by all odds was that the prosecution's case is handled with contempt by this judge who appears to be some where else or detached the majority of the time....and allows and disallows certain items that may be grounds for a mistrial....Florida's worst nightmare. This defense rambles on for hours in an attempt to wear witnesses down...not get at the truth...it's clear the truth is their enemy. IMO

Amazing how we see things differently. If this judge is fawning over the defense then the Jodi Arias judge must have been having a full blown affair with the defense. I think not!

 

[MeeBee]

I agree. I don't understand. O/T but it reminds me of CMJA's aunt, who is supposedly tweeting for her now. It only makes people hate CMJA more. Well okay, that isn't possible IMO, but it is still so offensive to the Alexander family!

But in defense only of the Zimmermans, I think though this was a tragedy and we will never know what really happened that fateful night, the media jumped all over this, edited tapes, claimed racism, etc. That is why, IMO, this case was charged for political reasons. If anything, again IMO, it was manslaughter and would require probation. Since any of us could be wrong, I am willing to give the benefit of the doubt totally to the jury and pray they won't vote out of fear but out of a true conviction.

OT: Gah, I knew it was either the Aunt or the sister...