State pushes to keep Trayvon Martin's past out of George Zimmerman trial

WKMG-TV ^ | May 13, 2013

[2ndDivisionVet]

State prosecutors in the case against George Zimmerman are pushing to keep Zimmerman's attorneys from bringing testimony about Trayvon Martin's past during the trial.

The state said in motions filed on Friday they want to prevent Zimmerman's attorneys from bringing up Martin's personal life, including his school records, previous suspension from school, fights, text messages sent prior to his death unless related to case and his social media use.

The motion also says the state wants to prevent the defense from using Martin's toxicology report, which showed the level of marijuana in Martin's blood the night he was shot and killed.

The state's filings suggest they fear the defense may try to attack Martin's character, instead of focusing on whether Zimmerman murdered Martin. Assistant prosecutor Bernie de la Rionda argued that Martin's past is irrelevant and would clearly be designed only to prejudice the jury.....

[2ndDivisionVet]

Yeah, because that would sort of ruin the "unarmed little boy with Skittles and iced tea" picture they've been trying to paint since the ambulance go there.

[E. Pluribus Unum]

Everybody already knows that Saint Trayvon had a history of violence.

[GOPJ]

Trayvon’s past is part of the mess... the jury needs to hear it - and the press needs to tell the rest of us.

It’s time for the law to leave la la land, unicorns and other delusions. Some things matter - that Trayvon’s an established liar and violent thief matters... ask his bus driver...

[Will88]

A history of fights and not taking no ‘disses’ would be some of the most relevant evidence of all in this case.

[Verginius Rufus]

The state of Florida can't allow Zimmerman to get a fair trial...that might lead to rioting.

The case for bringing charges against Zimmerman was that he was "profiling" Martin. I don't think there has ever been a law that made profiling a crime, but racial grievance activists have made it one. Zimmerman was observing Martin acting like a burglar casing an apartment to rob...so they have to keep out any evidence that might suggest that Zimmerman was behaving responsibly, and substitute the idea that he was acting as a racist white man. That he is part-black himself has to be kept out of public awareness...otherwise they might not be able to pick a jury of people convinced that he is guilty before they even hear the evidence.

[kcvl]

The state’s filings suggest they fear the defense may try to attack Martin’s character

Maybe becauase his character was a dope smoking, school skipping THUG...can’t have that presented in court, now can we?!

[Theodore R.]

People in FL are so mixed up; must be from the lack of coastal oil drilling. Or is it just disregard for justice?

[Venturer]

If they heard of Trayvon’s past it would spoil the frame up that the state has for Zimmerman.

This is one of the most atrocious frames I have seen in my lifetime.

Only the frame up of the Kent College Field Hockey team and the Pubic hair on Justice Thomas’s coke was as bad.

In a sane world this case should never have seen court. The Attorney General office of the State of Florida should be ashamed.

[stephenjohnbanker]

” the Pubic hair on Justice Thomas’s coke was as bad.”

That and Anita Hill was so heavily sedated, she could barely respond to questions.

[Will88]

Yes, and I think what happened is very simple: Zimmerman saw someone acting suspiciously and started to follow and observe. Trayvon noticed and felt he was being disssed, then he eventually doubled back and confronted Zimmerman and initiated a fight. Trayvon was bigger and stronger and got Zimmerman and the ground and began to beat him severely. Zimmerman had a gun and pulled it out and shot Trayvon in self-defense.

Pretty simple, or something pretty close to that.

[pepsionice]

Here’s the thing...once the toxicology report is laid out...and if there is both weed, and some other upper mixed with it...then this case if finished for the prosecutor.

[heshtesh]

By the time the prosecutors get done “whitewashing” Trayvon you’l think he was an innocent white boy victimized by the evil Latino aggressor.

[A Navy Vet]

If Zimmerman's account is true, I'm glad the wannabe gansta is dead. Yes, I said that Dummy Underground. Read again, I said if...

Here's a reality for you punks who case neighborhoods in your so cool "hoodies", screw you. Don't ever come around South Orange County in your "hoodies". More than just Zimmerman are locked and loaded. Try us. We are mostly Veterans and really don't give a crap about criminal or civil proceedings. We defend ourselves, family, and property. Go screw with your own, as you usually do.

[A Navy Vet]

"The Attorney General office of the State of Florida should be ashamed."

Unfortunately, politicians no longer have any shame. They simply don't understand the word "integrity (self-honesty) anymore. They are all about their careers and making some point in history. They no longer serve the people. I despise them all, except for a few I could name on one hand.

[AndyTheBear]

The question is whether Martin was the aggressor or the victim. If Martin jumped Zimmerman and pounded his head into the concrete before Zimmerman shot, then it wasn’t murder. If Zimmerman jumped Martin, then Martin started winning and then Zimmerman shot, then it would be some kind of murder man slaughter etc. Now IF Martin was known to be the kind of person who was respectful of others and peaceful by nature, then that would be relevant. But also it is just as relevant if Martin was known to be violent at times and hostile in nature.

[TexasCajun]

Little Travon was gunned down by a White Supremacist!

/s

[Red in Blue PA]

The state of Florida can't allow Zimmerman to get a fair trial...that might lead to rioting.

Then let's get it over with once and for all. I am sick and tired of this threat being a constant overhang necessitating that 87% of the population walk on egg shells because the other 13% might riot. Screw that. Let them riot, and shoot them when they do.

[Uncle Chip]

The Motion:

http://www.gzdocs.com/documents/0513/051013_limine_trayvon.pdf

[supercat]

Back in 1987, the week before the movie Superman IV was released, Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert were told that if they wanted to attend a preview showing, they would have to agree not to say anything about the film that wasn't approved by the producers. Rather than agree with such terms, Siskel and Ebert had to admit on their program they did had not seen the film; they did, however, say why they hadn't see it; IMHO, the producer's demands were more damning of the film than anything the critics could have said about it.

While I understand that there are times when it may be proper to restrict the evidence juries receive, I think juries should be apprised of the general nature of what types of evidence are or would be excluded--if nothing else to make clear that jurors do not draw any inferences from the fact that certain evidence was not presented [e.g. jurors who don't know that information about a defendant's criminal record is inadmissible whether it's favorable or unfavorable might wrongly assume that the lack of any presented criminal record indicates the defendant had none, or that the defendant's failure to present evidence that the defendant's record was clean indicates that it wasn't.]

I think that a jury that was informed that neither the defendant nor the prosecution would be allowed to present evidence regarding the defendant's criminal record would be better able to make a fair decision than one that was not so informed. In this case, though, I think the prosecution would prefer that the lack of evidence regarding the decedent's character be taken to imply that there was no evidence that the actions GZ attributed to the decedent would not have been out of character for him.

Of course, the prosecutors aren't trying to exclude this evidence because they believe it isn't relevant, but rather because they know it is.

[supercat]

A history of fights and not taking no ‘disses’ would be some of the most relevant evidence of all in this case.

Exactly. A juror who assumed that TM was a reasonable person might be inclined to believe that GZ must have done something to provoke him. On the other hand, knowing that TM has a record of committing battery upon people without anything resembling reasonable provocation would make it much easier for the juror to believe that TM went off on GZ not because GZ acted unreasonably toward him, but rather because TM had such a short fuse.