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George Zimmerman Prosecutor 'Prayed' for Him to Testify
ABC News ^ | Monday, July 15, 2013 | Matt Gutman and Seni Tienabaso

Posted on 07/15/2013 8:42:23 AM PDT by kristinn

Florida prosecutor Bernie de la Rionda had "prayed that [George Zimmerman] would have the courage to take the stand," he told ABC News in an exclusive interview Sunday, adding that Zimmerman's "inconsistent statements" would have made him the prosecution's star witness.

In the interview with the four Florida prosecutors who fought to convict Zimmerman, lead prosecutor de la Rionda said, "I prayed that he would have the courage to take the stand but, as we all well know, he's got the right not to."

"Anytime you put in a defendant's statements and a lot of those are self-serving, then usually a defendant will make the decision not to testify because you've got his story out. We felt it was important to get his story out because there were so many lies."

De la Rionda, who would have cross-examined Zimmerman had he taken the stand, said he would have been interested to see how the former neighborhood watch captain answered several of his questions:

"Why did you assume because [Trayvon] Martin was wearing a hoodie, he was committing a crime? Why did you assume that because he was walking he was doing something improper? Why didn't you identify yourself? Why did you assume he didn't belong in the neighborhood?"

Zimmerman, 29, was found not guilty in the death of Trayvon Martin late Saturday night. Zimmerman was accused of second-degree murder for shooting Martin, 17, Feb. 26, 2012, in Sanford, Fla. He said from the beginning that he had shot Martin in self-defense.

(Excerpt) Read more at abcnews.go.com ...


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; News/Current Events; US: Florida
KEYWORDS: angelacorey; berniedelarionda; georgezimmerman; trayvonmartin; zimmerman
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More quotes and video of the interview at the source link.
1 posted on 07/15/2013 8:42:23 AM PDT by kristinn
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To: maggief; Uncle Chip
ABC article on interview maggief posted about earlier.
2 posted on 07/15/2013 8:43:49 AM PDT by kristinn (Welcome to the Soviet States of Obama)
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To: kristinn

Yo, Bernie, God was on the side of right.


3 posted on 07/15/2013 8:44:05 AM PDT by bgill (This reply was mined before it was posted.)
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To: kristinn
Hey,Baldy...he testified.Or were you snoozing as he was telling various people what *really* happened.Even the chief police investigator believed him...or did you miss that.
4 posted on 07/15/2013 8:44:08 AM PDT by Gay State Conservative (The Civil Servants Are No Longer Servants...Or Civil.)
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To: kristinn

Is this a ‘sore loser’ comment or what?


5 posted on 07/15/2013 8:44:30 AM PDT by GOPJ (Department of Justice organized rallies against George Zimmerman.)
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To: kristinn

To whom did the persecutor pray, I wonder...


6 posted on 07/15/2013 8:44:40 AM PDT by chris37 (Heartless.)
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To: kristinn
Wishful thinking in the aftermath of a totally incompetent, disastrous performance for which you've had millions of dollars and over a year to concoct will not rescue your pathetic reputation Mr. Prosecutor. Live with it, asshole.
7 posted on 07/15/2013 8:45:55 AM PDT by Gaffer
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To: kristinn; Ezekiel

I’ll bet he did.

I thank God for Zimmerman’s NOT GUILTY!!!!!! verdict, given all the forces that were working against it.

It was akin to water being poured to overflowing on an altar, but the sacrifice still catching fire.


8 posted on 07/15/2013 8:46:33 AM PDT by cyn (Benghazi.)
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To: Gay State Conservative

Not only did Zimmerman effectively Testify, he did it without letting you get his hands on him for cross examination. Who’s the incompetent dweeb now Mr. Prosecutor?


9 posted on 07/15/2013 8:47:07 AM PDT by Gaffer
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To: kristinn

Well, I preyed that Florida prosecutor Bernie de la Rionda would have the courage to take a nap with a giant python. But it didn’t happen.


10 posted on 07/15/2013 8:47:29 AM PDT by Vigilanteman (Obama: Fake black man. Fake Messiah. Fake American. How many fakes can you fit in one Zer0?)
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To: kristinn

translation: Unless he and his attorneys were stupid enough to shoot themselves in both feet and in the arse, no way we were gonna win this case.


11 posted on 07/15/2013 8:48:16 AM PDT by Buckeye McFrog
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To: kristinn
Bernie could have forgone his "praying":

"If I regard iniquity in my heart, God will not hear me" (Ps 66:18).

Unless, that is, he was praying to the god of this world.

Since he's trying to strum a religious banjo, grasping at more straws.

12 posted on 07/15/2013 8:48:18 AM PDT by imardmd1 (An armed society is a polite society -- but dangerous for the fool --)
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To: kristinn

Isn’t a prosecutor supposed to accept the jury’s verdict that the defendant is innocent? Or is it normal for them to carry on as if the trial meant nothing?


13 posted on 07/15/2013 8:48:32 AM PDT by skeeter
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To: kristinn
For Zimmerman, testifying had as much upside as taking a lie detector test.

Like a lie detector test, if he passed the prosecution would have said that lie detector tests don't mean anything.

Had he messed up, however...

14 posted on 07/15/2013 8:48:43 AM PDT by E. Pluribus Unum (Who knew that one day professional wrestling would be less fake than professional journalism?)
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To: kristinn

Florida prosecutor Bernie de la Rionda had “prayed that [George Zimmerman] would have the courage to take the stand,”

While the rest of country prayed that “the truth would previal.”

Truth 1, desperate lying a$$hole florida prosecutor Bernie de la Rionda 0.


15 posted on 07/15/2013 8:48:49 AM PDT by areukiddingme1 (areukiddingme1 is a synonym for a Retired U.S. Navy Chief Petty Officer and tired of liberal BS.))
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To: Gay State Conservative

The video established the sequence of events that were corroborated by every other witness. This “inconsistent statements” nonsense is just another example of the prosecutors imcompetence.

“Hey Baldy, YOU LOST!”


16 posted on 07/15/2013 8:49:20 AM PDT by bigbob
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To: kristinn

That list of questions would not have helped one bit, every one of them was answered at trial.

This whole thing has been conducted for a racial community, not to win a trial.


17 posted on 07/15/2013 8:49:35 AM PDT by Williams (No Obama)
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To: kristinn

not a very good prayer now is he?


18 posted on 07/15/2013 8:50:42 AM PDT by ßuddaßudd (>> F U B O << "What the hell kind of country is this if I can only hate a man if he's white?")
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To: kristinn; Cincinatus

Thanks, kristinn. This comment #11 needs to be brought over from that thread:

//“The law allows an awful lot of people to carry guns,” prosecutor Richard Mantei said. “That doesn’t mean they should.”

The law allows an awful lot of people to become lawyers — that doesn’t mean they should. //


19 posted on 07/15/2013 8:50:57 AM PDT by cyn (Benghazi.)
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To: kristinn

Now we’re praying for BDLR’s disbarring. Our turn.


20 posted on 07/15/2013 8:51:27 AM PDT by Colonel_Flagg (Army dad. And damned proud.)
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