IIRC, I've read conflicting accounts of how often and how long Martin was in his father's girlfriend's neighborhood. I suppose that Martin would steal as the opportunity presented itself, and that he would be more likely to steal "away from home," just because distance has a way of reducing the odds of being caught.
The question of why the little angel would throw the first blow will come up in trial
An answer to that question is right there. If he was casing the joint, and had a burglary in mind, but was spotted by Zimmerman and had his plan disrupted, then he might have been angry at that person and wanted to take him down.
I wonder if they ever asked DeeDee in deposition if the little jewel thief ever gave her jewelry.
The police apparently put the jewelry on a shelf and forgot about it. Nice. I’m betting the folks the jewelry belongs to really appreciated such “topnotch police work” there.