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<p>I am not sure Frank isn’t just enjoying his 15+ mins of fame. He can’t really believe he is doing GZ any favors.</p>
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<p>That’s arguably wrong for even a police officer to do. “Someone suspicious” is a highly subjective notion. Stop and frisk is a major issue in New York, and this year’s mayor election.</p>
<p>George Zimmerman found everyone suspicious, making hundreds of calls from his neighborhood patrols–the boy who cried wolf. Reminds me of my pooch who finds every squirrel guilty as charged, and stalks everyone last one of them. </p>
<p>I’m wondering if the prosecution is trying to figure out–they’re surely hoping someone will open the door–a way to get in GZ’s violent history. I’ll admit it could be a tad prejudicial, but he was arrested for assaulting a police officer, had a domestic violence order re a past fianc</p>
<p>Thanks, bookworm. My family lives in Florida and this has really affected them too.</p>
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<p>geeps, with all due respect–I don’t think anyone would describe GZ as “brave” (even his martial-arts trainer said as much), nor would most sane people want him anywhere near a gun as he wandered around their neighborhood.</p>
<p>One thing’s for sure, GZ has made a difference by putting a lot more people on edge than before he went all Mall Cop.</p>
<p>^I agree Jamcafe…just wish his 15+ minutes were over, he’s so overbearing…</p>
<p>I for one find our Florida laws frightening and will be even more concerned should GZ go free, even more emboldened…</p>
<p>“Interesting to think how this would play out in a a different state …”</p>
<p>Connecticut is a “have it, but don’t show it” kind of place … Land of Steady Habits. It’s expensive and time-consuming to obtain a pistol permit. Those who violate societal mores … like carrying a gun into McDonalds, legal but severely frowned upon … will get your gun immediately confiscated pending a Return Hearing.</p>
<p>What that means is that guns are not an “in your face” issue here. Lots of people have 'em, but they don’t advertise the fact. Our Neighborhood Watchers are armed with cameras and cell phones … which frankly are a bigger threat to burglars than firearms. YMMV.</p>
<p>I’m thinking it will be a civil suit that will bankrupt him.</p>
<p>^but he is “broke” already, his friends bought him suits and ties for the trial…</p>
<p>^That’s only because he frittered away his defense fund. He spent over $60K on housing expenses for eight months last year. And that does not count security, which was about the same amount.</p>
<p>On another note, where is his wife? Why didn’t anyone ask her about the screaming?</p>
<p>I think he also spent a lot on restaurants, just sayin…:)</p>
<p>Well, that’s just it…even if he is acquitted I don’t think he will be able to live a normal life. He will probably have to remain in seclusion, which of course might make his weight problem worse. It wouldn’t surprise me if he ends up going the way of Casey Anthony…just disappearing from public view.</p>
<p>Manslaughter, for a chain of bad decisions. Fits the crime and that it’ll push back at that vigilante menace on the horizon would be a nice touch, too.</p>
<p>Question for the lawyers: if he’s acquitted on the basis of self-defense, what does that do to the chances of winning a wrongful death civil suit?</p>
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Good question, and one that the jury may wonder about.</p>
<p>But here’s the answer: wife can’t testify, ever, because she lied about finances during the bail application hearing & was later charged with perjury. See: [Shellie</a> Zimmerman perjury: Shellie Zimmerman to appear in court to fight perjury count - Orlando Sentinel](<a href=“http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/2013-02-19/news/os-shellie-zimmerman-dismissal-hearing-20130219_1_shellie-zimmerman-george-zimmerman-special-prosecutor-angela-corey]Shellie”>http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/2013-02-19/news/os-shellie-zimmerman-dismissal-hearing-20130219_1_shellie-zimmerman-george-zimmerman-special-prosecutor-angela-corey) </p>
<p>(I don’t know what happened with the perjury charge, but because the lie was in the context of GZ’s bail hearing, I am about 99% sure that the prosecution would be able to ask her about the lying part on cross-examination. )</p>
<p>But I do think that the flip side of the coin is that the jury will notice that the wife isn’t testifying, and they may take that as being very significant. </p>
<p>I haven’t been watching but I think it’s overkill by the defense to bring so many witnesses – it falls under the “protesting too much” category – I think the jury will have the tapes available to them, and it is likely that they will replay the 911 recording with the scream and juxtapose that against the multiple interviews with GZ’s voice recording.</p>
<p>There are only 2 possible conclusions they could reach by their own listening & comparison:</p>
<p>1) That the screams on do not sound like GZ’s speaking voice, so therefore it must have been TM.</p>
<p>2) Or (more likely), that there is no way that anyone can tell for sure, because the screaming voice sounds nothing at all like that normal speaking voice. That will lead them to include that the parade of witnesses today were all lying to help out GZ – which can only backfire. I’m sure they would have forgiven the defense bringing in GZ’s mom & uncle to counter-act the prosecution bringing in TM’s mom and brother-- but they might be very ticked off if they feel that they were treated to a parade of liars today.</p>
<p>I so appreciate the way you cut through much of this calmom, thanks for your intelligent perspective.</p>
<p>yes, a parade of liars, they were each so sure and so knowing. but how could these “friends” be so certain? and I found it so disingenuous with the one friend calling him “Georgie” seemed so put on to create the halo effect.</p>
<p>Once again agreeing with calmom. Honestly, I think they have wasted the jury’s time with the “whose-voice?” interrogation. If I were one of them I would be annoyed. And I agree, lindz, that everyone was a little too eager and confident, except for Tracy Martin. He seemed honest and believable to me.</p>
<p>I disagree with calmom. My conclusion of the voice witnesses is that nobody xan really tell but all or at least most of the witnesses thought they could. It will be discounted but not used to label all the defense witnesses as liars.
And having heard many folks screaming and shouting in pain, fear or other distress it sounds very little like their speaking voices to me.</p>
<p>^ I don’t understand, you’re saying nobody can really tell whose voice the scream was, but you accept that all of these witnesses could?</p>
<p>They may believe it was George, what I found distasteful was their absolute certainty. not real.</p>
<p>Is whose scream it is an essential element of the case?</p>
<p>Not to me. I consider it supporting evidence.</p>
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This is what I think.
The thing about the scream testimony is that it muddies the waters. If reasonable doubt is going to pop up anywhere it will be caused by this type of confusion and messiness. I don’t think the prosecution should have even addressed this issue.</p>