I have tried to follow George Zimmerman`s lawyer as he has consistently tried to demonize Trayvon Martin by painting him as a hoodlum and drug fiend, school trouble maker and pot
smoker.
Today at last I see what I always suspected. The trial judge is not buying it.
Judge: Jurors can't see crime scene in Martin case, and more.
A Florida judge has placed limits on what George Zimmerman's lawyer can say about the 17-year-old he fatally shot during the neighborhood watch leader's murder trial next month.
Circuit Judge Debra Nelson ruled Tuesday that Zimmerman's attorney won't be able to mention Trayvon Martin's marijuana use, his suspension from school and his past fighting during opening statements.
The judge also ruled that some of the Martin's texts and other social media statements won't be allowed in opening statements, though some of his personal material could be allowed later depending on how the case progresses.
I personally think that this ruling by the trial court is pretty significant because remember that Zimmerman has waived his claim to the Stand your Ground defense. By not allowing the trial jury to go and visit and examine the crime scene, Zimmerman faces an uphill battle proving self-defense, which is now his defense argument.
Zimmerman's attorney, Mark O'Mara, told the judge that Martin's marijuana use and past fighting was central to the argument that Zimmerman used self-defense when he confronted Martin last year at a gated community in Sanford, Fla. Zimmerman is charged with second-degree murder. He has pleaded not guilty.
"We have a lot of evidence that marijuana use had something to do with the event," O'Mara said. "It could have affected his behavior."
Another negative I see today about George Zimmerman`s claim to self-defense is his new appearance, which a jury will notice. Zimmerman has added so much weigh to his original body form that today he looks like a three-hundred pound vigilante, and the jury will see this.
I am not a lawyer, nor a wanna be at that. But with what I have read so far, I predict a conviction for George Zimmerman as charged.