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Open Thread: George Zimmerman Reportedly Made Self-Incriminating Statements to Police

Posted: May 24, 2012 | Author: | Filed under: Crime, open thread, racism, U.S. Politics | Tags: , , , , , |23 Comments

Prosecutor Bernie de la Rionda

Just short time ago, Reuters posted a story on the efforts of attorneys in the Trayvon Martin case to keep George Zimmerman’s statement to police under seal until the trial. The prosecution claims that Zimmerman made “self-incriminating statements to police” that could be used to demonstrate his guilt. According to the prosecution motion:

“Defendant (Zimmerman) has provided law enforcement with numerous statements, some of which are contradictory, and are inconsistent with the physical evidence and statements of witnesses,” the prosecutors said in their court filing.

They said the statements by Zimmerman were admissible in court and “in conjunction with other statements and evidence help to establish defendant’s guilt in this case.”

The court filing offered no details about the statements Zimmerman made to police or other law enforcement officials. It said Florida’s public records law had no provision requiring “the disclosure of a confession” of a defendant.

“The state asserts that this provision includes an admission of a defendant that could be used against him at trial,” the filing said.

Zimmerman’s attorney, Mark O’Mara, apparently agrees with the prosecution’s petition. Today he:

filed a seven-page document asking Judge Kenneth Lester for a 30-day period to review evidence in the case before it is made public.

O’Mara argued that some evidence the state has collected may be inadmissible and could inflame tensions in the racially charged controversy and jeopardize Zimmerman’s right to a fair trial.

Zimmerman gave at least five statements to police at different times. Prosecutor Bernie de la Rionda also requested that Zimmerman’s cell phone records remain sealed along with those of a friend of Trayvon Martin’s who was talking with him shortly before the shooting.

23 Comments on “Open Thread: George Zimmerman Reportedly Made Self-Incriminating Statements to Police”

  1. bostonboomer says:
    May 24, 2012 at 8:13 pm

    The evidence from Zimmerman’s cell phone includes text messages, e-mails, and journal entries.

    Zimmerman’s attorney Mark O’Mara also wants to keep private text messages, emails and journal entries the defendant made, at least until he can review them.

    O’Mara said releasing the information would “adversely affect the proper administration of justice in this case, and may make it impossible to find an appropriate jury unaffected by this information.”

  2. bostonboomer says:
    May 24, 2012 at 8:16 pm

    It sure is a slow news day, but Egypt is having an election and they’re counting the votes now. Supposedly the Muslim Brotherhood is ahead.

    It’s always quiet around her on Memorial Day weekend. It’s the first big weekend on the Cape and everyone leaves town for somewhere. Personally, I love the quiet.

  3. bostonboomer says:
    May 24, 2012 at 8:22 pm

    The only other big news I’ve seen today is that Obama named a women as the new director of the NRC:

    President Obama on Thursday nominated Allison M. Macfarlane, a professor of environmental science at George Mason University, to serve as chairwoman of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

    If confirmed, she would replace Gregory B. Jaczko, who announced his resignation from the politically divided commission this week after months of struggles with fellow commissioners and Congress over management and safety issues.

    Dr. Macfarlane, 48, a geologist and an expert on nuclear waste disposal, has the support of Harry Reid, the Senate majority leader, who called her “eminently qualified” to lead the commission. But she is likely to face sharp questions from Republican senators who have complained about what they consider excessive politicization and internal strife at the commission, which oversees the nation’s 104 nuclear reactors.

    She has been critical of plans to store nuclear waste at Yucca Mountain in Nevada, saying that the area is vulnerable to seismic and volcanic activity. She has also said that waste stored there would be exposed to oxygen and water, posing a danger to the surrounding environment.

    She might have some trouble getting confirmed by the Repugs, but sounds like a good choice.

  4. dakinikat says:
    May 24, 2012 at 9:04 pm

    In other news, I love my situation so much at the moment, The Beaver Creek Resort Ritz Carlton is my new home. I can’t believe the suite and the room.

    wow

  5. bostonboomer says:
    May 24, 2012 at 9:47 pm

    I just talked to Dak briefly on the phone. She sounds pretty good–not that stressed out at the moment. She has a suite that is like a one-bedroom apartment.

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