Zimmerman Bond Hearing - Media Reaction

Let's follow up our highlights and lowlights of the Zimmerman bond hearing with some media reaction. Here is the local paper, the Orlando Sentinel, which leads with the weak prosecution case:

George Zimmerman granted $150K bond, apologizes to Trayvon Martin's family

SANFORD — At a hearing that legal experts said exposed flaws in the state's case, the Trayvon Martin special prosecutor failed Friday to convince a judge that gunman George Zimmerman should stay locked up.

The judge set bond at $150,000, meaning Zimmerman could be freed from the Seminole County Jail in a few days.

Most revealing in the hearing, though, was testimony by prosecution Investigator Dale Gilbreath, a surprise witness for the defense.

He admitted under oath that authorities do not know who started the fight between Zimmerman, a Neighborhood Watch volunteer, and Martin, the black 17-year-old whose death has spurred protests across the country.

Lawyers for Trayvon's family have insisted that Zimmerman tracked down and killed the Miami Gardens teenager because he was black.

But Zimmerman told police he fired in self-defense after Trayvon threw the first punch, knocked Zimmerman to the ground and then began pounding his head against a sidewalk.

In the courtroom, Gilbreath also testified that although the FBI has analyzed a voice heard screaming for help in the background of a 911 call, it has produced no meaningful results [who just wouldn't pipe down about that?].

Trayvon's family says the voice is that of their son. Zimmerman's family says it belongs to the defendant.

Michael Grieco, a defense attorney and former prosecutor for the Miami-Dade State Attorney's Office, said it appeared Gilbreath "either was unprepared or, alternatively, didn't have a whole lot to hang his hat on" in terms of evidence.

"I expected a lot more from the state," Grieco said. Though others have cautioned that significant evidence is still forthcoming, Grieco said he's not so sure. "You don't usually hold back your evidence in these types of hearings."

A bit of a skip and then this:

A few new pieces of evidence did come out Friday.

How close, asked the judge, was the gun to the victim when it was fired?

So close, said Gilbreath, that there were burns on Trayvon's sweat shirt and skin.

Gilbreath also said the state had a witness who reported seeing the shadows of two people running, one chasing the other, but could not identify who they were.

Although Gilbreath offered little evidence Friday that portrayed Zimmerman as a murderer, he said he did have evidence proving him a liar.

The powder burns will be more important than the shadows. No testimony was offered as to which shadow was black and which White Hispanic.

Their coverage omits the revelations that the lead investigator had not gotten Zimmerman's medical records and could not contradict Zimmerman's claim that he followed the dispatcher's suggestion and was headed back to his car when he was attacked.

The NY Times leads with the apology and gets to this:

As part of his effort to win Mr. Zimmerman’s release on bond, Mr. O’Mara challenged the prosecution’s case, going through the state’s probable cause affidavit line by line, turning the bail hearing into what appeared to be a foretaste of the trial.

He aggressively questioned a state investigator, Dale Gilbreath, about the accusation that Mr. Zimmerman had racially profiled Mr. Martin, and he demanded to know what evidence the state had for the statement that “Zimmerman confronted Martin and a struggle ensued.”

“Do you know who started the fight?” Mr. O’Mara asked Mr. Gilbreath.

“Do I know?” Mr. Gilbreath said. “No.”

Mr. O’Mara then asked Mr. Gilbreath if the state had any evidence to contradict Mr. Zimmerman’s statement to the police that he had been making his way back to his car when he was punched by Mr. Martin. Mr. Zimmerman told investigators he shot Mr. Martin in self-defense after Mr. Martin banged his head on concrete, covered his nose and mouth and reached for his gun.

Mr. Gilbreath responded, “No.”

Here is the AP:

The hearing provided a few glimpses of the strengths — and weaknesses — in the case being built by prosecutors.

Dale Gilbreath, an investigator for the prosecution, testified that he does not know whether Martin or Zimmerman threw the first punch and that there is no evidence to disprove Zimmerman's contention he was walking back to his vehicle when confronted by Martin.

But Gilbreath also said Zimmerman's claim that Martin was slamming his head against the sidewalk just before he shot the teenager was "not consistent with the evidence we found." He gave no details.

That gives short shrift to the defense rebuttal attempt which produced this exchange as recorded by CNN:

COSTELLO: Back live to the bond hearing in Sanford, Florida. Mark O'Mara, who is George Zimmerman's attorney is doing another redirect of the state's attorney investigator. They're talking about what injuries George Zimmerman had to his head that night. Let's listen. 

GILBREATH: Managed to scoot away from the concrete sidewalk and that is at that point is when the shooting subsequently followed. That is not consistent with the evidence we found. 

O'MARA: The injuries seem to be consistent with his story, though, don't they? [ABC pic]

Dale; The injuries are consistent with a harder object striking the back of his head than his head was. 

O'MARA: Could that be cement? 

GILBREATH: Could be. 

O'MARA: Did you just say it was consistent or did you say it wasn't consistent? 

GILBREATH: I said it was.

I say the AP shortchanged us.

Reuters caught the apology but missed the flaws in the prosecution case.

NBC News, aided by NBC Miami and the AP, led with the apology and found this to say about the prosecution case:

Dale Gilbreath, the investigator, said he couldn't remember who came up with the use of the word "profiling" in the document.

Gilbreath added that Zimmerman had two lacerations on his head, which could have been caused by impact with cement.

Zimmerman claims self-defense in the shooting. ABC News says it has obtained an exclusive photo of the back of Zimmerman's head, which appears bloody and may help substantiate his claims.

ABC News spends a lot of time on their exclusive photo in a story I read as favorable to Zimmerman.  However, on the day in court they offer this on the prosecution fail:

In a dramatic moment during the hearing, a detective, under questioning from O'Mara, admitted that it has no clear evidence that Zimmerman attacked Trayvon Martin first.

I wonder if Mr. and Mrs. America will come away from the Elite media coverage realizing just how weak a case the prosecution seems to have.

Comments

[Clarice]

Yes, DoT, he left that possibility open.

But the link above suggests that any "new evidence" garnered after the original investigation--principally Dee Dee's conversation--is totally Crump B.S.

[GMax]

Wait Galbreath was the investigator used by Corey in determining if a crime was committed, right? Since when does a D.A. hide evidence from its investigator? There aint any evidence is my conclusion unless Galbreath was not the lead investigator.

[Danube of Thought]

Sharpton's chickens coming home to roost:

Maywood, Ill. - Alton L. Hayes III, a west suburban man charged with a hate crime, told police he was so upset about the Trayvon Martin case in Florida that he beat up a white man early Tuesday.

[Porchlight]

I knew the DeeDee story would turn out to be bunk and that her social media output around the time of the shooting would prove that. Did Crump think he was going to be able to hide it?

[cboldt]

-- did I read cthse right that T's mother who resides in Miami did not attend his funeral in Ft. Lauderdale? --

Crump said DeeDee did not attend. We don't have a statement about Sybrina Fulton in that regard, other than what appears in The Conservative Treehouse article. I don't know how or where they obtained the information that Sybrina Fulton didn't "appear" until the private meeting with Crump, the mayor of Sanford, and SPD playing the 911 calls. The way Conservative Treehouse paints the picture, Sybrina's "That's Trayvon's voice!" reaction was scripted in advance.

[C.R.]

Can someone tell me how tall Zimmerman is? Is it correct that Martin was 6' 3" ?

[cboldt]

Zimmerman is 8 feet tall. That's how he got the jump on Tyke Martin.

Actually, I think Zimmerman is 5'8" or 5'9", and Martin is described as 6'2". Some accounts have their weights at near parity, Zimmerman at 170-185, Martin at 160-170.

[C.R.]

Thanks

[Chubby]

cboldt, I didn't read the voice id as scripted in advance. The others had laid out the story to her that T. had been murdered, probably the victim of a hate crime. Then she hears the tape for the first time. Naturally she would conclude that the screaming had to be her son. Listening to that tape must have been a horrible experience for her.

do you know if T lived with his dad or his mom? I had been assuming mom, but funeral in Ft. Lauderdale suggested otherwise.

[Jane]

Jimmy,

Next time give us some notice. And if you are driving home, you are going right by my town.

[Danube of Thought]

do you know if T lived with his dad or his mom?

It's my understanding he lived with his mom in North Miami but was visiting his dad while serving out his school suspension.

[cboldt]

-- do you know if T lived with his dad or his mom? --

He lived with Sybrina, as far as I know. He was shipped up to Sanford because he'd been a bad boy, and got himself expelled from school for an extended period. Tracy was going to help Trayvon get his head straight.

[cboldt]

-- Then she hears the tape for the first time. Naturally she would conclude that the screaming had to be her son. --

The first time Tracy heard it, he either was sure it wasn't Trayvon (that's the SPD recollection of Tracy's remarks), or he was n;t sure (that's Tracy describing what he told SPD).

What you're describing is confirmation bias by Sybrina, and that might be true. But Sybrina could have been told by Tracy that there is a voice calling help, on the recording.

I empathize with their loss, it's devastating. But if they are trying to exact revenge from an innocent man, that's plain wrong. Their certainty that Trayvon doesn't have a cocky and disrespectful side does not sit well with me.

[MJW]

After reading the tweets cboldt quotes, I'll have to read "The Last Refuge" article again to see what evidence it relies on to conclude DeeDee is Daisha Mitchell.

[narciso]

Just to point out, they don't care about the facts;

http://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2012/04/trayvon-martin-update/256176/

[cboldt]

Roy Mizell and Kurtz Funeral Home in Fort Lauderdale, Florida ...

Closer to Miami than to Sanford.

[cboldt]

Another tweet from @_LoveThyLondon

The fact ur funeral arrangements are set is driving me crazy... #RIPTRAY I love you boy... 1 Mar

That twitter account has nearly daily laments.

[DebinNC]

Bernie claimed yesterday the 2005 incident showed GZ had a problem with authority figures, and that's why he ignored the dispatcher's "order" to stop following Trayvon. Even with the little that's leaked about Trayvon's school discipline, it's clear that Trayvon was the one who lacked respect for authority. Chronic tardiness, truancy, defacement of school property, ignoring the school police officer's request to name the (imaginary) owner of the women's jewelry-watch-screwdriver found in his bookbag, and who knows what else in his sealed records at Krop HS and earlier at Miami Carol City HS. And Trayvon's parents never denied his cousin insinuation that TM "took a swing at a bus driver", an authority figure.

[cboldt]

-- Bernie claimed yesterday the 2005 incident showed GZ had a problem with authority figures, and that's why he ignored the dispatcher's "order" to stop following Trayvon. --

Bernie is making things up, too. There is no evidence that Zimmerman failed to follow dispatch suggestion (the evidence suggests he did follow the suggestion), and the 2005 incident involved a plainclothes enforcer that Zimmerman mistook. That must be in the record, otherwise Zimmerman would not have been diverted out of the charge.

[Ignatz]

--I empathize with their loss, it's devastating. -

I do too, but that trademark business is so bizarre and seemingly mercenary as to raise considerable questions as to just exactly what was going on in the kid's life.

[cboldt]

I saved the "page" with @_LoveThyLondon tweets. It's a 25Mb pdf file, so not so easy to share.

[Frau Dingsbums]

"Did the attacker in Illinois say, "You got it" after beating up the white man?

[It still may sell big. The demagoguery has just begun.]

Hey, that product line was endorsed by the President.
==================

[jimmyk]

Jane:"Next time give us some notice. And if you are driving home, you are going right by my town."

Sorry, I didn't realize till yesterday that I'd have free time. But I also didn't think of you as being close to Boston.

I'm taking the train. I may be up again in July.

[Frau Dingsbums]

Zonation on PJM has a good video on how many other un-trademarked Treyvons have been killed without cries for justice. There was nothing to be gained for Jesse, Al and the race hustlers (some in the administration).

One link upthread felt Martin and Fulton wanted truth about their son's death and the hustlerswere after desire for money. The scripted and managed PR deserved an Oscar.

[cboldt]

Trayvon Martin: Before the world heard the cries | Reuters | Apr 3

[Tracy] Martin, who was divorced from Trayvon's mother, Sybrina Fulton, in 1999, is a truck driver from Miami who has a long-distance relationship with Green, a resident of the Retreat at Twin Lakes subdivision in Sanford where Zimmerman also lived.

Martin would visit Green on weekends, making the four-hour drive to the Orlando suburb of Sanford. In late February he was able to bring his son because Trayvon, a junior, was serving a 10-day suspension from Miami's Dr. Michael M. Krop Senior High School.

So, Tracy doesn't live at Retreat at Twin Lakes, either.

[Frau Wau-Wau]

From Lucianne:

[Danube of Thought]

I fear for the buubmeister's well-being. Since the photo of GZ's head came out, and O'Mara referred to the medical records disclosing a broken nose, the boy has clammed up tighter'n Dick's hatband.

Tighter'n a Pullman window.

Tighter'n a tick.

Tighter'n a bull's ass at fly time.

[S.Lynn]

Wouldn't NBC have a vested interest in trying to show Zimmerman was guilty since Sharpton has a "program" on NBC?

[Beasts of England]

Cecil@6:59 - I was being a bit facetious. Nonetheless, your elucidation in re: is appreciated...

[Beasts of England]

Ignatz@9:17 - 'If the prosecution has nothing more than a compromised phone witness, Martin's mother's claim that the voice was his, some voice analysis and a bunch of speculation then Corey should be impeached, if that method of removing her is available.'

Couldn't happen to a nicer fraud. Nifong is viewing her in the same vein as Carter is viewing Obama, i.e., thank you, thank you, thank you!

[Jane]

Jimmy,

I'm an hour out of the city, TC is much closer and Rocco is closer than me but not by much. Dave in MA refuses to tell us how close he is.

[daddy]

From cboldt's 08:14 twitter feed from Dee Dee, thought this worth mentioning:

"#IRememberThatMomentWithTray when we ALWAYS cheated off of @EatYhurBrainz's papers in Spanish 22 Mar"

[obeara]

Originally Trayvon Martin's father said the voice screaming on the police recording was not his son. I saw him say it on television. I think he was speaking truthfully then. But when his wife heard it she wanted it to be her son the victim not her son the attacker. Truth is not an issue for her. A witness to the actual beating said the man on the ground screaming for help was wearing a red top. Zimmerman was wearing a red top, Martin was not. The witness went inside to call the police and was not at the scene when the gun was fired, but he saw who was beating whom, and who was calling for help.

[cboldt]

-- From cboldt's 08:14 twitter feed from Dee Dee ... --

I'm not claiming that's DeeDee. All the tweets are from a different handle from any of those identified in The Conservative Treehouse article (Daisha Mitchell as @iAdoree_Dee or Daisha Brianne as @x_FashionObsess), and my only observation is that @_LoveThyLondon tweets resemble DeeDee as described by Crump, better than the tweets of @iAdoree_Dee and @x_FashionObsess.

It's trivially easy to find a twitter ID that is indifferent to Trayvon Martin. All of those people can't be DeeDee.

[Beasts of England]

narciso@1:38 – Gee whiz! Not only is there immediate deflection about the importance of the evidence – the evidence formerly known as inculpatory; but then there’s an admonition regarding the content of comments!

Facts are a bitch and then you, uh, er, short your Comcast/GE positions?

[cboldt]

Some of the culled lines were to notice the handles and names of associates. Then I stopped researching the twitter angle.

[daddy]

Thanks for the clarification cboldt.

[MJW]

Nique Johnson's twitter ID, _LoveThyLondon, seems to have been used before Trayvon's death. That girl tweets like most people breath, so if someone can locate the tweets from that period, I think it will be obvious if Nique is DeeDee.

So far, I haven't been able to retrieve Nique's tweets form the relevant time.

[cboldt]

Check _LoveThyLondon 3 month twitter stats - 22 followers departed between March 3 and March 4. Otherwise a steady increase in followers.

[Extraneus]

Tawana Brawley Aftermath:

The case exposed deep mistrust in the black community about winning justice from legal institutions.[16] Some opinions remained fixed. Legal scholar Patricia Williams wrote in 1991 that the teenager "has been the victim of some unspeakable crime. No matter how she got there. No matter who did it to her and even if she did it to herself."[23] These comments aroused controversy as well.[24]

The events were alluded to in Spike Lee's 1989 film Do the Right Thing, in which a scene showed a brick wall bearing the graffiti message "Tawana told the truth".[25]

On May 21, 1990, Alton H. Maddox, Jr. was indefinitely suspended by the Appellate Division of the State Supreme Court in Brooklyn after failing to appear before a disciplinary hearing to answer allegations regarding his conduct in the Brawley case.[26]

In 1998, Pagones was awarded $345,000 (he sought $395 million) through a lawsuit for defamation of character that he had brought against Sharpton, Maddox and Mason. The jury found Sharpton liable for making seven defamatory statements about Pagones, Maddox for two and Mason for one. The jury deadlocked on four of the 22 statements over which Pagones had sued, and it found eight statements to be non-defamatory.[27] In a later interview, Pagones said the turmoil by the accusations of Brawley and her advisers had cost him his first marriage and much personal grief.[28]

Pagones had also sued Brawley. She defaulted by not appearing at the trial, and the judge ordered her to pay him damages of $185,000. As of 2003, none of the award had been paid.[29] The $65,000 judgment levied against Al Sharpton was paid for him in 2001 by supporters, including renowned attorney Johnnie Cochran plus former businessman Earl G. Graves, Jr.[30][31]

Brawley has maintained she did not invent the story; in a 1997 appearance, she still had supporters.[32] In November 2007, Brawley's stepfather and mother, in a 20th anniversary feature for the New York Daily News, contended the attack happened. "How could we make this up and take down the state of New York? We're just regular people," Glenda Brawley said, adding, "We should be millionaires." They said they had asked New York State Attorney General Andrew Cuomo and Governor Eliot Spitzer to reopen the case. They also said that Brawley, who has converted to Islam, would speak at any legal proceedings.[33]

The lawyers didn't fare too well, as Crump surely knows, but the one person who came out smelling like a rose was NBC's Al Sharpton.

[MJW]

Check _LoveThyLondon 3 month twitter stats - 22 followers departed between March 3 and March 4. Otherwise a steady increase in followers.

Strange, though I have no theory of why on one particular day 22 would leave. I also find it strange -- an a bit unlikely -- that on every day except for one +5 day and the -22 day exactly 2 more followers were added. That makes me somewhat skeptical of the graph.

I hope someone can retrieve her tweets for the period surrounding Martin's death.

[Timmy]

I'm 12 and what is this?

[M. Simon]

This is huge. It discredits the whole DD thing:

http://classicalvalues.com/2012/04/in-the-zone/