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George Zimmerman in court Tuesday. Photo credit: Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel
WFTV-Channel 9 highlighted defense attorney Mark O’Mara’s response that it was “physically impossible” for Zimmerman’s team to be ready in June. O’Mara had wanted the trial delayed to November.
Zimmerman was in court Tuesday. He is charged with second-degree murder in the shooting death of Trayvon Martin.
O’Mara’s decision to acknowledge it was Martin’s 18th birthday was “gutsy,” said WOFL-Channel 35 legal analyst Diana Tennis. She incorrectly predicted that the judge would grant a delay in starting the trial.
And WESH-Channel 2’s Bob Kealing said legal experts he talked to had expected Judge Debra Nelson to delay the trial. “That did not happen. Quite the opposite,” Kealing said. “Instead, in very short order, she all but accused the defense team of wasting her time already.”
Kealing added that the defense team “suffered another defeat in their hopes of deposing the attorney for Travyon Martin’s family, Ben Crump.”
The defense wants to ask Crump about his questioning of Witness 8, Martin’s girlfriend who says she was on the phone talking with Martin before the deadly confrontation with Zimmerman a year ago.
WKMG-Channel 6’s Mike DeForest described an affidavit that Crump’s lawyer filed with the court. “It explains how he [Crump] located the girl by looking at Trayvon Martin’s cell phone records and then when he interviewed her, she refused to meet with authorities,” DeForest said. “[She] wouldn’t even meet with Crump in person. He says he had to do the interview with her over the phone, a conversation that was recorded.”
Mark NeJame, legal analyst for Central Florida News 13, said he was surprised that Crump brought in an attorney, Bruce Blackwell. NeJame described Blackwell as good, renowned and respected. NeJame called Blackwell’s affidavit an “artful” move to stop and block the Crump deposition, which had been scheduled for Tuesday.
NeJame said he had expected the trial delay to be denied. The judge was saying “five months is plenty of time for you [the defense] to fix all these issues which you’re claiming are unresolved,” NeJame said.
“It sounds like we’re going in June unless they’re some new fireworks,” NeJame said.
NeJame’s take on Judge Nelson: “She’s keeping good control of the courtroom. She’s being respectful to both sides.”
DeForest highlighted the next big event in the case: the self-defense immunity hearing in April.
