LIVE STREAMING III: The George Zimmerman Trial for The Murder of Trayvon Martin

This trial has entered its third week.

At this point, I am really skeptical about a conviction of the man for this senseless murder. For one thing, the prosecution’s experts supporting the claim that it is Trayvon Martin shouting and screaming for help have been disallowed. For the second, the jury is composed of five white women and one woman who may be both black and/or Latino. And some of what they have said during jury selection has been brow-raising to say the least, because what they have heard about the case is based on hearsay and falsehoods, and not on facts: that Trayvon was not wandering around late at night, but was killed as he was trying to get back to his father’s girlfriend’s home in the early evening, between 7:00 and 7:30 p.m.; and insinuating that Trayvon was thrown out of high school, rather than being suspended from school, which is why he was sent to be taken in hand by his father.

The opening statements from the prosecution, however, have been very strong. Both of Trayvon’s parents, Sybrina Fulton and Tracy Martin, were present in the courtroom. Above is a statement the parents made before the proceedings began this morning. I feel for Sybrina; friends say she has lost a lot of weight and she is still in mourning for her son. His room is still the same as when he left it, and it is a kind of shrine for her. No doubt, she cannot even think of returning to work, and is on an extended leave of absence. Tracy Martin has admitted in interviews that it was very hard to be in the same room as his son’s murderer, and in some instances you can tell that he is fighting for emotional control. They have been dignified, calm and direct in their interviews. They want justice for their son to be served.

Prosecutor John Guy began his opening statement with a profanity: “F—ing punks.”

He said that phrase was how Zimmerman described Trayvon during his non-emergency call to police before the shooting, and shows the defendant’s mentality toward the teen.

When Zimmerman saw Trayvon, the prosecutor said, he “didn’t see a young man walking home.” Instead, he profiled, pursued and killed Trayvon, Guy said.

“He profiled him as someone who was about to commit a crime in his neighborhood, and then he acted on it, and that’s why we’re here,” Guy said.

Later, Zimmerman “pressed that gun into Trayvon Martin’s chest,” Guy said, and pulled the trigger. He said that the evidence in the case, and testimony from witnesses, would contradict Zimmerman’s account, which Guy called a “tangled web of lies.”

Guy told jurors to listen closely to the “bone chilling” 911 call which captured screams before the shooting. They’ll hear that Trayvon “was silenced immediately” by the shot, Guy said, adding the evidence will show no blood on Trayvon’s hands and no DNA from Zimmerman under his fingernails, something Guy said was inconsistent with Zimmerman’s account.

And the burden of proof is now on Witness No. 8, Trayvon’s young girlfriend, who was on a cell phone with Trayvon while he was walking home. In the absence of the experts, Witness No. 8 is a credible ear-witness to what occurred, and the defense will throw everything but the kitchen sink into trying to get her to stumble, to discredit her, to say that she was changing her story. I hope that Witness No. 8 is being coached well for what might happen.

Sorry, there is nothing about the defense here. Unlike the news media, I don’t credit the other side with much, especially if they are lying and/or spreading false information and scenarios. George Zimmerman is not a hero.