Zimmerman statements to police to be released to media

[juniorbonner]

Last edited Wed Jun 13, 2012, 06:25 PM - Edit history (1)

Source: AP breaking wire

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) -- A judge says statements a former neighborhood watch leader made to detectives after he fatally shot 17-year-Trayvon Martin can be released to the public.

But Circuit Judge Kenneth Lester ruled Wednesday that the identities of witnesses who observed the fatal confrontation between Martin and George Zimmerman can stay private

Read more: http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/F/FL_NEIGHBORHOOD_WATCH_MEDIA_FLOL-?SITE=FLTAM&SECTION=STATE&TEMPLATE=

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[link:http://www.flcourts18.org/PDF/Press_Releases/SKMBT_363-V12061312310.pdf|This appears to be about a written order that says what he's already seemed to say in the hearing itself - that what GZ told the cops can be released to the media and public under Florida's sunshine laws.

The prosecution wanted these statements sealed. Why? The defense went along with the prosecution, seemingly. Why?

It's possible the statements are going to make it hard to get an impartial jury to hear the case. But who would benefit from that?

At the hearing, the judge allowed for 30 days to review and redact names and privacy information. I guess we will all find out soon.



UPDATE:

The Judge's order has been posted.

Looks like most everything except the witneses names will be released one day before the hearing that is currently scheduled for the 29th. That's fifteen days from now.

http://www.flcourts18.org/PDF/Press_Releases/SKMBT_363-V12061312310.pdf

[ZombieHorde]

1. I am glad the names of the witnesses are remaining private.

I want the witnesses to feel free to express the truth as they see it without fear.

[juniorbonner]

2. The judge muses about the internet in his ruling.

He's right that the world has changed since the cases cited by the media lawyers. He talks about the Casey Anthony case and other issues regarding the blogosphere, a word he uses himself in the order.

It's worth reading.

Besides idle curiosity, what interest does the average internet user have in this case? The social media crowd that helped put pressure on the governor to appoint a special prosecutor is like a movie monster or military secret weapon "created to do good, but now unleashed" upon the jury pool. After GZ's statements to police are released, and everyone knows (insert verdict here) how can a jury be selected?

Of course, this presupposes that jurors are so stupid that they can't examine the evidence, hear the lawyers arguments, and decide for themselves what is true and what is false.

Then again, this is Florida we are talking about.

[JDPriestly]

3. None of our chatter on the internet is very relevant to what will happen in the courtroom.

So we on Du should stop trying to predict who will win or lose. After the trial (if there is one in fact) we can talk about what we think about what the outcome should have been.

But really not a one of us can know what will happen in the courtroom. We might have opinions about what Zimmerman would be wise to do to avoid a trial, but once this case is in the courtroom, the outcome is utterly unpredictable.

So, let's just cool it.

I'm not trying to dictate behavior to people, I'm just saying . . . . .

[zentrum]

4. This is a major problem

Have you ever been a witness giving a statement to police? The police take notes the entire time you are talking. Then they ask you to read what they wrote for you and to sign it.

My experience is that the police catch only half of what was said. Also, they word it in ways that aren't one's own exact wording. But witnesses sign it because they don't realize at the time that every word will be parsed later by a defense attorney. If you remember things a day or two after your statement--the discrepancy can prevent a just conviction. Witnesses are under real stress when they give reports. They don't have time to gather their thoughts and their wits and often are under a time pressure as well. Police reports are a real problem that should be addressed in a formal study--maybe by a law school or school of criminology. They really need to be understood better and reformed.

Having these out in the public in the Martin case will definitely help the defense if the witnesses diverge from the reports once they are on the stand. What person in Florida is not going to have read them the day they come out? It will contaminate the jury because the testimony will probably be a lot more nuanced than the reports. Police don't do nuance.

[juniorbonner]

5. Many important witness statements are already released.

And many of these witnesses went to the police station and had their statements recorded on audio recordings.

Lawyers and investigators know through experience that witness stories change and that the sooner a statement is taken, the fresher the memory and often the better the recall, but that eyewitnesses are not always the most accurate way to judge what happened. Forensic evidence, photographs, deductive reasoning and common sense all play a part as well.

Jurists are indeed part of the social landscape and in this day and age you can't hide from the news, often. It's hard to walk down the street in America and not be assaulted by televisions and the internet.

I don't see how this will help the defense or the prosecution - it seems like it muddies the waters for both. I do get the feeling that in some sense the trial, when it finally arrives may be something of a foregone conclusion if GZ is clearly lying about how the fight started and where he was when the altercation began and ended. keep in mind he gave five statements to police investigators without the benefit of total recall as to what he said on a recorded call to police, or knowing what residents saw, heard or didn't see or hear. Then he had the "benefit" of an overnight stay at home before doing a walk thru with his father present.

I tend to think what we are about to find out is that GZ overloaded his tale with exculpatory details that simple are not credible given the witness statements about a fight that MOVED and cheesy dialog about death threats and the like. GZ also had no idea that he told the cops he was being attacked by someone who was on the phone with his girlfriend at the time.

His surrogates also tell a tale regarding his car's position that isn't possible given the timing of his recorded call and what he is describing. I predict it will come out at trial that his car shadowed TM down Twin Trees Lane causing the youth to panic and run, further adding to the idea that GZ was intent on following the youth, but more importantly providing yet another example of his willingness to lie to authorities about the key events.

So all this information would eventually come out at trial, but some of it will be seen as good for the defense and some as good for the prosecution.

But it's a genie you can't put back in the bottle.