Prosecutors Release New Round of Zimmerman Evidence
The documents give a first look at what the FBI has turned up in its civil rights investigation.
| Posted Thursday, July 12, 2012, at 11:03 AM
Photograph by Roberto Gonzalez/Getty Images.
Special Prosecutor Angela Corey released another round of evidence in the George Zimmerman case on Thursday morning, a trove that offers a first look at the FBI's civil rights investigation into the shooting death of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin.
The Orlando Sentinel has a summary of what's included in the FBI documents, namely information from interviews with Sanford police officers, Zimmerman's ex-girlfriend (who has accused him of violence), neighbor Frank Taffee, and several witnesses. They also interviewed the man who sold Zimmerman the gun that he used to kill Martin. Zimmerman, who faces a second-degree murder charge, has maintained he shot Martin in self-defense.
The release does not include an official conclusion of the investigation, which is being overseen by the Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Department of Justice, according to CNN. The investigation is looking to determine whether race played a part in Martin's death.
According to the Sentinel, an interview with the first officer at the scene, Tim Smith, described Zimmerman's state at the police headquarters, where he continued to bleed from his nose after being treated by paramedics. Zimmerman apparently told the officer that he "was yelling for help but no one would help me." Another officer didn't notice an injury to Zimmerman's nose, but did indicate that he appeared to be in pain.
Also included was an interview with Martin's cousin, who said the voice on a 911 tape calling for help was "without a doubt 'on a stack of Bibles' " his cousin's, the Sentinel reports.
Other evidence reportedly contained in the release includes emails between Sanford Police Chief Bill Lee and Zimmerman, details on the suspect's MySpace account, details on Zimmerman's interviews with the Florida Division of Alcoholic Beverages and Tobacco related to a 2005 arrest, and surveillance video. We'll keep an eye on it and update here with any big news as everyone continues digging through the trove of evidence, but without the DOJ conclusion about race, we're not expecting any bombshells.
