George Zimmerman Case's Newly Released Evidence Suggests No Racial Bias

[delta22]

In nearly 300 pages of documents and other evidence newly released by the Florida State Attorney's Office in its second-degree murder case against George Zimmerman, Zimmerman appears at once absolved of racial animus in the killing of Trayvon Martin, but also as a man whose life has been complicated by a "hero complex" and haunted by abusive personal relationships.

The evidence includes dozens of interviews with witnesses, friends and neighbors, former colleagues and Martin's family, all of which were conducted by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and the FBI. Other evidence includes email correspondence between Zimmerman and members of the Sanford Police Department and an interview with Christopher Serino, the lead investigator on the case.

During Serino's interview with FBI investigators, he recounted the report he made shortly after Martin's February 26 killing in which he said the deadly encounter between Zimmerman and Martin was "ultimately avoidable" by Zimmerman.

Zimmerman's statements to 911 and to police investigators "make it clear that he had already reached a faulty conclusion as to Martin's purpose for being in the neighborhood," according to Serino's statements to the FBI. Those statements included observations that Martin appeared suspicious and possibly on drugs,

But, according to the FBI report, Serino added that he believed Zimmerman's actions on the night of the killing -- when he saw Martin walking home from a nearby store, and began following and ultimately shot him -- were motivated less by Martin's skin color and more by a "little hero complex."

The report states, "Serino believed that Zimmerman's actions were not based on Martin's skin color but rather based on his attire, the total circumstances of the encounter and the previous burglary suspects in the community."

Still, based on previously released police reports, Serino believed there was probable cause for Zimmerman to be charged in Martin's death. But in the hours and days after the shooting, then-Police Chief Bill Lee and State Attorney Norman Wolfinger decided against charging Zimmerman.

Zimmerman was arrested and charged 44 days after the killing and after Wolfinger recused himself from the case, when Special Prosecutor Angela Corey was appointed by Gov. Rick Scott.

The FBI joined the investigation into Martin's death after a host of prominent civil rights leaders suggested that Martin's race may have played a role in his death. The hue and cry for justice began in Sanford, where some residents say there has been a long history of police abuses and injustices perpetrated upon black residents.

The FBI has since found no evidence that racial bias played a role in the killing, according to the records released this morning.

In interview after interview, colleagues and friends of Zimmerman said that they did not know him to harbor racially biased views. Former colleagues described Zimmerman as professional, mild-mannered and courteous. One former co-worker, who spoke with Zimmerman the day after the shooting in the lobby of their workplace, said that Zimmerman looked "absolutely devastated." Another described him as "beat up physically and emotionally."

But perhaps the most detailed revelations to emerge from Thursday's trove of evidence comes from the two witnesses who appear to have had among the closest relationships with Zimmerman: a close friend and an ex-fiancé.

The friend told investigators that he met Zimmerman through Zimmerman's wife, Shellie, around 2006 or 2007. Zimmerman later helped get the man a job as a loan processor at the company where Zimmerman worked. The two would go to the firing range or to the woods behind the man's house and squeeze off 200 to 300 rounds, he told investigators with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.

Zimmerman "was not a good shot at first but improved slowly over time," according to the friend, who said he taught Zimmerman how to shoot. The two became so close that the man presided over the Zimmerman's wedding.

Hours after Zimmerman killed Martin, the man said he received a call from Shellie Zimmerman in which she told him what happened. Early the next morning after Zimmerman was released, the man met the couple at the Sanford Police station and took them to his home, where they would remain for upward of six weeks.

According to the report, the friend described Zimmerman as "a person with strong character but not very street wise," and that he’d never known Zimmerman to be in a fist fight or to be prejudiced against people of other races or religions, a contention that is contradicted by evidence released in prior reports.

As Zimmerman and his wife were in hiding at the man's house, a national furor was growing about the circumstances of Martin's killing and what many felt was a lackluster, uninspired police investigation into his death. Massive protests erupted in cities across the country, and cable news pundits bickered over the nuances of the case.

Zimmerman himself was not unaware of the public response to his actions, according to the friend. "Zimmerman is frustrated with the New Black Panther part and is very scared of them," the close friend told investigators. "Zimmerman is very concerned with all the negative reaction from the press and others."

The friend, as well as a woman who told investigators that the two had been engaged, also hinted at Zimmerman's own complicated family life. Zimmerman's mother is Latin and from Peru, and his father is white.

Zimmerman was estranged from his mother and other members of his family, according to the report. His mother was "very strict and dominant" the friend told investigators. "His father did not discipline and did not stick up for the kids as they were abused by their mother."

In an interview with FBI investigators, a woman describing herself as Zimmerman's ex-fiancé, said that their relationship was tumultuous. The two met in 2001, and a year or so later became engaged. But things went down hill shortly thereafter.

"Zimmerman began to exhibit overly protective and territorial behavior," she said. At one point he agreed to go to counseling, and did so each week for a year. Then one day as the two were driving back from a session, she said he hit her in the mouth because she was chewing gum. In a later incident that occurred after the pair had separated, the woman said that Zimmerman became physically aggressive after she refused to let him stay the night at her apartment. The two began pushing each other and at one point he pushed her to the bed, according to earlier reports.

The next day she filed an injunction against him.

In retrospect, the woman told FBI agents, Zimmerman's relationship with his family, and his mother in particular, was the source of a lot of his torment.

At family gatherings, she said, much of the conversation centered around "financial status and material things." Zimmerman's mother would often talk about "marrying into white families in order to improve one's status." But the woman said Zimmerman never got along with his mother and that the women in his family "exercised a lot of control over" him.

At one point, the woman told investigators, after she'd gotten into a particularly heated argument with his mother, Zimmerman retaliated by turning off the electricity to his mother's house. "[Zimmerman] locked the electrical box and departed leaving his mother without electricity," according to the report.

[joekooltrips]

In nearly 300 pages of documents and other evidence newly released by the Florida State Attorney's Office in its second-degree murder case against George Zimmerman, Zimmerman appears at once absolved of racial animus in the killing of Trayvon Martin, but also as a man whose life has been complicated by a "hero complex" and haunted by abusive personal relationships.

The evidence includes dozens of interviews with witnesses, friends and neighbors, former colleagues and Martin's family, all of which were conducted by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and the FBI. Other evidence includes email correspondence between Zimmerman and members of the Sanford Police Department and an interview with Christopher Serino, the lead investigator on the case.

During Serino's interview with FBI investigators, he recounted the report he made shortly after Martin's February 26 killing in which he said the deadly encounter between Zimmerman and Martin was "ultimately avoidable" by Zimmerman.

Zimmerman's statements to 911 and to police investigators "make it clear that he had already reached a faulty conclusion as to Martin's purpose for being in the neighborhood," according to Serino's statements to the FBI. Those statements included observations that Martin appeared suspicious and possibly on drugs,

But, according to the FBI report, Serino added that he believed Zimmerman's actions on the night of the killing -- when he saw Martin walking home from a nearby store, and began following and ultimately shot him -- were motivated less by Martin's skin color and more by a "little hero complex."

The report states, "Serino believed that Zimmerman's actions were not based on Martin's skin color but rather based on his attire, the total circumstances of the encounter and the previous burglary suspects in the community."

Still, based on previously released police reports, Serino believed there was probable cause for Zimmerman to be charged in Martin's death. But in the hours and days after the shooting, then-Police Chief Bill Lee and State Attorney Norman Wolfinger decided against charging Zimmerman.

Zimmerman was arrested and charged 44 days after the killing and after Wolfinger recused himself from the case, when Special Prosecutor Angela Corey was appointed by Gov. Rick Scott.

The FBI joined the investigation into Martin's death after a host of prominent civil rights leaders suggested that Martin's race may have played a role in his death. The hue and cry for justice began in Sanford, where some residents say there has been a long history of police abuses and injustices perpetrated upon black residents.

The FBI has since found no evidence that racial bias played a role in the killing, according to the records released this morning.

In interview after interview, colleagues and friends of Zimmerman said that they did not know him to harbor racially biased views. Former colleagues described Zimmerman as professional, mild-mannered and courteous. One former co-worker, who spoke with Zimmerman the day after the shooting in the lobby of their workplace, said that Zimmerman looked "absolutely devastated." Another described him as "beat up physically and emotionally."

But perhaps the most detailed revelations to emerge from Thursday's trove of evidence comes from the two witnesses who appear to have had among the closest relationships with Zimmerman: a close friend and an ex-fiancé.

The friend told investigators that he met Zimmerman through Zimmerman's wife, Shellie, around 2006 or 2007. Zimmerman later helped get the man a job as a loan processor at the company where Zimmerman worked. The two would go to the firing range or to the woods behind the man's house and squeeze off 200 to 300 rounds, he told investigators with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.

Zimmerman "was not a good shot at first but improved slowly over time," according to the friend, who said he taught Zimmerman how to shoot. The two became so close that the man presided over the Zimmerman's wedding.

Hours after Zimmerman killed Martin, the man said he received a call from Shellie Zimmerman in which she told him what happened. Early the next morning after Zimmerman was released, the man met the couple at the Sanford Police station and took them to his home, where they would remain for upward of six weeks.

According to the report, the friend described Zimmerman as "a person with strong character but not very street wise," and that he’d never known Zimmerman to be in a fist fight or to be prejudiced against people of other races or religions, a contention that is contradicted by evidence released in prior reports.

As Zimmerman and his wife were in hiding at the man's house, a national furor was growing about the circumstances of Martin's killing and what many felt was a lackluster, uninspired police investigation into his death. Massive protests erupted in cities across the country, and cable news pundits bickered over the nuances of the case.

Zimmerman himself was not unaware of the public response to his actions, according to the friend. "Zimmerman is frustrated with the New Black Panther part and is very scared of them," the close friend told investigators. "Zimmerman is very concerned with all the negative reaction from the press and others."

The friend, as well as a woman who told investigators that the two had been engaged, also hinted at Zimmerman's own complicated family life. Zimmerman's mother is Latin and from Peru, and his father is white.

Zimmerman was estranged from his mother and other members of his family, according to the report. His mother was "very strict and dominant" the friend told investigators. "His father did not discipline and did not stick up for the kids as they were abused by their mother."

In an interview with FBI investigators, a woman describing herself as Zimmerman's ex-fiancé, said that their relationship was tumultuous. The two met in 2001, and a year or so later became engaged. But things went down hill shortly thereafter.

"Zimmerman began to exhibit overly protective and territorial behavior," she said. At one point he agreed to go to counseling, and did so each week for a year. Then one day as the two were driving back from a session, she said he hit her in the mouth because she was chewing gum. In a later incident that occurred after the pair had separated, the woman said that Zimmerman became physically aggressive after she refused to let him stay the night at her apartment. The two began pushing each other and at one point he pushed her to the bed, according to earlier reports.

The next day she filed an injunction against him.

In retrospect, the woman told FBI agents, Zimmerman's relationship with his family, and his mother in particular, was the source of a lot of his torment.

At family gatherings, she said, much of the conversation centered around "financial status and material things." Zimmerman's mother would often talk about "marrying into white families in order to improve one's status." But the woman said Zimmerman never got along with his mother and that the women in his family "exercised a lot of control over" him.

At one point, the woman told investigators, after she'd gotten into a particularly heated argument with his mother, Zimmerman retaliated by turning off the electricity to his mother's house. "[Zimmerman] locked the electrical box and departed leaving his mother without electricity," according to the report.

No racial bias ? Zimmerman probably saw Tray, started following him, started ish, got his ass kicked, went back called 911 and then went and shot him, who knows but whatever the case he's going down, and needs to go prison.

[joekooltrips]

No racial bias ? Zimmerman probably saw Tray, started following him, started ish, got his ass kicked, went back called 911 and then went and shot him, who knows but whatever the case he's going down, and needs to go prison.

More negs, lol, geez, this shouldn't even be an issue. Zimmerman was told to stand down, and his actions (refusal to do so) cost a kid his life. He needs to go to prison.

[jgreene]

T. Martins parents should go to jail for neglect letting their teenage kid walk the streets in the middle of the night....My son would have never been walking thru the neighborhood to begin with....Take your kid in the car to go get some stupid skittles or whatever he was getting....our neighborhood got hit 3-4 times per year with gangbangers breaking into car's etc in the middle of the night....i suspect the same thing was happening in Zimmerman's neighborhood or no one would have been on night watch for vandals....Zimmerman should be set free...

[joekooltrips]

T. Martins parents should go to jail for neglect letting their teenage kid walk the streets in the middle of the night....My son would have never been walking thru the neighborhood to begin with....Take your kid in the car to go get some stupid skittles or whatever he was getting....our neighborhood got hit 3-4 times per year with gangbangers breaking into car's etc in the middle of the night....i suspect the same thing was happening in Zimmerman's neighborhood or no one would have been on night watch for vandals....Zimmerman should be set free...

So what if Tray was out at that time, and true someone should talk to his parents, but that's no reason to shoot the boy. Zimmerman, saw Tray, and called the police like he was supposed to. Now up to this point he's done what was required of him, NOW let the POLICE, take it from there.....That's all Zimmerman had to do, if he does that, Police can do there job , Tray is still alive, Police can pick Tray up and talk to hisparents, he'd (Zimmerman) still be the neighborhood watchman, no harm no foul...BUT then he (Zimmerman) makes a decision to IGNORE police commands to stand down, and pursue Tray and these actions resulted in the boy losing his life. He needs to go to prison.

[Shabibilicious]

So what if Tray was out at that time, and true someone should talk to his parents, but that's no reason to shoot the boy. Zimmerman, saw Tray, and called the police like he was supposed to. Now up to this point he's done what was required of him, NOW let the POLICE, take it from there.....That's all Zimmerman had to do, if he does that, Police can do there job , Tray is still alive, Police can pick Tray up and talk to hisparents, he'd (Zimmerman) still be the neighborhood watchman, no harm no foul...BUT then he (Zimmerman) makes a decision to IGNORE police commands to stand down, and pursue Tray and these actions resulted in the boy losing his life. He needs to go to prison.

Zimmerman probably will end up in prison......although he would be better served giving public speeches at juvenile detention centers. I feel it is tragic all around. Maybe Zimmerman can turn it into something positive for young people. As always, just my opinion.

GO RV, then BV

[joekooltrips]

Zimmerman probably will end up in prison......although he would be better served giving public speeches at juvenile detention centers. I feel it is tragic all around. Maybe Zimmerman can turn it into something positive for young people. As always, just my opinion.

GO RV, then BV

If society thinks that Zimmerman could better serve the public in that manner maybe a compromise can be reached where he can do that. It's tough because like I said he was fine in my book in everything he did up to the point he made the decision to ignore and pursue, and at least you brought some solution or an idea for one to the table. Props to you shabbs for that.

Edited July 13, 2012 by joekooltrips

[Lorre]

How can you possibly give instruction when you can't take instruction?? It doesn't matter how smart he is how much money he has or what status he holds in his community... He took the life of a child..after he was told to leave the child alone... For this he has to be punished period. There isn't any versions of truth, only truth itself. I live in Florida... I'm also white.... I have a son the same age who also wears the same kind of clothing...never been in trouble...ever. I can't imagine the pain of that mother... for her I feel such compassion.... It's truly a tragedy....

[DiveDeepSix]

Hmmm, ah yes that poor child, who was also busted for drugs and violence in school, who was over 6 foot, and looks nothing like his picture of the helpless little boy the liberal media keeps posting all over. Zimmerman is getting hosed by the idiots in the NAACP screaming racism PERIOD, which would also be why it took 40 days to have him arrested. Yet the mobs have been beating the hell out of whites all over the country screaming "Justice for Trayvon" and they go unpunished. This whole thing is a big pile of BS!

Yes, I feel very sorry for his parent's loss. But if someone is on top of me saying "Your going to die tonight M*****F****" I would have put a bullet in him as well. Nobody seems to remember the part about all the times he had called and waited for the cops, only for them to show up way to late to do anything about the break ins.

If I seen someone on top of JOEKOOLTRIPS beating him/her senseless, guess what? Yep ding ding ding we have a winner, another bullet.

Edited July 13, 2012 by DiveDeepSix

[DetroittoAZ]

If you can't understand the 911 call your a little slow. Zimmerman going to the HOLE! BYE BYE!

[joekooltrips]

Hmmm, ah yes that poor child, who was also busted for drugs and violence in school, who was over 6 foot, and looks nothing like his picture of the helpless little boy the liberal media keeps posting all over. Zimmerman is getting hosed by the idiots in the NAACP screaming racism PERIOD, which would also be why it took 40 days to have him arrested. Yet the mobs have been beating the hell out of whites all over the country screaming "Justice for Trayvon" and they go unpunished. This whole thing is a big pile of BS!

Yes, I feel very sorry for his parent's loss. But if someone is on top of me saying "Your going to die tonight M*****F****" I would have put a bullet in him as well. Nobody seems to remember the part about all the times he had called and waited for the cops, only for them to show up way to late to do anything about the break ins.

If I seen someone on top of JOEKOOLTRIPS beating him/her senseless, guess what? Yep ding ding ding we have a winner, another bullet.

Deep,, maybe the difference is when the cops say stand down, you might have listened, and Tray would still be here. Cops being slow to respond is a separate issue, one that the community should've addressed with the police or officials who could do something about it. He (Zimmerman) was gettin' his ass whooped because he ignored police command to stand down. This whole situation could've been avoided had he just listened.

Edited July 14, 2012 by joekooltrips

[cris]

If the police had shown up just before Trayvon got shot,

guess who would be going to the hole? Yep, the guy that

was on top beating Zimmerman, breaking his nose & bashing

his head on the sidewalk.

[joekooltrips]

If the police had shown up just before Trayvon got shot,

guess who would be going to the hole? Yep, the guy that

was on top beating Zimmerman, breaking his nose & bashing

his head on the sidewalk.

True cris, But had Zimmerman listen to the police order to stand down, his nose would not have been broken, his head would not have been bashed, he'd still be the neighborhood watchman, and Tray would still be alive.

[DetroittoAZ]

Please get off Zimmerman's

He's no SAINT!

Edited July 14, 2012 by DetroittoAZ

[cris]

Thats not the way I've heard it....Zimmermans brother has said, he was

waiting for the police, when he was confronted by Trayvon, doubling

back to find out who was following him.

He was in a neighborhood with a watch because there had been breakins,

he was where he shouldn't be, and he attacked someone he thought was

unarmed.

[DetroittoAZ]

You must be getting your INFO from Iraqi media!

[DetroittoAZ]

Use your BRAIN!

[jonjon]

If Zimmerman had been a black man defending himself against Martins attack none of us would even know it happened.

This country is full of black racist and most of the black politicians are race baiting instigators.

[cris]

Nope....Saw Zimmermans brother on the news. I've also

been researching it.....listened to the tapes, looked at

the maps, read the eyewitness account. I've seen the photos

of the beating George took, and the area where it happened.

Trayvon is dead because he confronted a little Mexican guy

that turned out to be better armed.

What are you looking at? here's a little additional information

This video is from shortly after the incident

Trayvon suspended THREE times for 'drugs, truancy, graffiti and carrying burglary tool' and did he attack bus driver too? New picture emerges of victim as parents claim it's all a smear

The teen was suspended from school three times

He was on suspension when he was shot in February, after officials caught him with a 'marijuana pipe' and a baggie with drug residue

Trayvon was kicked out of school in October for graffiti after he was allegedly caught with a 'burglary tool' and a bag full of women's jewelry

Officials also suspended him once for skipping school and tardiness

Trayvon Martin was suspended from school three times in the months before he was shot dead by a neighborhood watchman, it emerged today.

The new claims, revealed in a leaked report, paint a different picture of a teenager who frequently found himself in trouble with authorities.

It was also revealed that he might have attacked a bus driver, according to a Twitter account that it is claimed belonged to the teen.

The Miami Herald claims that in October, he was caught with a 'burglary tool' - a flathead screwdriver - and 12 pieces of women's jewellery. Martin insisted that they did not belong to him.

Earlier, he had been suspended for skipping school and showing up late to class. And most recently, in February, he was suspended again when officials found a 'marijuana pipe' and an empty baggie with traces of the drug.

The fresh claims are likely to be seized upon by supporters of George Zimmerman who say the teenager launched an unprovoked attack on the neighbourhood watch volunteer moments before Trayvon was shot dead.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2120504/Trayvon-Martin-case-He-suspended-times-caught-burglary-tool.html

[DetroittoAZ]

If Zimmerman had been a black man defending himself against Martins attack none of us would even know it happened.

This country is full of black racist and most of the black politicians are race baiting instigators.

Try stepping out of your bubble and start becoming more worldly!

[jonjon]

Try stepping out of your bubble and start becoming more worldly!

Wake up to what is going on in this country, one doesn't need to be so worldly.

[kox]

His job was to "call the police" and report whatever, he was told to "stand down" there was no need to follow this young man, and now he is dead. I hope this punk, Zimmerman gets 25 years in jail, and see if he is still as smart punk as he was when he went there. Now he wants a new judge... throw the book at him.

[armondtoth]

T. Martins parents should go to jail for neglect letting their teenage kid walk the streets in the middle of the night....My son would have never been walking thru the neighborhood to begin with....Take your kid in the car to go get some stupid skittles or whatever he was getting....our neighborhood got hit 3-4 times per year with gangbangers breaking into car's etc in the middle of the night....i suspect the same thing was happening in Zimmerman's neighborhood or no one would have been on night watch for vandals....Zimmerman should be set free...

You need to get your facts straight, it was not the middle of the night it was 7:15 in the evening.

[joekooltrips]

Nope....Saw Zimmermans brother on the news. I've also

been researching it.....listened to the tapes, looked at

the maps, read the eyewitness account. I've seen the photos

of the beating George took, and the area where it happened.

Trayvon is dead because he confronted a little Mexican guy

that turned out to be better armed.

What are you looking at? here's a little additional information

This video is from shortly after the incident

Trayvon suspended THREE times for 'drugs, truancy, graffiti and carrying burglary tool' and did he attack bus driver too? New picture emerges of victim as parents claim it's all a smear

The teen was suspended from school three times

He was on suspension when he was shot in February, after officials caught him with a 'marijuana pipe' and a baggie with drug residue

Trayvon was kicked out of school in October for graffiti after he was allegedly caught with a 'burglary tool' and a bag full of women's jewelry

Officials also suspended him once for skipping school and tardiness

Trayvon Martin was suspended from school three times in the months before he was shot dead by a neighborhood watchman, it emerged today.

The new claims, revealed in a leaked report, paint a different picture of a teenager who frequently found himself in trouble with authorities.

It was also revealed that he might have attacked a bus driver, according to a Twitter account that it is claimed belonged to the teen.

The Miami Herald claims that in October, he was caught with a 'burglary tool' - a flathead screwdriver - and 12 pieces of women's jewellery. Martin insisted that they did not belong to him.

Earlier, he had been suspended for skipping school and showing up late to class. And most recently, in February, he was suspended again when officials found a 'marijuana pipe' and an empty baggie with traces of the drug.

The fresh claims are likely to be seized upon by supporters of George Zimmerman who say the teenager launched an unprovoked attack on the neighbourhood watch volunteer moments before Trayvon was shot dead.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2120504/Trayvon-Martin-case-He-suspended-times-caught-burglary-tool.html

The caption at the vid you posted, 19 sec, Zimmerman follows, he was told not to . Everything else happens because Zimmerman follows. 911 call, -Dispatch- Are you following him ?. -Zimmerman- Yes. - Dispatch- We don't need you to do that.

If Zimmerman had been a black man defending himself against Martins attack none of us would even know it happened.

This country is full of black racist and most of the black politicians are race baiting instigators.

Just black racist huh, smh, let me ask you something, if Tray was white and shot dead do you think it would've taken this long for police to arrest Zimmerman ?.

Edited July 14, 2012 by joekooltrips

[markb57]

Use your BRAIN!

No, Use your brain! Why do you feel it necessary to post pictures of Trayvon from when he was 12 years old? While the picture of Zimmerman is close to reality, the pic of Trayvon is purposely distorted by the media for sentimental value. Trayvon looked nothing like that on the night of the shooting seeing as he was 17 years old.

just more liberal inaccuracies to push the agenda at hand.