The defense in the George Zimmerman case has made much use of the Internet as a means of defending Trayvon Martin's shooter to the media and public. On Monday, the defense released a color photograph taken by the Sanford, Florida police after the shooting of 17-year-old Martin.
The photograph is posted on the website gzlegalcase.com
The website also indicates an intention to publish all records in the case as soon as permission is granted from the court. According to the website, "In accordance with the updates to our media policy that we published November 13, we will be making all public documents related to the case available on our website, including the rest of the State's 9th Supplemental Discovery as soon as we are sure it has been properly redacted according to the Court's stipulations on protecting information regarding specific witnesses."
The picture depicts Zimmerman with a bloody swollen nose.
The colored picture was released by the defense on Monday to supplement their argument that their client shot the 17-year-old unarmed boy in self-defense. The photo, which was taken by the Sanford, Florida police, was initially released to the public and media in black and white.
In other recent development, The defense requested Judge Debra Nelson to order the Martin family to hand over the recorded interview of a witness who claims to be the girlfriend of Trayvon Martin.
The request was made for the judge to order Martin family attorney Benjamin Crump, to hand over the complete original interview of the girl described in records as witness # 8. According to the Orlando Sentinel, "the girlfriend was on the phone with 17-year-old Trayvon moments before he was shot by Zimmerman."
One of Zimmerman's attorney, Don West told Judge Nelson ""the original recording of her interview...it's "important that the original recording be available for expert examination," as reported by the Orlando Sentinel.
Judge Nelson will rule on the matter at the next court hearing on Dec.11
Earlier this month, Mark O'mara, head defense attorney of Zimmerman, disposed a witness list that mentioned two key investigators in the case.
According to Orlando Sentinel, O'mara wants to call upon Tim Smith, the first officer on the scene of the crime and Sgt. Randy Smith, the investigator who supervised the investigation, to the witness stand.
Officer Smith was the police who handcuffed Zimmerman and took him into custody. The police usually provide testimonies for the state. But according to The Hispanic Business, O'Mara will be using this unusual strategy in defending his client who is being charged with second-degree murder Martin.
Recently, prosecutor Bernie de la Rionda leaked the names of the witness. Whether this was an intentional move or accident remains unclear.
Earlier this month, O'Mara said that his witness would be given numbers as identities. O'Mara will submitted a list of witness to Judge Debra Nelson, while keeping their names unknown.
According to an article in the Orlando Sentinel, Rionda filed a summary sheet, which is open to the public, on November 8 at the Seminole County Court. The summary has a list of a number of witnesses.
Whether Judge Nelson will take any action against the prosecutor is yet unclear.
The defense claims to currently have between 50-70 witnesses according to the Huffington Post. Zimmerman's legal team submitted a request to delay the trial, which is been set for June 10. O'Mara states that the defense needs additional time to prepare for the case.
Zimmerman was arrested in February for the killing of the 17-year-old, Zimmerman who was armed shot Martin after claiming that he was attacked by the teenager and fired in an act of self-defense. The 28-year-old Zimmerman has maintained the claim to self-defense from the beginning of the case.
In July, the Florida judge set Zimmerman's bail for $1 million, after previously revoking a $150,000 bond, for misleading the court about his finances.
He has been released from jail on bond, but under strict conditions including a round the clock GPS monitoring system.
Court hearing for trial has been set for June 10.
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