A forensic expert testified on Tuesday that 17-year-old Trayvon Martin's gunshot wound indicated that he was likely on top of George Zimmerman when the neighborhood watch volunteer shot and killed him, Fox News reported.
Forensic pathologist Dr. Vincent Di Maio, an expert on gunshot wounds, said the single shot that killed Martin passed through his clothing as it hung 2-4 inches from his skin, indicating that he was over Zimmerman and 'leaning forward.'
"If you're lying on your back, the clothing is going to be against your chest," Di Maio testified. "So the fact that we know the clothing was 2 to 4 inches away is consistent with someone leaning over the person doing the shooting."
Di Maio also testified that Martin likely remained conscious for 10-15 seconds after being shot; he may have been alive for as long as 3 minutes, according to forensic evidence.
Di Maio stated that he agreed "100 percent" with the firearms examiner, who concluded the weapon was discharged against Martin's clothing.
"My opinion is that that muzzle of the gun was 2 to 4 inches away from the skin. So, the barrel of the gun was against the clothing, but the clothing itself had to be 2 to 4 inches away from the body at the time Mr. Martin was shot," Di Maio testified.
Defense attorneys contend DNA evidence found on Martin's hooded sweatshirt and undershirt was degraded since the clothing wasn't packaged properly. The forensic expert explained that this case is more about determining whether the physical evidence is consistent with Zimmerman's account of the fatal shooting.
Judge Debra Nelson denied a motion by prosecutors on Monday to keep out toxicology results which would show THC was in Martin's system from the jury.
Defense attorney Don West noted that in Zimmerman's statement to the non-emergency 911 dispatcher that it appeared the person he was observing in the Sanford, Fla., community was "on drugs."
Nelson is also expected to rule Tuesday on whether the defense can introduce a computer animation timeline of the fatal confrontation. Prosecutors believe the animation would only confuse jurors.
Zimmerman, 29, has pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder, claiming self-defense. It remains unclear whether Zimmerman himself will testify; jurors already have heard his account through videotaped police interviews played in court.
If convicted, Zimmerman faces life in prison.
Trayvon Martin's parents, Tracy Martin and Sybrina Fulton have already testified. During his testimony, Tracy Martin has denied that he told police the screaming in the background of a 911 call was not his son, contradicting the testimony of two officers who took the stand.
