Saturday, October 20, 2012
Associated Press
SANFORD, Fla.
A judge ruled Friday that attorneys for a Florida neighborhood-watch volunteer can inspect the school records and social-media postings of the unarmed teenager he is accused of murdering.
Judge Debra S. Nelson said that defendant George Zimmerman’s attorneys need to know whether Trayvon Martin’s school records and social-media postings give any evidence that he had violent tendencies.
The 29-year-old Zimmerman fatally shot the 17-year-old Martin in February. Zimmerman has pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder, saying he shot Martin in self-defense. He was present Friday, his first appearance in public since his July bond hearing. He and his wife, Shellie, remain in hiding somewhere in Seminole County because of safety concerns.
The judge said she would review Zimmerman’s medical records to see if they should be turned over to prosecutors. Nelson set another hearing for Friday.
She also will take up an emergency motion filed Thursday by defense attorney Mark O’Mara that asks the court to grant depositions of several Sanford police officers, including former Chief Bill Lee.