Trayvon Martin News

Audio experts differ on whether shouts for help on 911 calls are those of defendant George Zimmerman or of his shooting victim, 17-year-old Trayvon Martin.

One New Jersey-based expert said the screams came from Martin, while a Florida-based audio expert said the shouts were a mix of Martin and Zimmerman.

Attorneys prosecuting Zimmerman on a charge of second-degree murder hired the audio experts to compare samples of Zimmerman's and Martin's voices.

Shouts can be heard on the 911 calls phoned in by neighbors.

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Robert Zimmerman Jr., the brother of Trayvon Martin killer George Zimmerman, says he's sorry for a series of racist Tweets about his brother's case.

"I made a mistake," Robert Zimmerman Jr. said during an appearance on CNN's Piers Morgan Live. "It unfortunately may not have helped George."

That's putting it mildly.

George Zimmerman is charged with second-degree murder for killing Martin, who was 17, in an altercation in a residential neighborhood in Sanford, Florida.

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George Zimmerman's attorneys stunned court observers Tuesday when they waived their client's right to a "Stand Your Ground" pretrial hearing.

That hearing, scheduled for April, could have led to a dismissal of the charges in the shooting death of unarmed teenager Trayvon Martin in 2012.

Zimmerman, a former neighborhood watch captain in his Sanford, Fla., subdivision, shot and killed the teen, who was visiting a house in the area.

He claimed self-defense but faces second-degree murder charges. The move allows the defense more time to prepare for the trial this summer. 

It also raises the stakes for the defendant.

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George Zimmerman has filed a lawsuit against NBC over the way the network edited and played a 911 call following the shooting of Trayvon Martin in February.

Zimmerman claims NBC made him look like a "hostile racist."

Trayvon Martin 911 Call

NBC launched an internal investigation over the Trayvon Martin 911 call after it aired the recording, which featured Zimmerman quotes outside of their original context.

The tape played on the air made it sound like Zimmerman immediately told police that Martin, who he says he shot in self-defense, was black, without being prompted.

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George Zimmerman's DNA and his alone was found on the gun that killed Trayvon Martin in February, according to DNA test results released by officials Wednesday.

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement found Zimmerman’s DNA was on the gun but not Martin's; it is undetermined whether Martin's DNA was on the holster.

George Zimmerman has acknowledged shooting Trayvon Martin, but has maintained that he acted in self-defense in the wake of a confrontation that left him injured.

The DNA tests could play a role in the trial, allowing the prosecution to argue against self-defense since it now seems that Martin never even touched the weapon.

The defense could argue that Zimmerman shot before Martin could grab the gun.

The test results were the latest discovery material released by officials in the murder case, which has become a national flashpoint in race relations and gun laws.

Zimmerman, 28, is free on bail awaiting trial on charges of second-degree murder in the killing of Martin, an unarmed African American teenager, in Sanford, Fla.

Zimmerman was not arrested the night of the shooting in the gated community. After weeks of protests about that fact, a special prosecutor charged Zimmerman.

Officials cited missed opportunities by the defendant to diffuse the situation with Martin in charging him with murder; he has apologized to Martin's family twice.

A Florida judge delayed his decision today on whether to let George Zimmerman out of jail on bond a second time. Meanwhile, both prosecutors and the man accused of murdering Trayvon Martin and laid out elements of their case at the bond hearing.

Judge Kenneth Lester revoked Zimmerman's $150,000 bond earlier this month, believing the defendant and wife Shellie Zimmerman intentionally tried to mislead the court about their financial situation in April so he would be granted bond.

Zimmerman denies lying and wants the $150,000 reinstated.

George Zimmerman Bail Bond Hearing

The pair did not disclose more than $100,000 raised through a legal defense fund website; Zimmerman's wife was also charged with perjury.

In a two-hour-plus hearing on Friday, Zimmerman asked for his re-release, which led to the defense and prosecution conducting a mini-trial of sorts.

The state argued that Zimmerman is a criminal who should not be released, while the defense put forward evidence that he acted in self defense.

The defense played the Trayvon Martin 911 call from February 26, the night he was killed. In April, Zimmerman was charged with second-degree murder.

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George Zimmerman failed to identify himself twice and missed opportunities to defuse a confrontation with Trayvon Martin, a detective says in a newly released report.

Zimmerman, a neighborhood watch volunteer, is charged with second-degree murder in the February 26 shooting death of Martin, 17, in Sanford, Florida.

The report, which Florida prosecutors released Tuesday, includes a video of Zimmerman showing injuries he said he suffered in the altercation with Martin.

Zimmerman, 28, told police he shot the teen in self-defense, but many feel he racially profiled Martin and ignored a 911 dispatcher's advice not to follow him.

Among the documents released was a report from a police officer who conducted computerized voice stress analysis tests on Zimmerman following the incident.

"Mr. Zimmerman was subjected to two exams, and was found to be classified as No Deception Indicated," the report said.

Also released was an unredacted capias request, a request that someone be taken into custody, prepared by the lead police investigator in the case.

Christopher Serino wrote in the report:

"Investigative findings show that (Zimmerman) had at least two opportunities to speak with (Martin) in order to defuse the circumstances surrounding their encounter."

"On at least two occasions (Zimmerman) failed to identify himself as a concerned resident or a neighborhood watch volunteer."

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George Zimmerman's bail has been revoked after a judge said he misled the court about his finances. Trayvon Martin's killer must turn himself in by Sunday.

During Zimmerman's bail hearing in April, after which he was freed on $150,000 bond, his family testified they had limited funds, prosecutors said on Friday.

Zimmerman's wife "said she had no money, but in fact she did," said prosecutor Bernardo de la Rionda of the issue that led to Zimmerman's bail revocation.

"It was misleading ... I don't know what other words to use. It was a blatant lie."

He pointed to $135,000 in funds raised from the public that was not disclosed during the hearing. Defense lawyer Mark O'Mara said it was a misunderstanding.

O'Mara said Zimmerman did not lie, but was simply unclear about how he could use the money, and that his office has been keeping close tabs on the funds.

"We have kept an exact ledger of every penny that he spent," said O'Mara.

Prosecutors also Zimmerman did not disclose that was in possession of a second passport; he had replaced a passport he lost only to find the original later.

Zimmerman was ordered to surrender himself in 48 hours. He pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder in the February 26 death of the unarmed teen.

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Witnesses in the Trayvon Martin case have changed their stories "in ways that may damage" George Zimmerman, according to new reports.

The four witnesses, all neighbors, were interviewed multiple times by police and special prosecutors about what they saw on February 26.

That was the night in which Zimmerman fatally shot Martin in Sanford, Fla.

Four days after the shooting, one woman told police she "saw two guys running" and then "a fistfight ... just fists, I don't know who was hitting who."

But on March 20, she told investigators she saw just one person.

"I couldn't tell you if it was a man, a woman, a kid, black or white," the woman, "Witness 2," said. "I couldn't tell you because it was dark and because I didn't have my contacts on or glasses. I just know that I saw a person out there."

Another witness, who was initially interviewed on March 20, said she saw two people on the ground immediately after the shooting.

She was not sure who was on top then, the Orlando Sentinel says. Six days later, however, she was sure: It was Zimmerman on top.

The woman, "Witness 12," said:

"I know after seeing the TV of what's happening, comparing their sizes, I think Zimmerman was definitely on top because of his size."

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George Zimmerman pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder in the death of Trayvon Martin and waived his right to a speedy trial on Tuesday.

Arguing to a Florida court that he needs more time to prepare for trial, his move means it could be October at the earliest before it gets underway.

Zimmerman's intentions were outlined in two brief documents that his attorney, Mark O'Mara, filed Tuesday in Seminole County, Fla., circuit court.

The actions did not come as a surprise to legal experts, who said such moves are common even in less-complex and lower-profile felony cases.

Florida law requires suspects charged with a felony be brought to trial within 175 days of their arrest, unless those defendants ask that the right be waived.

Zimmerman was released from jail after posting $150,000 bond last month.

The 28-year-old turned himself in to authorities on April 11, charged with the murder of Trayvon Martin, an unarmed black teenager on February 26.

Martin was walking in Zimmerman's neighborhood in Sanford, Fla., and for reasons only he truly knows, considered him to be suspicious.

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