Trayvon Martin’s recording of a fight with a homeless man was originally misinterpreted by the defense team of the teen’s accused killer. Mike O’Mara, lead lawyer for George Zimmerman, posted online Sunday (June 2) that he wrongfully accused Martin of being involved in the scuffle.
The plan was to use Martin’s video as evidence that the high schooler had a history of violence, and attacked Zimmerman on the night of their fatal run-in.
O’Mara nobly called out his own mistake, so as to not skew the original story.
From the Los Angeles Times:
George Zimmerman’s lawyers said Sunday that a video found on slain Florida teen Trayvon Martin’s cellphone shows two homeless men fighting over a bicycle, not two of Martin’s friends beating up a homeless man, as defense attorney Mark O’Mara described it in court last week.
Martin and a friend came upon the fight and Martin merely recorded it, according to a statement.
O’Mara described his mischaracterization in court as unintentional and said he was unhappy about it.
“We have been committed to disputing misinformation in every aspect of this case, not causing it,” the statement said.
That video is among evidence O’Mara’s office notified prosecutors two weeks ago that it may use at Zimmerman’s second-degree murder trial, scheduled to begin June 10 in Sanford, Fla.
A Florida judge recently barred the use of Martin’s personal records in court, which may be damaging to the defense. According to Zimmerman, he shot the unarmed 17 year old out of self-defense, and fear for his life. With Martin standing above 6 feet, the former neighborhood watch captain’s team is outfitted with the task of making the youngster look like the aggressor, so as to warrant the shooting.
Building a proper case for Zimmerman also has its financial challenges. O’Mara and his co-counsel are in need of more donations to their defense fund, and have not yet been paid for their work.
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