UPDATE: 6:21 PM EST
George Zimmerman’s defense attorney has officially asked for a six-week delay in the second-degree murder trial that is set to begin June 10.
This request comes the same day the attorneys released new evidence from Trayvon Martin’s cell phone in an attempt to show that he had a history of aggression.
Story developing.
SOURCE: WFTV
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As George Zimmerman‘s trial inches closer and closer, his defense lawyers are pulling out all the stops to make sure they have a strong case.
Just today, attorneys representing Zimmerman released evidence they pulled from Trayvon Martin‘s cell phone that they hope will paint a different picture of the 17-year-old who was shot down by Zimmerman last February. They officially notified prosecutors that they may use them at Zimmerman’s second-degree murder trial.
Although Trayvon’s prior behavior has nothing to do with his murder, and Zimmerman knew nothing of Trayvon when he shot him dead, the defense is expected to make a case that he was a thug and a troubled teenager.
Among the evidence are pictures of a gun and a marijuana plant:
There is also photo of Trayvon blowing smoke, although it is unclear if the substance he smoked was marijuana or tobacco.
Attorneys are also pointing to a text message in which Trayvon described himself as “a gangsta” and wrote that his mother had kicked him out of the house.
According to the Orlando Sentinel:
The texts about Trayvon being a “gangsta” came on November 22, 2011, three months before he was killed, the same day he wrote a friend that he had been suspended from school for cutting classes and that his mother had ordered him to move out.
Other photos include a widely circulated picture of Trayvon with a gold grill on the bottom row of his teeth.
This is the second batch of evidence released by the defense team in three days. On Tuesday, new photos of Zimmerman and Trayvon’s clothes were released to the court.
They were taken by Zimmerman’s defense team Aug. 8 at a state crime lab and show pieces of evidence after they had been analyzed, including the hoodie with a bullet hole in it that Trayvon wore.
In response to the evidence, Trayvon’s family released this statement:
“The only photos or videos that are relevant or admissible at trial are those of Trayvon taken the day he was shot and killed by George Zimmerman. There is no evidence that Trayvon neither had gold teeth nor gave anybody the finger the night he was shot and killed. Therefore those pictures are irrelevant and will not be admitted into evidence. Is the defense trying to prove Trayvon deserved to be killed by George Zimmerman because the way he looked? If so, this stereotypical and closed-minded thinking is the same mindset that caused George Zimmerman to get out of his car and pursue Trayvon, an unarmed kid who he didn’t know. The pre-trial release of these irrelevant red herrings is a desperate and pathetic attempt by the defense to pollute and sway the jury pool. The evidence that will be admitted at trial is the legally documented history of George Zimmerman’s propensity for violence, such as his arrest for battery on a law enforcement officer, his injunction to prevent domestic violence taken out by his ex-girlfriend, and evidence of his training as a bouncer for Data Whore Productions, Inc.”
It’s not entirely clear how well these photographs will stand up in court, but do you believe that these pictures paint a picture of a “thuggish” teenager, or just a regular teen boy?
While we think the latter, the judge will decide when the trial starts on June 10.
SOURCE: Orlando Sentinel
