On the second day of the George Zimmerman trial, prosecutors attempted to paint Zimmerman as an increasingly overzealous neighborhood watch participant who finally snapped after law enforcement did not respond to his calls. Meanwhile, defense got a prosecution witness to admit that Zimmerman’s call to police about alleged victim Trayvon Martin was justified based on Zimmerman’s description of events.
On Tuesday, Assistant State Attorney Richard Mantei argued that the jury should hear prior phone calls from Zimmerman to demonstrate a pattern of “growing frustration,” according to local reports. Zimmerman’s attorney argued that this was actually a character argument, not an evidentiary one. The judge has yet to give judgment on that issue.
Meanwhile, defense attorney Mark O’Mara cross-examined Wendy Dorival, who served as volunteer program coordinator for the Sanford Police Department. Dorival stated that neighborhood watch volunteers were not supposed to follow suspects, but added that she thought Zimmerman was a professional person, and had tried to recruit him to a citizens patrol program. She said that it was suspicious that a person – Trayvon Martin – was walking in the rain between houses without a particular purpose.
According to another witness, a 911 operator, it is not within the purview of 911 operators to give orders to callers.
Ben Shapiro is Editor-At-Large of Breitbart News and author of the New York Times bestseller “Bullies: How the Left’s Culture of Fear and Intimidation Silences America” (Threshold Editions, January 8, 2013).
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