General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: Zimmerman Trial - Why do cops/analysts not know what actually happened? [View all]pnwmom
(108,977 posts)They apparently bought Zimmerman's claim of self-defense . They were letting him wander around the station not in handcuffs, and didn't trust him for drugs and alcohol (they did test Martin). They let him go after a few hours without arresting him. They only re-opened the case because of the public outcry.
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/17/us/trayvon-martin-case-shadowed-by-police-missteps.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0
The vehicle that Mr. Zimmerman was driving when he first spotted Mr. Martin was mistakenly not secured by officers as part of the crime scene. The vehicle was an important link in the fatal encounter because it was where Mr. Zimmerman called the police to report a suspicious teenager in a hooded sweatshirt roaming through the Retreat. Mr. Zimmerman also said he was walking back to the vehicle when he was confronted by Mr. Martin, who was unarmed, before shooting him.
The police were not able to cover the crime scene to shield evidence from the rain, and any blood from cuts that Mr. Zimmerman suffered when he said Mr. Martin pounded his head into a sidewalk may have been washed away.
The police did not test Mr. Zimmerman for alcohol or drug use that night, and one witness said the lead investigator quickly jumped to a conclusion that it was Mr. Zimmerman, and not Mr. Martin, who cried for help during the struggle.
http://wunc.org/post/george-zimmermans-murder-trial-begins-florida
In his opening statement, Donald West, one of the lawyers representing George Zimmerman, dismissed the fact there was no blood or DNA on Trayvon Martin's hands, blaming crime scene technicians for not taking steps to preserve that evidence.
http://uspolitics.tribe.net/thread/1f6e0293-aa53-4d15-9407-5a476da89aba
Law enforcement experts said that Sanford police made key errors early in the investigation and made crucial decisions before important evidence was gathered. Martin's cell phone records were not immediately checked. Investigators did not talk with key witnesses for more than a week.
While police conducted a criminal background check on Martin, as well as drug and alcohol tests, Zimmerman was not subject the same tests. It was learned later that Zimmerman was arrested in 2005 for assaulting a police officer and has had a history of aggression and violence, including domestic violence.
During her news conference announcing the charges, Corey took an apparent swipe at Sanford police officials, who leaked confidential information about the case that appeare