George Zimmerman Trial Set For June 10th, 2013

George Zimmerman’s murder case has been set for trial:

SANFORD – George Zimmerman’s murder trial in the death of Trayvon Martin was set for June 10 during a hearing in court this morning.

Zimmerman, 29, is charged with second-degree murder for shooting Trayvon, an unarmed 17-year-old, in Sanford Feb. 26, a homicide that set off civil-rights rallies across the country.

This morning, Circuit Judge Debra Nelson set Zimmerman’s trial for June 10. Attorneys in the case said they estimate the trial will last three weeks. Prosecutor Bernie de la Rionda said he expected jury selection would take longer than the trial itself.

The hearing, known as a docket sounding, lasted about six minutes. Though the judge set a date, Zimmerman attorney Mark O’Mara was noncommittal about when he’d be fully prepared.

“I don’t know today when we’ll be ready for trial,” he said.

After the hearing, Zimmerman’s defense tweeted he will likely seek a hearing under the controversial self-defense law commonly known as “stand your ground” in the months leading up to trial.

The “self-defense immunity hearing [is] likely to be requested for April or May,” the tweet said.

(…)

Nearly two weeks ago, O’Mara formally asked the judge to delay the case. This week, co-counsel Don West filed paperwork, complaining that the special prosecutor in the case has failed to turn over all the evidence that’s required and had been uncooperative.

There’s another hearing in his case Friday. Among the things the judge will then hear is an argument about whether to allow O’Mara to subpoena Trayvon’s school records and whether the public should know about future defense subpoenas and what evidence they produce.

She’ll also hear argument about whether prosecutors are entitled to George Zimmerman’s medical records.

Also today defense attorneys in George Zimmerman’s case are scheduled to depose four Sanford police officers, including one who conducted a voice-stress test – something similar to a lie detector test – on Zimmerman and concluded he was telling the truth.

It’s entirely possible, of course, that this date may end up getting continued at some point or another if the defense determines that it needs more time to prepare for trial. For the moment, though, we’ve at least got a date for what will likely be another heavily-covered trial.

FILED UNDER: Crime, Law and the Courts, ,
Doug Mataconis
About Doug Mataconis
Doug Mataconis held a B.A. in Political Science from Rutgers University and J.D. from George Mason University School of Law. He joined the staff of OTB in May 2010 and contributed a staggering 16,483 posts before his retirement in January 2020. He passed far too young in July 2021.

Comments

  1. Black Racism is the Good Kind of Hate says:

    In Florida, a 14 year old KILLS college student (by choking) with his bare hands and the family hides the KILLER for months.
    .
    Not one white person was out in the streets threatening vigilante action (like the blacks were doing).
    .
    Members of the Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University (FAMU) KILLED their fellow band mate (as a way of welcoming him to the band?) in a hazing incident, but since the KILLERS were black and the victim was black, they were in no hurry to arrest anyone. It took months for an arrest in that case, but no media outcry (and no vigilante action) since the killers were black.
    .
    When blacks kill each other or if they kill whites, there is no hurry to arrest anyone. Only when the blacks think a white person has killed one of their people are there threats of riots and vigilante action.
    .
    Florida is a racist place. We have a large population of racist blacks and a news media that refuses to address their considerable hatred/contempt for whites.
    .
    The lawyers who work for the state of Florida are doing their share to ensure a travesty of justice takes place, but the good people of Florida wont allow an innocent man to be railroaded to appease the blood lust and racism of the African Americans.

  2. mantis says:

    @Black Racism is the Good Kind of Hate:

    Florida is a racist place.

    Well, you live there, so that’s one racist at least.