Media Fights Efforts To Seal Zimmerman Records
ORLANDO (CBSMiami) – A hearing will be held Friday to address the media's efforts to have the records in the murder case against George Zimmerman unsealed.
Zimmerman, a Neighborhood Watch captain in a gated Sanford community, shot and killed 17-year old Trayvon Martin as the two scuffled on February 26th. Zimmerman, who claimed he shot Martin in self-defense, has been charged with second degree murder.
CBS4 is among the media outlets challenging the efforts by both prosecutors and Zimmerman's attorney to seal the release of witness names. The media has also challenged efforts to prevent the release of statements Zimmerman made to police.
In the nearly 200 evidence documents released earlier this month, crime scene photos show the immediate aftermath, including Zimmerman's facial injuries - a broken nose, two black eyes, gashes in the back of his head. Sanford police, however, said Zimmerman refused three times to go to the hospital.
Paramedics found Martin lying on his stomach, the can of iced tea, still cold, in his sweatshirt pocket. They flipped over his body and attempted CPR for six minutes.
Martin's autopsy showed he was shot through the heart. Gunpowder burns around his chest wound, called "stippling," suggest Zimmerman shot him no more than 18 inches away.
