Skip to main content

Attorneys in Zimmerman case want evidence sealed

By the CNN Wire Staff
May 25, 2012 -- Updated 0047 GMT (0847 HKT)
Florida prosecutors and George Zimmerman's attorney want some evidence sealed until his trial in the death of Trayvon Martin.
Florida prosecutors and George Zimmerman's attorney want some evidence sealed until his trial in the death of Trayvon Martin.
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
  • Motions filed by prosecutors, George Zimmerman's attorney
  • They want certain evidence kept private until trial
  • Zimmerman is charged in death of Trayvon Martin

(CNN) -- Florida prosecutors and George Zimmerman's defense attorney want certain evidence -- including e-mails, cell phone records and statements -- sealed until his trial in the death of Trayvon Martin.

Assistant State Attorney Bernie de la Rionda, in a motion filed Thursday, requested a judge seal statements Zimmerman made to law enforcement officers, some of which he called "contradictory."

The prosecutor said some of Zimmerman's statements were "inconsistent with the physical evidence and statements of witnesses."

He did not provide details of the evidence or statements.

The state, citing pretrial publicity, said it wants names and addresses of witnesses kept out of the public record. It asked the same thing for crime scene and autopsy photos, a 911 recording of the incident and cell phone records of Martin, 17. It said those phone records would identify a witness.

New documents shed light on Trayvon Martin killing

Zimmerman's attorney, Mark O'Mara, filed a concurring motion. He said the defense wants 1,000 e-mails received by Sanford police sealed, as well as statements by Zimmerman. He asked that text messages, e-mail messages or journals made by the defendant be kept private, at least until they can be reviewed.

Zimmerman, a neighborhood watch volunteer, is charged with second-degree murder in Martin's February death, which sparked nationwide protests and inflamed public passions over race relations and gun control. Zimmerman has pleaded not guilty.

On a website made on behalf of his client, O'Mara cautioned a rush to judgment since only half of the investigation documents have been made available to the public.

"The remainder of the discovery is currently being scrutinized, and certain information is being properly redacted -- especially information that puts witnesses in potential danger or risks unnecessarily inflaming the cultural tensions that surround this case," O'Mara said on the site. "We agree with the state's decision to attend to this discovery in a methodical, protected way."

A judge will conduct a June 1 hearing on the matter.

CNN's Vivian Kuo contributed to this report.

ADVERTISEMENT
Part of complete coverage on
Trayvon Martin shooting
February 26, 2013 -- Updated 1551 GMT (2351 HKT)
February 26, 2012. That was the day two strangers -- Trayvon Martin, and George Zimmerman -- met for the first and only time.
February 26, 2013 -- Updated 1547 GMT (2347 HKT)
The shooting death of Trayvon Martin one year ago continues to resonate among the consciousness of many Americans.
February 26, 2013 -- Updated 1816 GMT (0216 HKT)
The final, violent moments in the life of their son, Trayvon Martin, no longer dominate the national news, as they once did.
One year after an explosion of press attention, the question seems obvious: Has the news media learned anything about covering race issues in the wake of the Trayvon Martin shooting?
March 22, 2012 -- Updated 1255 GMT (2055 HKT)
Supporters of Trayvon Martin rallyed in New York's Union Square during a "Million Hoodie March" on Wednesday, March 21, 2012.
February 26, 2013 -- Updated 2100 GMT (0500 HKT)
"Murderer," one e-mail's subject line said. These venom-drenched words are just a smattering of at least 400 e-mails and letters, all sent to George Zimmerman over the past 10 months.
The shooting of Trayvon Martin prompted Florida, and other states, to take another look at the law pivotal to this case, the so-called "stand your ground" law.
July 19, 2012 -- Updated 1155 GMT (1955 HKT)
George Zimmerman gave his first television interview, saying he had to act after Trayvon Martin said "you are going to die tonight" and reached for Zimmerman's gun holster.
May 18, 2012 -- Updated 1513 GMT (2313 HKT)
Florida, urged prosecutors to take George Zimmerman into custody after arguing his killing of Trayvon Martin was "ultimately avoidable."
May 9, 2012 -- Updated 1250 GMT (2050 HKT)
The police chief in Sanford, Florida, said communities should "take a good, hard look at who is selected" for neighborhood watch programs.
March 30, 2012 -- Updated 1533 GMT (2333 HKT)
Just like most any other teenager, Trayvon Martin enjoyed listening to music, going to the movies and the roller rink with his friends, friends and family said.
The Martin case renewed scrutiny of Florida's 2005 "Stand Your Ground" law -- and others like it.
April 19, 2012 -- Updated 0210 GMT (1010 HKT)
The judge in George Zimmerman case has received high ratings from defense lawyers but isn't known as a "soft touch."
December 3, 2012 -- Updated 2231 GMT (0631 HKT)
See photos of an injured George Zimmerman that his attorneys say it were taken the night unarmed teen Trayvon Martin was killed in Sanford, Florida.
ADVERTISEMENT