Judge Denies Zimmerman's Request to Delay Trial Again

On what would have been slain teen Trayvon Martin’s 18th birthday (Feb.5), his accused killer George Zimmerman appeared in court to request a delay on his second-degree murder trial. His request was denied.

Zimmerman’s defense attorney Mark O’Mara motioned to the court of Seminole County in Florida to have his client’s June 10 trial date pushed back. Citing inadequate time to gather evidence, O’Mara attempted to appeal to the judge, Debra Nelson, while state prosecutor Bernie de la Rionda argued that the given time frame was adequate enough. The two debated on the details regarding witness depositions and access to withheld
evidence.

A key point of opposition in this morning’s hearing was Witness 8, the woman who attests that she heard a verbal exchange between Martin and Zimmerman before the killing. O’Mara requested to gather information regarding the witness’s social media accounts, which was granted by the judge. The defense also requested permission to obtain records from the 7-Eleven store Martin shopped at before he was killed. This was
also granted. O’Mara also asked to depose Benjamin Crump, an attorney for the Martin family. This request was denied.

Meanwhile, the Martin family and Sanford, FL community leaders are banning together to commemorate Trayvon’s birthday with a number of events this week. This afternoon, the NAACP and Sanford Police Department will hold an anti-gun violence rally in Goldboro. On Saturday (Feb. 9), a peace walk entitled “I am Trayvon, Day of Remembrance” will be held in Miami where Martin lived. And on Sunday, The Trayvon Martin Foundation will host a fundraising dinner with Reverend Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson in attendance.