TRAYVON MARTIN CASE

Witness who saw “tussle” testifies in Zimmerman trial as social media explodes over photo of defense lawyer

 
 
Rachel (left), Molly and Don West are seen in this photo, which was posted on Molly West's Instagram page Thursday.
Rachel (left), Molly and Don West are seen in this photo, which was posted on Molly West's Instagram page Thursday.
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ebenn@MiamiHerald.com

The case sparked protests and marches in the 44 days between Trayvon’s death and Zimmerman’s arrest. It also led to vigorous debates about race and Florida’s controversial Stand Your Ground law, which does not apply to this case.

A six-person, all-female jury, sequestered by Seminole County Circuit Judge Debra Nelson, will decide Zimmerman’s fate.

Jurors on Friday also heard Smith, the first responding officer, testify about Zimmerman’s demeanor and actions, noting that he was calm and followed officers’ orders.

Another witness, Jonathan Manalo, a neighbor who was the first to speak with Zimmerman before officers arrived, said he seemed coherent but looked as if he had been in a fight.

“It looked to you like he had just got his butt beat?" defense attorney West asked.

“Yes," Manalo responded.

As Smith handcuffed Zimmerman, Manalo said, Zimmerman asked Manalo to call his wife, Shellie. Manalo said he dialed the number and began to explain that there had been a shooting and Zimmerman would be at the Sanford Police Department.

“Just tell her I shot someone,” Manalo recalled an impatient Zimmerman saying.

Paramedic Stacey Livingston said she treated Zimmerman for “about five minutes” at the scene, cleaning up two cuts on the back of his head. She also noted that his nose was “very swollen” but Zimmerman declined to be taken to the hospital. She said she evaluated Zimmerman as a perfect 15 on the Glasgow Coma Scale, meaning his eyesight and verbal and motor skills were unimpaired.

A physician’s assistant who examined Zimmerman the next day, Lindzee Folgate, told jurors that he complained of nose pain and displayed injuries consistent with being struck in the face and thrown to the ground.

But Folgate also said Zimmerman was not suffering from headaches, dizziness, numbness or blurred vision when she saw him. She said he had nausea at the thought of the shooting, which she determined to be psychological, not physiological.

Friday’s testimony capped a dramatic week in a fifth-floor courtroom where jurors heard from 22 state witnesses in the opening week of testimony.

Prosecutor John Guy jolted jurors to attention in his opening statement Monday when he repeated expletives that Zimmerman can be heard saying on a recorded call when he phoned police to report a suspicious person a few minutes before the shooting. Zimmerman attorney West led his opening argument with a knock-knock joke that fell flat.

Graphic crime-scene images and emotional 911 calls with audible screams and a gunshot sent Trayvon’s parents, often in tears, walking out of the courtroom.

The longest and most-talked-about testimony so far has come from 19-year-old Miami student Rachel Jeantel, a childhood friend of Trayvon’s who was speaking on the phone with him moments before his death.

She remained steadfast, even under intense cross-examination that stretched over two days, about what she heard on those final phone calls with Trayvon, including that she heard him say “Why are you following me for?” followed by “get off, get off.” She acknowledged, however, that she could not say for sure who the aggressor was because she was not there.

Jeantel’s testimony, like Molly West’s Instagram photo, kicked up a storm of comments on Twitter, Facebook and other social media sites, where posters opined on everything from her appearance to her diction. The criticisms was followed by pushback from supporters who defended her and praised her courage.

The discovery of Molly West’s Instagram photo came a day after O’Mara discussed the power of social media in the case. He said it was “amazing,” adding that he had barely even heard of Twitter before he became Zimmerman’s attorney last year.

The defense team launched a blog last year to document evidence and updates in the case and raise money. Supporters on both sides have used social media to release information and comments about the case long before the trial got under way.

“We’ve had witnesses walk out of the courtroom and start tweeting,’’ O’Mara said.

Read more Trayvon Martin stories from the Miami Herald

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