For the first time since that fateful night on February 26, the father of a neighborhood watch volunteer who shot and killed an unarmed teenager sat down for a television interview.
For the first time since that fateful night on February 26, the father of a neighborhood watch volunteer who shot and killed an unarmed teenager sat down for a television interview.
LAKE MARY, Fla. (WOFL FOX 35 ORLANDO) -
Robert Zimmerman Jr. says, right after Trayvon Martin was shot and killed, there was a public relations campaign to ruin George Zimmerman's reputation. He says it was fabricated by people looking to gain attention in the case and now he'd like a federal investigation into whether his brother's civil rights were violated.
"He is not a murderer.," Robert Zimmerman Jr. says as he continues to defend his brother George. And this time, he's using an online petition to gather support. "The malicious stories they told in the beginning that even made a prosecution like this even possible. I don't think this should have been prosecuted."
The petition is one of many created on a website created by the White House, allowing citizens to speak out about their concerns. Robert says a man named David from California created this petition asking for a federal investigation into the malicious prosecution of George Zimmerman. While some Trayvon Martin supporters question the credibility of the creator, Robert Jr says the message on the petition is important because it questions the people involved early in the case, "Had more to do with promoting a self serving agenda and there's also some political interests or political motivations."
He says it was wrong for Trayvon Martin's family attorneys to insinuate that his brother is a racist murderer. "I think Benjamin Crump and Natalie Jackson laid a foundation for that to happen. Both Crump and Jackson deny acting malicious towards George Zimmerman. We talked to Benjamin Crump over the phone, "Everything we did I feel was certainly appropriate because there was going to be no arrest of a killer of an unarmed kid and that is a true tragedy." They say, they never called George Zimmerman a racist murderer, "We said from the beginning we don't know who he is, other than the fact that he shot this unarmed kid."
"In my eyes, George was a victim in a heinous assault," he says.
Zimmerman needs 25,000 signatures to get the attention of the federal government. Right now, he has around 70, but plans to work hard to collect more.
"It's my hope that we get to that. I think there should be consequences."
George Zimmerman's attorney, Mark O'Mara, has said that he's using social media to defend his client and protect his reputation.
Tuesday, June 18 2013 7:02 PM EDT2013-06-18 23:02:24 GMT
Attorneys trying to pick a jury in George Zimmerman's murder trial have selected a pool of 40 potential jurors who will go on to a second round of questioning. [More: ZimmermanTrialOnFox.com]
Attorneys trying to pick a jury in George Zimmerman's murder trial have selected a pool of 40 potential jurors who will go on to a second round of questioning. [More: ZimmermanTrialOnFox.com]
Tuesday, June 18 2013 10:52 AM EDT2013-06-18 14:52:58 GMT
A voice recognition researcher for George Zimmerman is discounting the methods of prosecution experts who claim that screams captured on a 911 call belong to 17-year-old Trayvon Martin
A voice recognition researcher for George Zimmerman is discounting the methods of prosecution experts who claim that screams captured on a 911 call belong to 17-year-old Trayvon Martin
Monday, June 17 2013 8:05 PM EDT2013-06-18 00:05:05 GMT
Potential jurors' views on race were the focus of questioning Monday in second week of their selection for the second-degree murder trial of George Zimmerman. [More: ZimmermanTrialOnFox.com]
Potential jurors' views on race were the focus of questioning Monday in second week of their selection for the second-degree murder trial of George Zimmerman. [More: ZimmermanTrialOnFox.com]
Sunday, June 16 2013 4:26 PM EDT2013-06-16 20:26:29 GMT
An attorney defending George Zimmerman in his murder trial said at the end of the first week of jury selection that he thinks a jury could be seated by the middle of next week.
An attorney defending George Zimmerman in his murder trial said at the end of the first week of jury selection that he thinks a jury could be seated by the middle of next week.
Friday, June 14 2013 11:08 PM EDT2013-06-15 03:08:50 GMT
A juror in the George Zimmerman trial who had been dismissed caused a stir Friday after he returned to the Seminole County courthouse and complained about the jury process. [MORE: ZimmermanTrialOnFox.com]
A juror in the George Zimmerman trial who had been dismissed caused a stir Friday after he returned to the Seminole County courthouse and complained about the jury process. [MORE: ZimmermanTrialOnFox.com]
Thursday, June 13 2013 9:54 PM EDT2013-06-14 01:54:22 GMT
Attorneys are now asking for a pool of 40 potential jurors, instead of 30, before going on to the next phase of questioning. [More: ZimmermanTrialOnFox.com]
Attorneys are now asking for a pool of 40 potential jurors, instead of 30, before going on to the next phase of questioning. [More: ZimmermanTrialOnFox.com]
A lawyer for the family of Trayvon Martin stressed that the teenager George Zimmerman is accused of murdering is not the one on trial. [More: ZimmermanTrialOnFox.com]
During a news conference following Wednesday's jury selection proceedings, a lawyer for the family of Trayvon Martin stressed that the teenager George Zimmerman is accused of murdering is not the one on trial. [More: ZimmermanTrialOnFox.com]
Tuesday, June 11 2013 12:34 PM EDT2013-06-11 16:34:58 GMT
Members of the public interested in attending the George Zimmerman trial can enter a lottery for one of 24 seats in the courtroom, the Eighteenth Judicial Circuit said.
Members of the public interested in attending the George Zimmerman trial can enter a lottery for one of 24 seats in the courtroom, the Eighteenth Judicial Circuit said.
A judge in the case of a former neighborhood watch leader accused of shooting Florida teenager Trayvon Martin is set to hear arguments on a request by defense attorneys to delay the trial.
A judge in the case of a former neighborhood watch leader accused of shooting Florida teenager Trayvon Martin has denied a defense request to delay the trial.
Thursday, September 20 2012 8:10 AM EDT2012-09-20 12:10:24 GMT
After new evidence was released in the State of Florida vs. George Zimmerman case, Zimmerman's attorney, Mark O'Mara has made plans to hit back. He says, he's going to ask for more DNA testing.
After new evidence was released in the State of Florida vs. George Zimmerman case, Zimmerman's attorney, Mark O'Mara has made plans to hit back. He says, he's going to ask for more DNA testing.
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