By Abena Agyeman-Fisher
newsone.com
A few days ago, the news broke that Witness #6 had changed his story in the George Zimmerman case. In a shocking turn of events, three more witnesses have also changed their story, and their new version of events will likely be damaging to Zimmerman’s defense, according to the Chicago Tribune.
Since Zimmerman has been charged with second-degree murder, investigators had a number of witnesses who went on record corroborating Zimmerman’s claim that he shot unarmed teen Trayvon Martin with a single bullet in self-defense.
Now, Witnesses 2, 12, and 13 have changed their accounts, with Witness 1’s latest account being the most damaging. Witness 2 reportedly lives in the Twin Lakes community, where Trayvon was murdered. She has been interviewed by authorities three times. Initially, she told investigators,”I saw two guys running. Couldn’t tell you who was in front, who was behind.” She then went on to say that she only saw fists that she couldn’t tell apart, “[I] saw a fistfight. Just fists. I don’t know who was hitting who.”
In her second interview, Witness 2 added another detail, explaining that both Trayvon and Zimmerman were 10 feet apart. In her final interview, though, Witness 2 said that she no longer saw two people running, only one, “I couldn’t tell you if it was a man, a woman, a kid, Black or White. I couldn’t tell you because it was dark and because I didn’t have my contacts on or glasses. … I just know I saw a person out there.”
With Witness 12, who reportedly lives in the same neighborhood as the fatal incident, she said she witnessed two people on the ground but wasn’t sure if Trayvon or Zimmerman was on top, “I don’t know which one. … All I saw when they were on the ground was dark colors,” she said.
In her subsequent interview, though, she identified Zimmerman as the aggressor, after being able to observe both of their sizes, “I know after seeing the TV of what’s happening, comparing their sizes, I think Zimmerman was definitely on top because of his size.”
Witness 13 is said to have the most-damaging account to Zimmerman’s case.
He says that Zimmerman talked with him after the shooting, saying, “[Zimmerman said Trayvon] was beating up on me, so I had to shoot him.”
In his most-recent account, though, Witness 13 added that Zimmerman acted as if the murder was no big deal and then asked him to call his wife. The Chicago Tribune reports: “Zimmerman’s tone, the witness said, was “not like ‘I can’t believe I just shot someone!’ it was more like, ‘Just tell my wife I shot somebody…’ like it was nothing.”
Clearly, Zimmerman’s defense has a growing problem.
Witness 2’s account could easily be interpreted as Trayvon running away from a crazed volunteer neighborhood watchman with a gun. Obviously, Witness 12’s observations are even more damaging. She suggests that Zimmerman was on top, once again corroborating the prosecution’s claim that Trayvon was in the fight of his life, attempting in vain to defend himself against Zimmerman. Then there is Witness 13, whose portrayal of Zimmerman chimes with the idea that he is a crazed racist who thought he could hunt, assault, and shoot any random Black male at the drop of a dime.
With hope, Zimmerman’s trial will unearth the truth for all to see, but if these developments keep going in this direction, Zimmerman may not find it so easy to get off in the murder of Trayvon Martin after all.
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