by Patrick H. Moore
One of the strangest things about the George Zimmerman case is the peculiar manner in which he seemed profoundly transformed by shooting and killing Trayvon Martin. During the now-famous 911 dispatch call, Zimmerman sounded tense, hostile and perhaps even paranoid. He delivered a string of F-Bombs and muttered his now-famous line: “Those a______, they always get away!” On the 911 dispatch tape, Zimmerman sounds downright scared, to such a degree that I have commented: “Who was the pursued and who was the pursuer?” Yet, during the equally famous Re-enactment walk-through the following day, Zimmerman seems almost preternaturally calm as he and the officer first drive and then walk through the complex. Furthermore, based on neighbor Jonathan Manalo’s testimony, Zimmerman was quite calm immediately after the shooting.
If one listens to the 911 tape carefully and then listens to and watches the Re-enactment video, one can hardly fail to notice this peculiar transformation. Prior to the shooting, Zimmerman seems edgy and distraught; after the shooting he is really quite calm considering the circumstances. So I can’t help but wonder:
What was it about the act of following, grappling with, and then shooting and killing Martin that apparently altered Zimmerman’s personality so profoundly?
On Friday, Dr. Shiping Bao, who performed the autopsy, revealed that Trayvon Martin may have remained alive for anywhere from 1 to 10 minutes after being shot at point blank range by Neighborhood Watch Commander George Zimmerman at the Retreat at Twin Lakes in Sanford, Florida on the evening of February 26, 2012.
Several of the residents of the complex recorded the screams and even called 911. At least two of these individuals testified that they looked outside and saw Zimmerman and Martin struggling on the ground. One witness, John Good, testified that he saw a smaller, dark-clad figure (Trayvon Martin) atop a larger lighter individual (George Zimmerman) performing what Good likened to the MMA “ground and pound” technique. It appears that none of these individuals came over to investigate immediately after the gunshot. Thus, none of the witnesses observed Trayvon Martin still alive breathing his final breaths.
By the time neighbor Jonathan Manalo came out to investigate, Zimmerman had left the vicinity of Trayvon Martin and was walking toward Manalo. He asked him to call him wife which Manalo did. In his testimony, Manalo reported that Zimmerman was calm and matter-of-fact, displayed little or no emotion, when he asked Manalo to call his wife.
Timothy Smith — the first Sanford Police Officer to arrive on the scene – is thought to have arrived within mere minutes of the shooting. In the aftermath, he made no mention of finding Martin still alive. Officer Ricardo Ayala and Sgt. Anthony Raimondo arrived shortly after Officer Smith. Sgt. Raimondo and the paramedics attempted to resuscitate Martin to no avail. He was pronounced dead at 7:30 p.m., approximately 15 minutes after the shooting. None of these officials appear to have conclusively expressed their opinion as to whether Martin appeared to be dead or alive when they arrived. It seems the resuscitation attempt was carried out in the hope that Martin might still be alive, not because the officers thought he was still alive.
Therefore, the only person who was definitely there with Martin immediately after the shooting was Zimmerman himself. Zimmerman has reported that Martin said something to the effect of “You Got Me” right after the bullet entered his heart. Zimmerman has been silent as to whether Martin remained alive for any appreciable amount of time after making his alleged final statement. Although he may have changed his story a time or two, Zimmerman has reported rearranging Martin’s body after the shooting, turning him over and spreading his arms out on the grass. This is contradicted by Jonathan Manalo’s testimony and the fact that the police officers apparently found Martin face down on the grass with his arms underneath him.
All that is known with certainty is that Zimmerman shot Martin and was with Martin during the 17-year-old black teenagers last moments (minutes) on earth. So what was it about taking Trayvon Martin’s life that instantly transformed Zimmerman from a tense, hostile and paranoid individual into a calm and resolute man who could perform the Re-enactment walk-through with such apparent ease? It’s almost as if shooting and killing Martin served as a kind of dark initiation into manhood for Zimmerman. I realize that this sounds odd, perhaps even fanciful, but the fact remains that Zimmerman remains calm and resolute each day in the Seminole County courtroom as his trial grinds slowly forward.
Click here to listen to the 911 dispatch tape:
Click on Re-enactment video below:
Click here to read our earlier George Zimmerman trial posts:
George Zimmerman’s Defense Team Grills Trayvon Martin’s Mother
George Zimmerman Trial: Dangerous Game for Zimmerman to Take the Witness Stand
George Zimmerman Trial: Why Has the State Dropped the Ball So Badly?
George “Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde” Zimmerman Had a History of Violence
Why the Case Against George Zimmerman Is Strong Enough for a Conviction
George Zimmerman Unlikely to Be Convicted of 2nd-Degree Murder
George Zimmerman Trial: John Good’s Testimony Is “Good News” for Zimmerman
George Zimmerman Trial: Key State Witness Rachel Jeantel Goes Toe-to-Toe with Zimmerman Defense Team
George Zimmerman Was on a Dangerous Drug Cocktail at Time of Trayvon Martin’s Shooting Death
George Zimmerman Trial: Trayvon Martin Death Photos Dominate Day 12