by Patrick H. Moore
In his opening day statement on Day 11 of the George Zimmerman trial, defense attorney Don West encouraged the jurors to listen to the “scream tape” not just once but “five, 10, 50 times if you need to.” West’s purpose in making this statement was to suggest that it was Zimmerman, not Martin, doing the screaming. It should be noted that West did not admonish the jurors to listen to the George Zimmerman 911 dispatch tape which, of course, was played for the jurors on Day 12 of the trial. Last night and early this morning I listened to the dispatch tape over and over again — perhaps 12 times total. I also studied the transcript of the tape.
At first I was focusing on “what” Zimmerman was saying but by the third or fourth time through, it was becoming increasing obvious that both the words and Zimmerman’s tone of voice reveal a highly unstable personality. When you add the fact that at the time of the shooting, Zimmerman had been prescribed both Temazespam (Restoril), a powerful hypnotic drug with profound side effects, which include “hallucinations, agitation and aggression,” and Adderall, an amphetamine cocktail that 
can cause “worsening mental or mood problems (eg, aggression, anxiety, delusions, depression, hallucination, hostility)”, one can hardly avoid thinking that Zimmerman may not have been entirely sane at the time of the shooting. One asks oneself:
“Why was a paranoid, hostile and aggressive individual working as the Neighborhood Watch Commander for the complex in the first place?”
In listening to the tape, the contrast between the police dispatcher who is cool, calm and professional and the overheated, paranoid Zimmerman is striking. Zimmerman’s claim that “this guy looks like he’s up to no good, or he’s on drugs or something” seems to be a classic case of projection; in reality Zimmerman, whether or not the evidence is strong enough to convict him of second-degree-murder, was clearly “up to no good” and was apparently “on drugs or something.”
In listening to the tape carefully and paying attention to Zimmerman’s weird vocal intonations, it’s obvious that he is extremely threatened by the fact that Martin is “just walking around, 
looking about.” By the time Zimmerman states: “Now, he’s just staring at me,” one gets the strong impression that Zimmerman is on the verge of becoming completely unhinged. Which is very possibly what did happen and what led directly to Zimmerman — in a state of something akin to drug-induced psychosis — confronting and ultimately shooting and killing Martin.
Let’s further analyze some of Zimmerman’s statements to the police dispatcher, keeping in mind that throughout this dialogue Zimmerman’s tone of voice is alternately dreamy, paranoid, and hostile:
“Yeah, now he’s coming towards me…” (Who is the pursued and who is the pursuer?)
“He’s got his hand in his waistband. And he’s a black male.” (This is classic).
“He’s got a button on his shirt.” (Classic tweeker attention to trivial detail)
“Somethings wrong with him. Yup, he’s coming to check me out, he’s got something in his hands, I don’t know what his deal is.” (Martin was carrying skittles, an Arizona fruit drink, and a cell phone.)
Then, while ostensibly giving the police dispatcher directions, Zimmerman veers into his classic impassioned mantra: “These assholes they always get away.”
As if to prove his point, Martin, who may have intuited that Zimmerman was a “tinderbox about to explode”, apparently starts to run away, which suggests that he perceived that Zimmerman was a very scary guy. Zimmerman states: “Shit he’s running.”
It is at this interval that the police dispatcher, after asking Zimmerman if he’s following Martin and being answered in the affirmative, tells Zimmerman:
“Okay. We don’t need you to do that” (follow Martin).
A bit later in the conversation, when asked what his address is, the paranoid Zimmerman actually states:
“Oh crap, I don’t want to give it all out.”
Click here to listen to the 911 dispatch tape:
This is clearly ridiculous. The Neighborhood Watch Commander is so paranoid that he doesn’t want to give out his address to law enforcement. This is the same man who wants to work in law enforcement. (Note: This is a classic Philip K. Dick scenario.) The dispatcher, apparently to defuse the situation, suggests that Zimmermen meet law enforcement at the mailboxes. The conversation ends and a few minutes later Trayvon Martin is dead.
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I’m sure that many — if not most of you following this increasingly compelling case — have heard Zimmerman’s 911 tape. I suggest listening to it a few more times and listen not just to Zimmerman’s words but to his intonation. He was in very bad shape on February 26, 2012 and — at the very least — had no business serving as Neighborhood Watch Commander.
I’m not sure why Zimmerman’s use of powerful prescriptions drugs and his quasi-psychotic state at the time of the shooting has been largely overlooked by the media. But it seems to me that it is an essential realization for anyone who genuinely wants to get to the bottom of Trayvon Martin’s tragic and unnecessary death.
Click here to read earlier Zimmerman Trial posts:
George Zimmerman Trial: Trayvon Martin Death Photos Dominate Day 12
George Zimmerman Unlikely to Be Convicted of 2nd-Degree Murder
George Zimmerman Trial: Opening Statements Rivet the Nation
George Zimmerman’s Application to Join His Hometown Police Force Was Rejected
Sanford, FL Has a History of Brutal Racial Oppression