A Florida judge ruled that George Zimmeran's attorneys could not use Trayvon Martin's text messages, past marijuana use, or school suspensions during the trial.
A pre-trial hearing was held on Tuesday, two-weeks before Zimmerman's murder trial. He is charged with fatally shooting unarmed 17-year-old Martin last year during a confrontation at ta gated community in Sanford, Fla. Zimmerman did not attend the hearing.
According to NBC News, over the course of two hours the judge granted numerous motions by prosecutors, who asked that the defense be barred from bringing up details of Martin's past, arguing the information is not relevant to the case.
Zimmerman's defense lawyer Mark O'Mara asked the judge to not disregard the evidence. O'mara claims the evidence shows Martin was the aggressor in the confrontation and Zimmerman was acting in self-dense.
"There is certainly enough evidence...that's going to suggest Trayvon Martin involved himself ongoingly with fighting with other people," O'Mara said to the judge.
NBC News reported that the defense obtained text messages in which Martin referred to punching someone in the nose and video in which he taped two friends who "were beating up a homeless guy."
O'Mara also explained to the judge that marijuana could have been a huge factor in the confrontation.
"We have a lot of evidence that marijuana use had something to do with the event," O'Mara said during the hearing. "It could have affected his behavior."
The defense still has a chance to use the evidence in question if they could authenticate it and overcome rules against hearsay evidence. Defense is not allowed to use evidence during opening statements.
The defense requested that the jury be sequestered from the start of the trial, which is set to begin June 10, but the judge denied the motion. Jurors will be referred to by number and the judge prohibited their faces from being photographed.
