The first week of testimony will conclude today as the prosecution calls more witnesses in the George Zimmerman murder trial. The state is expected to call both of Trayvon Martin's parents and Christopher Serino, the medical examiner who performed the autopsy on Martin, according to the Orlando Sentinel.
Much of the last two days have been spent hearing testimony from Rachel Jeantel, a friend of Martin's who was on the phone with the 17-year-old when the altercation started. As the defense grilled Jeantel for a second day more inconsistencies came up with her story. In her first interview with law enforcement Jeantel left out some key details including Martin referring to Zimmerman as a "creepy-a** cracker." Jeantel says that she omitted some details because she was being interviewed in front of Martin's mother, according to The New York Times.
"I never thought the interview would be at the mother's house with the mother," Jeantel said.
After being somewhat combative on the stand Wednesday Jeantel was much more subdued during Thursday's testimony. During her seven hours on the stand Jeantel held firm to her belief that Zimmerman was the aggressor in the situation and that by following Martin he had made the teenager uneasy, according to ABC News.
The two witnesses that followed Jeantel were neighbor who had heard the altercation. The jury heard a 911 call from one of those neighbors, Jenna Lauer, who had heard the confrontation while watching TV with her husband. Lauer said that at first she had heard voices that "sounded like loud talking" that led to her hearing some "scuffling around," according to the Los Angeles Times.
"It kind of sounded like wrestling," Lauer said. "At one point it sounded like they were about to come through the screen."
Lauer said that the voices eventually became cries for help. The screaming can be heard in the background of the 911 call, as can the sound of a gunshot followed by silence, according to the Los Angeles Times.
Selma Mora was the last witness to be heard on Thursday, she will be on the stand when the trial resumes on Friday. Mora also testified that she had heard screams and a gunshot. Mora testified that she saw one man on top of the other "like a rider" during the altercation. The man on top was wearing "patterns between black and red" according to Mora; Zimmerman was wearing a black and red jacket that night, according to ABC News.
The prosecution is expected to keep calling witnesses on Friday, to watch a live stream of the action click here.
© 2025 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
