From the Orlando Sentinel: It was a strange development in a case that has seen more than its share: Chris Serino, the lead Sanford police investigator in the Trayvon Martin shooting, hired famed Casey Anthony defense attorney Jose Baez to represent him at his upcoming deposition in the case.
It's unclear what prompted Serino to hire a private attorney — eschewing available representation by the city of Sanford, his employer. But one issue likely to come up is his double-talk on whether there was enough evidence to support George Zimmerman's arrest as controversy surrounding the case spiraled out of control last spring.
Serino wrote in a sworn affidavit that there was probable cause to arrest Zimmerman. But he later told the Federal Bureau of Investigation
he was pressured to author that document and didn't believe the
evidence was sufficient for the manslaughter charge he recommended....
And Serino isn't the only Sanford officer whose testimony could prove
troublesome for prosecutors in the second-degree murder case against
Zimmerman: High-ranking fellow officers largely agreed in March that
there was not sufficient evidence to arrest Zimmerman....
Zimmerman's legal team has since listed several of them, including
former Sanford police Chief Bill Lee Jr. and Serino's supervisors, as
witnesses the defense plans to call at trial....
A recent court filing illustrates another problem for prosecutors involving police witnesses in the case: Sanford Sgt.
Joseph Santiago told defense attorneys at deposition that he was privy
to meetings in late February and early March, involving Lee, Serino and
prosecutor Jim Carter of the Seminole-Brevard State Attorney's Office, the same agency to which Serino submitted his affidavit.
When Serino filed an affidavit requesting a manslaughter charge,
Carter was "very upset," Santiago told the defense, as was Santiago's
captain. The consensus among most at daily meetings, Santiago said, was
that there was "insufficient evidence" to bring a charge.
Grieco, a
defense lawyer and former prosecutor from Miami, said the state will
fight to keep Sanford officers from testifying on their opinions of the
evidence, but jurors will know that the police chose not to make an
arrest.
"I can't remember ever seeing or hearing about a case
where you have the police officers firmly believing that they didn't
even have probable cause for an arrest [but] then you have a
prosecutor's office... believing that they have not only enough to
charge, but to convict," Grieco said. http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/trayvon-martin/os-george-zimmerman-jose-baez-serino-20121130,0,6861430.story?page=2
Unless there is a brain dead jury and judge, Zimmerman should be found not guilty, unless of course, you have the O.J. jury or a jury from Nye County, NV.
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDeleteMy apologies for deleting the above comment- it was an accident.
ReplyDeleteThe writer thought Zimmerman was guilty, guilty, guilty. Anybody with half a brain would realize it.
Sorry, but I have a whole brain and those of us with full brains know he is guilty.
The swine American is going down!!!
ReplyDeleteMight as well accept it!!!