George Zimmerman (GZ) was informed/admonished by court that he has an absolute right to testify on his own behalf.

RULINGS:   Animation is not admissible into evidence but may be used to demonstrate.  So we'll see it in closing argument I am sure.  Trayvon Martin's  (TM) iphone info re drugs, guns and fighting is out.  It cannot be authenticated.  Court seems to think and said that any 7 year old could break in to a double password protected hidden application.  "Happens all the time."  Really?   Defense said late production of discovery with the incomplete phone extractions prevented the defense from tracking the parties to the texts for authentication was a ploy by State.  Gave TM's iphone's data dump to defense first week of trial so they couldn't call recipients of calls and texts.

DENNIS ROOT:  (Seems to me you don't want to irritate this guy!)    Private eye and safety expert and expert witness in self defense, though this is his first civilian jury trial.  Mr. Root retired in 2011 after 22 years as a cop in Florida.  Instructor of instructors in self defense, "Force Course," with various impact weapons (batons), taser and gasses (mace and pepper).  He teaches cops to teach in Florida and other states.  In "Force Continuum" he teaches appropriate action in escalating violence.   Cops have to take continuing education for certification for liability .  He's a state licensed and certified gun instructor.  Associate's Degree in Criminal Justice.  Use of Force specialist.   He performs evaluations in use of force events for the department and gives testimony before Grand Juries. Six different times.  He trains cops in subjects from cuffing to weapons systems.   He teaches Verbal Judo.     When a force event comes in to department,  he debriefs cops and tries to create a training event from both good and bad outcomes.  He was the Martin County Sheriff.   Super Fight participant.   Semi-pro kick boxer.  Believe me when I tell you I have left things out.

IN THIS CASE:    Mr. Root reached out to Mr. O'Mara because he felt he had experience to contribute to correct results.  Wanted to review file to see if he could help.  He could.  Specifically, he requested everything there is.  All perspectives, culture, personal life of both parties.   He reviewed 911 calls, police reports, med exams, anything written down like all statements to see what questions were asked,  photos of environment.  Witness statements, oral interviews with cops, and TV interviews and written statements of GZ,, depo transcripts, police file, autopsy, photos of both parties, scene mock ups and drawings by investigators. Also video and audio of GZ's calls and the walk through video.   Got whatever he asked for.    Get enough to focus your opinion?  Yes.   Q:  What filter are you using to focus your opinion?  A:  Training, experience and background of 20 years of law enforcement experience.  Q:   W/hat info was useful?   Initial calls, important to develop time line.  Add initial interviews of key witnesses, those that are reliable because they had perspective.  He listened to all calls.  Compared each to the time line.  Considered actual eyewitnesses.  He views witness statements with an eye toward perspective of each one.  The initial interviews are the most immediate access to raw info.  Witnesses can be influenced by others.  Subsequent interviews change a little.  "Hot Hot Theory":  Put a cooking pot in the freezer and make it cold.  Tell a witness to pick it up and when they touch it and feel cold, they will think it's hot.   So, he cross-references each piece of evidence till he gets a logical conclusion.  He also trains for psychological reaction to combat.   With conflicting statements he says don’t get hung up and find reason for variance.   In this case, one witness thought she heard three shots, Objection, Calls for comment on another witness.  Bench.  On we go.  Q:  Cause you concern that she heard three shots?   A:   Not uncommon, sound bounces.  Stress changes the way we see things.   "Perceptual distortions."  Relevant to him was the altercation, the John Goode statement and the 911 call, photos of injuries, and he matched it all up on a time line.    Elements in this event important to him were environment (rain), lighting, beginning of fight, the unrelenting nature of attack and reactions.  One on his back, one mounted, what would his perception be?    Dark out.  Wet out, slippery.   Isolated area behind buildings.

He believed that GZ was struck first.  Photos show GZ's injury, Flashlight and keys of GZ were indicators and helped establish locations.   He analyzed what catalyst caused GZ to drop each item in each location.  Injuries were consistent with a fistfight.  End of fight was on grass, started on cement.  He looks at Individual factors:  Size, age, gender, and abilities.  Spoke with GZ once, and to Mr. Pollack, GZ's gym trainer re Chuck Norris or Peewee Herman?  GZ had no skills.  Nice man but not a fighter.  No warrior mentality, not athletic at all.  Lost weight but no boxer.  In grappling you can tap out.  Not in boxing.  GZ could not enter the ring.   TM was a tall, strong and physically capable.  EMT had estimated TM as in his twenties.   GZ "lacking" compared to TM.

The length of the fight significant.  "If you haven't won in 30 seconds, change tactics."   Because you only have so much gas in the tank.   Here it's about 40 seconds and that's a very long time to fight.  The calls for help indicated high level of stress and fear.  40 seconds is "forever,."  an eternity in a conflict.    GZ shot once. Q:  Evidence ill will?   A:  No.  Q:  Gun was fired at close range.  Show ill will?  A: No.  In non law enforcement shootings, the interview concerns are that shooters  have "critical stress amnesia."  They may never remember everything.  They're not lying if the story varies.  They have to come to grips with what they have done.  Best practice is to wait a little for the in depth interview.  May take up to 72 hours.   Delay results in a better statement.   He saw GZ's gun.  Appropriate for self defense.  Any weapon is good.   It's what's comfortable to you.  The gun has no external hammer or safety.  Is that safe?  A:  Of course.  Most important factor is the person.  With external safety, only way to fire is to pull the trigger all the way to the end.  In a high stress situation, you will not flip the safety without a lot of training and conditioning.  You will simply try to discharge the weapon.  Here GZ's gun had a trig pull of 5 pounds and that is safe.   There's also a hammer block safety.  Gun is safe.  Four and a half pound pull is OK.  Generally, the gun comes with 5 pound pull.   Under Florida law, gun/holster must be concealed.  Stuck in your belt with a jacket over it it's cumbersome to get at.  Q:  Safe with round in chamber?  A:  Debate of old.  With round in chamber you can fire immediately.  Nothing in chamber is time consuming.  Mag full and one in chamber is best way to carry.  Loaded means ready to fire.  Nothing in chamber, why carry?   Q:  Bullets are hollow point, are they appropriate>?  A:   Yes because hollow bullet will mushroom.  Stops in tissue and doesn’t exit and hit someone else.    So hollow point is safer to background.   Less likely to exit on through.