LINDSAY SAUNDERS-VELEZ, 20 (TRANSGENDER WOMAN) FORCED INTO MEN’S PRISON & RAPED

LINDSAY SAUNDERS-VELEZ, 20 (TRANSGENDER WOMAN) FORCED INTO MEN’S PRISON & RAPED:

COLORADO JUDGE SENT LINDSAY BACK TO MEN’S PRISON AFTER PREVIOUS RAPE.

I DON’T SUPPORT GAY/ LGBTQ RIGHTS BUT THIS IS INHUMANE AND WRONG.

LINDSAY WAS BORN MALE, PLACED IN FOSTER CARE AND HAS LIVED LIFE AS A FEMALE SINCE AGE 4.

I’M SORRY BUT THE JUDGE IN COLORADO IS WRONG.

REGARDLESS OF GENDER LINDSAY IS STILL A HUMAN BEING WITH INALIENABLE RIGHTS.


Sources: AP, The Independent, TIME, Yahoo News, Youtube


**** Transgender woman 'raped at men's prison' hours after judge blocked move


A transgender inmate says she was raped at a men’s prison hours after a judge threw out her request to block corrections officers from keeping her in a disciplinary unit.

Lindsay Saunders-Velez claims she had been threatened, harassed and assaulted since entering Colorado’s prison system last spring for violating her plea deal in a menacing case.

The prisoner filed a lawsuit against the state’s corrections agency in July, branding the system “discriminatory and dangerous” for transgender offenders.

Last month, her lawyers requested a judge not send Saunders-Velez to her jail’s “punishment pod” for a disciplinary infraction, saying she could end up with inmates who had tormented her.

The judge said the attorneys failed to prove an imminent risk, and rejected their request .

However, the 20-year-old was attacked during her time in the pod and needed more than a week in the infirmary recover, according to her attorney, Paula Greisen.

“This issue is not going to go away,” she said: “We’re going to fight it until these individuals are treated with the respect they deserve.”

Federal law requires prisons to individually asses where to house each transgender person, said Demoya Gordon, an attorney with LGBTQ+ advocacy group Lambda Legal’s transgender rights project.

But, she added, almost all facilities still housed inmates based on their genitalia or birth gender, resulting in many transgender women being abused or raped during their sentence.

Saunders-Velez entered Colorado’s foster care system as a child, then spent years in its youth corrections system, according to her attorneys and court records.

The prisoner says she has been “out as a trans female” since the age of four and was diagnosed with gender dysphoria in 2016, beginning hormone treatments in 2017.

Her lawsuit states that it was after she entered an adult prison on a three-year jail term in May last year and was sent to Colorado Territorial Correctional Facility that her problems with other inmates began.

Court records detail incidents in which male prisoners frequently pulled down a privacy screen shielding Saunders-Velez from view as she used the bathroom in her cell.

She said other prisoners threatened her, and in December she reported an inmate sexually assaulted her during a brief transfer to another Colorado prison.

“To escape,” Saunders-Velez swallowed razors and was sent to a hospital before being reassigned to “territorial”, her attorneys said.

Prison staff denied her requests to be called Lindsay and to be identified with female pronouns, according to the complaint, as well as refusing requests to be searched by a woman.

The most recent Bureau of Justice statistics from 2012 suggest around 3,200 inmates in America’s state and federal prisons identified as transgender.

Some 40 per cent of transgender inmates reported being a victim of abusive sexual contact by another inmate or a staff member, 10 times the rate among the general prison population.

Several authorities, including the San Francisco and New York City jail systems, have begun to house transgender prisoners by the gender they identify as.

In Colorado, at least one other inmate is suing the corrections department over its treatment of transgender people. The agency said it was unable to comment on ongoing litigation.

JAHI MCMATH Is Still Alive! GOD Performed A Miracle!! She Is Being Transferred!! (Please Keep PRAYING)

#JahiMcMath

BREAKING NEWS ABOUT JAHI MCMATH......GOD PERFORMED A MIRACLE TODAY!!

SHE IS STILL ALIVE!!.....A JUDGE GIVES HER FAMILY UNTIL JANUARY 7TH!!

A HOSPITAL IN NEW YORK WILL ACCEPT JAHI MCMATH FOR CONTINUED CARE.



JAHI WAS SUPPOSED TO BE REMOVED FROM LIFE SUPPORT TODAY AT 5:00 PM BUT HER FAMILY FILED AN APPEAL........PLEASE KEEP PRAYING.

ARTICLE: "Brain-Dead Teen To Remain On Life Support Pending Appeal By Family"

With an hour to spare, a judge ordered a stay on the restraining order against the hospital that was scheduled to take the 13-year-old girl rendered brain-dead by elective surgeries in California off life support Monday evening.

Jahi McMath is allowed to remain on life support until Jan. 7, a California judge ruled.

Jahi underwent a tonsillectomy and other operations to alleviate her sleep apnea on Dec. 9. She started bleeding profusely and went into cardiac arrest shortly after.

The young girl’s family has been in a legal battle with Children’s Hospital in Oakland since Doctors at the hospital declared her brain-dead three days later.

The family gained a restraining order preventing doctors from removing Jahi from a ventilator keeping her alive, but Superior Court Judge Evelio Grillo revoked the order Tuesday after hearing testimony from an independent physician who also ruled Jahi met “all criteria for brain death," according to NBC Bay Area.

Grillo said Children’s Hospital would have allowance to remove Jahi from life support at 8 p.m. local time Monday (5 p.m. ET) unless the family filed a formal appeal.

The family filed an appeal just before 4 p.m. (7 p.m. ET) on Monday, according to NBC Bay Area.

Omari Sealey, left, uncle of 13-year-old Jahi McMath, and Sandra Chatman, grandmother of McMath speak to members of the media after a court hearing in Oakland, Calif., on Dec. 24.

"We are hopeful that one of these actions will forestall the hospitals rush to extinguish Jahi's chance at life," said Jahi's uncle, Omari Sealey.

Jahi’s parents have insisted that their daughter is alive, regardless of doctors’ opinions that Jahi’s condition is irreversible.

"I would probably need my child's heart to stop to show me that she was dead. Her heart was still beating, so there's still life there," Jahi's mother, Nailah Winfield said Friday, according to the Associated Press.



In efforts to keep Children’s Hospital from removing Jahi from the machine that was supporting her basic life functions, her family tried to move her to other facilities in California, but doctors at both facilities refused to treat someone who had been declared dead.

An unnamed hospital in New York agreed to take the teenager, but only after she underwent more medical procedures, according to the Associated Press.

David Durand, chief of pediatrics at Children's Hospital said administrators did “not believe that performing surgical procedures on the body of a deceased person is an appropriate medical practice.”

On Friday Winfield wrote on a fundraising page, “My family and I are still striving to find a location that will accept her in her current condition … Let us pray that some one (sic) will have the heart to accept her despite what Children's Hospital says. So that we can get her air lifted away from this place as soon as possible.” On Monday, donors had contributed over $25,000 to Jahi’s cause.

NBC Bay area reported that Sealey said that a hospital in New York had agreed to admit Jahi and on Monday, the family was organizing for an air ambulance to transfer the teen across the country.


Sources: AP; CNN; HLN; NBC News; U.S. News

George Zimmerman's New Bond Set At $1 Million! He Was Trying To Flee The U.S.! I Knew It!

Today a Florida Judge set George Zimmerman's Bail at $1 Million Dollars because he said it appeared that Zimmerman was trying to Flee the United States to Avoid being Prosecuted for Murdering Trayvon Martin in Cold-Blood!

YES!!! God Is Good!!!





Attorney: Zimmerman, family will struggle to secure bond

A Florida judge on Thursday set a $1 million bond with new restrictions on George Zimmerman, saying he believes the suspect may have been planning to flee the country to avoid prosecution in the killing of Trayvon Martin.

Judge Kenneth R. Lester Jr. found that Zimmerman's deceit over cash holdings at his first bond hearing in April was not enough to hold him without bail.

"This court has, thus far, declined to exercise its contempt powers and the state failed to prove that the defendant may be held without bond," the order said.

Zimmerman will have to post 10% of the $1 million -- or $100,000 -- to meet the requirement for bail.

But an even bigger challenge is finding a bail bond company that will work with the family on the requirement of $1 million in collateral, defense attorney Mark O'Mara said later Thursday.

The family does "not have anywhere near" the collateral amount, according to the attorney.

"We are encouraged we can work this out," O'Mara said in a statement.

Donations to Zimmerman's legal defense fund have dropped significantly while Zimmerman has been jailed, O'Mara said.

"Supporters have told us they were concerned that the court would set such a high bond that getting George out of jail could risk wiping out the entire defense account. It appears that they were right.

However, George needs an aggressive defense and to help with that he also needs to be out of jail with his wife and family assisting his legal team."

The fund has a $211,000 balance, but has $40,000 in payables for defense expenses.

"Paying bond and scheduled expenses would effectively wipe out the existing balance," O'Mara said.

O'Mara argued that Zimmerman should not be jailed because the state's case is weak and his claim of self-defense is strong.

The original bail of $150,000 was revoked last month after Lester learned Zimmerman and his wife, Shellie, had failed to disclose more than $150,000 in donations from the public.

The judge's order Thursday said that the new $1 million bond was not a punishment but an amount that assured the court that Zimmerman would not abscond.

Zimmerman has the money to pay for his release, the court said.

In his ruling, Lester wrote about the first bond hearing and noted an undisclosed second passport kept in Zimmerman's safe deposit box.

"Notably, together with the passport, the money only had to be hidden for a short time for him to leave the country if the defendant made a quick decision to flee," the judge said.

"It is entirely reasonable for this court to find that, but for the requirement that he be placed on electronic monitoring, the defendant and his wife would have fled the United States with at least $130,000 of other people's money."
Lester wrote the defendant's plans to flee were "thwarted."

Zimmerman, 28, is charged with second-degree murder in Martin's February 26 shooting death. Under Florida law, second-degree murder is a bondable offense.

Prosecutors had asked for bond to be denied or, if not, for it to be set at $1 million.

Martin family attorney Benjamin Crump said the parents preferred that Zimmerman remain in jail, but "they respect the ruling of the court and the strong message that the judge sent that deference to judicial integrity is paramount to all court proceedings."

"Furthermore, they understand that this is not a sprint to justice, but a long journey to justice that they must bear for their son Trayvon," Crump said.

The order said the evidence shows that Zimmerman and his wife acted together to conceal their cash holdings during the original bond hearing.

"Under any definition, the defendant has (flouted) the system," the order said. "The defendant has tried to manipulate the system when he has been presented the opportunity to do so."

Lester imposed new restrictions on Zimmerman that he did not face when he was out on bond the first time.

Zimmerman must report to officials every two days, cannot open or maintain a bank account and cannot be on the property of an airport.

He also cannot apply for or obtain a passport.

Zimmerman must abide by a curfew from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m., and like before, will be monitored electronically.

Prosecutor Bernie de la Rionda argued before the judge last week that Zimmerman should remain in jail without bail because he was complicit in lying to the court and can't be trusted.

Forensic accountant Adam Magill testified that thousands of dollars in donated funds flowed into and out of Zimmerman's bank account in the days before the first bail hearing.

Magill said it appeared Zimmerman and his wife were speaking in code during recorded jailhouse telephone conversations about the amount of money involved.

He also said that transferring funds between accounts could have been done to make it appear that Zimmerman had less money available for bail than he did.

De la Rionda reiterated that prosecutors believe Martin, a 17-year-old African-American, was an innocent victim who was confronted by Zimmerman without provocation.

Zimmerman, a Sanford neighborhood watch volunteer, acknowledged fatally shooting the unarmed Martin after calling police to report a suspicious person. Zimmerman, who is white and Hispanic, said Martin attacked him.


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Sources: AP, ABC News, CNN, Think Progress, Google Maps

George Zimmerman Back In Jail With His Fellow Cold-Blooded Murderers! Credibility Is Shot!

George Zimmerman is back in Custody at the John E. Polk Correctional Facility in Sanford, Florida where his LYING Butt Belongs!

Hallejuah!

Whatsoever a Man Reaps, that shall he also Sow.

George Zimmerman is a Cold-Blooded, Racist Murderer thus he Belongs in Jail with the rest of the Killers!

Is it Safe to say that after Lying to the Judge about his Financial Assets just to get a Lower Bond, Zimmerman's Credibility is now Shot to pieces?

YES!

Zimmerman your Credibility has been Destroyed!!!

LIAR!!!

Thank You Lord for Justice!

FORGIVENESS DOES NOT ELIMINATE CONSEQUENCES!

EQUAL JUSTICE FOR TRAYVON MARTIN!







Zimmerman Back in Police Custody

Six weeks after being released from jail on bond, George Zimmerman, who is facing second-degree murder charges in the death of Trayvon Martin, is back in police custody.

Mr. Zimmerman turned himself in to the authorities in Sanford, Fla., early Sunday afternoon, according to a blog post from his lawyer, Mark O'Mara. Judge Kenneth R. Lester Jr. had revoked his bond two days earlier and gave him 48 hours to surrender to the authorities.

In revoking the bond, Judge Lester found that Mr. Zimmerman had misled the court about his finances, with the help of his wife, during his April bond hearing.

At the time, Mr. Zimmerman had access to as much as $135,000 from a PayPal account that collected donations through a legal defense Web site. But Mr. Zimmerman’s wife testified that she was unaware of how much money had been collected through the site. Because it was believed that Mr. Zimmerman had no money, he was released on a low bond of $150,000.

As evidence, prosecutors presented transcripts at Friday’s hearing of telephone conversations between Mr. Zimmerman, who was in jail, and his wife. They said the two were discussing in code what to do with the money.

Mr. O’Mara said that he was unaware of the money at the time of the first hearing and that he planned to ask for another bond hearing so that Mr. Zimmerman could explain himself to the judge.

“Judge Lester runs a very tight courtroom, as well he should,” Mr. O’Mara said after the ruling. “He didn’t believe they were being as straightforward and honest as he wanted them to.”

The death of Mr. Martin, 17, on Feb. 26 created a national controversy after the police declined to arrest Mr. Zimmerman for over a month, raising questions about racial profiling and Florida’s self-defense law.

Mr. Zimmerman said that the unarmed teenager attacked him and that he was in such fear for his life that he was forced to shoot Mr. Martin. Mr. Zimmerman had a license to carry a concealed weapon.

While witnesses heard shouts and saw figures fighting outside their windows, the rain and darkness made it difficult to see clearly. As a result, Mr. Zimmerman’s account of what happened that evening as Mr. Martin walked through a gated community in Sanford back to the home of his father’s girlfriend is critical to Mr. Zimmerman’s self-defense case.

Judge Lester’s reversal on the bond will allow prosecutors to cast doubt on Mr. Zimmerman’s story, experts said.

“The fact George Zimmerman was dishonest is very important because his credibility is the most important thing in this entire case,” Benjamin Crump, the Martin family lawyer, said after Friday’s court session.

Mr. O’Mara said that Mr. Zimmerman’s safety was still a concern. He has been in hiding since shortly after the shooting. While he was in jail awaiting his April bond hearing, he was kept in solitary confinement to protect him from other prisoners.

“We are very concerned about safety still, and we will maintain that concern,” Mr. O’Mara said after learning his client would be forced to return to jail. “There are ongoing threats and concerns and complaints. I don’t know where along the spectrum they become true threats. We have begun to process and analyze a number of the statements he has given to the police.”






George Zimmerman back in Fla. jail

George Zimmerman' has returned to a Florida jail, after a judge revoked bond for the man accused in the shooting death of Trayvon Martin.

Zimmerman wore a white plaid shirt and jeans when he arrived at the jail in a white unmarked minivan with a police official. He did not answer questions from reporters.

On Sunday afternoon, about 40 minutes before the 2:30 p.m. deadline to surrender, Zimmerman was listed as an inmate on the jail website. He was marked as being held without bail and having $500 in his jail account.

Zimmerman's lawyer said he hopes his client's voluntary return to Florida to turn himself in will show that he's not a flight risk.

A judge revoked Zimmerman's bond last week, suggesting he and his wife had not been honest about their finances. The neighborhood watch volunteer is charged with second-degree murder in the fatal shooting of unarmed 17-year-old Trayvon Martin.

Zimmerman's lawyers say their client returned to the state to meet this afternoon's deadline. They say they will ask for a new bond hearing.

During a bond hearing in April, Zimmerman and his wife indicated they had limited funds. But prosecutors say Zimmerman had raised thousands through a website he had set up for his legal defense.

His lawyers said in a press release that the money Zimmerman has raised is in an independent trust and cannot be directly accessed by Zimmerman or his attorneys.

Zimmerman credibility may be hurt by bond dispute

Zimmerman has pleaded not guilty to the second-degree murder charge. He maintains he shot Martin in self-defense under Florida's so-called "stand your ground" law because the teen, who was unarmed, was beating him up after confronting Zimmerman about following him in a gated community outside Orlando.

Zimmerman's credibility could become an issue at trial, legal experts said, noting the case hinges on jurors believing Zimmerman's account of what happened the night in February that Martin was killed.

Zimmerman wasn't charged in the case until more than a month after the shooting. Protests were held across the nation, and the case spurred debate about whether race was a factor in Zimmerman's actions and in the initial police handling of the case. Martin was black; Zimmerman's father is white and his mother is from Peru.

Police in Sanford did not immediately arrest Zimmerman, citing the Florida law that gives wide latitude to use deadly force rather than retreat in a fight if people believe they are in danger of being killed or seriously injured.

The questioning of Zimmerman's truthfulness by the judge on Friday could undermine the defendant's credibility if it is brought up at trial. It also may complicate how his defense presents him as a witness, said Orlando-area attorney Randy McClean, a former prosecutor.

"The other key witness, unfortunately, is deceased," McClean said. "Basically, Zimmerman is going to be asking the jury to believe his version of the facts. ... As the case stands now, his credibility is absolutely critical to the case."

Jail authorities in central Florida, where the case arose, said Zimmerman had not turned himself in there by early Sunday. He must do so by Sunday afternoon.

Zimmerman went into hiding in the weeks after the shooting and his exact whereabouts since he bonded out of jail remain unclear. It was not immediately clear exactly where Zimmerman would surrender.

Witness accounts of the rainy night that Martin was shot are spotty. There is no video of the fight, though photos released by prosecutors show Zimmerman with wounds to his face and the back of his head.

Zimmerman's credibility would be important if his attorney, Mark O'Mara, tries to get a judge without the jury to dismiss the charges based on the law, said Orlando defense attorney David Hill.

"If he was in on something that was not truthfully revealed to the judge, when there is a `stand your ground' hearing, of course you're going to second-guess him," Hill said.

Both McClean and Hill said O'Mara would be able to challenge the admissibility of the bond revocation at trial by questioning its relevance.

Zimmerman was arrested 44 days after the killing, and during a bond hearing in April, his wife, Shellie, testified that the couple had limited funds available. Zimmerman took the stand at the hearing and apologized to Martin's parents.

Prosecutors pointed out in their motion that Zimmerman had $135,000 available then. It had been raised from donations through a website he had set up. They suggested more has been collected since and deposited in a bank account.

Shellie Zimmerman was asked about the website at the hearing, but she said she didn't know how much money had been raised. Circuit Judge Kenneth Lester set bail at $150,000. The 28-year-old was freed a few days later after posting $15,000 in cash — which is typical.

Prosecutor Bernie De la Rionda complained Friday, "This court was led to believe they didn't have a single penny. It was misleading and I don't know what words to use other than it was a blatant lie." The judge agreed and ordered Zimmerman returned to jail by Sunday afternoon.

The defense countered that Zimmerman and his wife never used the money for anything, which indicated "there was no deceit."

The judge said he would schedule a hearing after Zimmerman is back in custody so he could explain himself.

Benjamin Crump, an attorney for Trayvon Martin's parents, Tracy Martin and Sybrina Fulton, said his clients have always said Zimmerman should remain in jail until trial.


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Sources: AP, ABC News, CBS News, NY Times, Youtube, Google Maps

George Zimmerman's Bond Revoked For Lying About His Assets! YEAH!!! He's Going Down!

George Zimmerman's Bond has been Revoked for Lying about his Financial Assets!

I know I'm a little late on this news but Yes Zimmerman's Bond has been Revoked by a Florida Judge.

Apparently the Judge thinks Zimmerman is Flight Risk and has given him 48 Hours to turn himself in.

YEAH!!!!

Zimmerman's Troubles have just begun.

So you think you can Murder an Unarmed, Young, BLACK Teen and get away with it?
Not a Chance!

The American BLACK Community, BLACK Voters & the New BLACK Panthers Party is NOT going to let this one slide.

We don't care what the Weak, "Uncle Tom" NAACP says, Zimmerman will NOT get a Legal Pass for Murdering Trayvon Martin in Cold Blood!

Zimmerman Turn Yourself In NOW!

EQUAL JUSTICE FOR TRAYVON!






Judge revokes Zimmerman's bond

A Florida judge revoked bond Friday for George Zimmerman, who is charged with second-degree murder in the death of Trayvon Martin.

Seminole County Circuit Judge Kenneth Lester Jr. ordered Zimmerman to surrender to the county sheriff within 48 hours.

Lester accused Zimmerman of having misrepresented how much money he had when his bond was originally set in April. Prosecutors say he had $135,000 at the time Zimmerman's wife, Shellie, told the court, under oath, that they were indigent.

The prosecution cited as evidence recorded telephone conversations that Zimmerman had with his wife prior to the hearing. The conversations were recorded while Zimmerman was being held in the Seminole County Jail after being charged with second-degree murder on April 11.

He has pleaded not guilty and has been free on bail.

Martin, 17, was fatally shot February 26 while walking in a Sanford, Florida, neighborhood where he was staying during a visit with his father. Zimmerman, 28, a neighborhood watch volunteer, told police he shot the teenager in self-defense.

"The defense, through Mrs. Zimmerman, lied to this court about the amount of money that they had," said trial prosecutor Bernie de la Rionda. "I don't know what words to use other than it was a blatant lie."

Outside the courthouse, a lawyer for the family of Martin said Friday's decision is significant. "Judge Lester's finding that George Zimmerman was dishonest is very important because his credibility is the most important thing in this entire case," Benjamin Crump told reporters.

"Remember, this is only George Zimmerman's testimony that says Trayvon Martin attacked him. All the other evidence suggests that George Zimmerman pursued and confronted Trayvon Martin. Therefore, that's why this is such an important ruling today."

The killing spurred protests among people who criticized police handling of the investigation and said Martin, who was unarmed and carrying a bag of Skittles and an Arizona Iced Tea at the time of his death, was racially profiled.

The slain teen was African-American and Zimmerman is Hispanic.

In court documents, State Attorney Angela B. Corey acknowledged she was making strongly worded assertions in describing how Zimmerman's wife represented his finances.

Zimmerman's defense team stated during an April court hearing that Zimmerman's "family members misinformed the court (the state would use a much stronger and accurate word to describe what occurred -- defendant's wife lied to the court) about defendant and his family's finances," Corey wrote in court papers.

She also said that Zimmerman had two passports, and the passport that he surrendered to the court at the April hearing was one that Zimmerman had reported stolen on March 8, 2004, court papers said. That passport was valid until May 2012, Corey said.

Zimmerman was issued a second passport on March 26, 2004, and that one is valid until 2014, she said.

The prosecutor asked the court that Zimmerman be ordered to surrender the second passport to authorities.

Zimmerman spoke of the second passport while in the Seminole County Jail in a phone call to his wife that authorities recorded, Corey said. Court records provided a partial transcript:

Zimmerman: "Do you know what? I think my passport is in that bag."

Shelly (sic) Zimmerman: "I have one for you in safety deposit box ..."
Zimmerman: "OK, you hold onto that."

Prosecutors have informed federal authorities about Zimmerman's second passport in case he attempts to use it "to flee the country," Corey said.

But Lester appeared to accept the explanation from Zimmerman's lawyer that his client had given him the second passport, and the lawyer simply forgot to hand it over to authorities until Friday.

Regarding Zimmerman's finances, Corey alleged that recorded phone calls in April between Zimmerman, while he was in Seminole County Jail, and his wife showed that the couple "spoke in code to hide what they were doing" regarding more than $135,000 in a credit union account belonging to the couple.

The money was apparently donated by members of the public to Zimmerman's website.

Zimmerman "fully controlled and participated in the transfer of money from the PayPal account to defendant and his wife's credit union accounts," Corey said in court records. "This occurred prior to the time defendant was arguing to the court that he was indigent and his wife had no money."

In late April, Zimmerman's attorney, Mark O'Mara, said that the money raised by the website was put into a trust account that the attorney controls.

But Corey stated in court documents Friday:

"The money still belongs to defendant and he can demand it at any time."

Court papers provided a partial transcript of a phone call allegedly showing the code used by Zimmerman and his wife on April 16:

Zimmerman: "In my account do I have at least $100?"
His wife: "No."

Zimmerman: "How close am I?"

His wife: "$8. $8.60."

Zimmerman: "Really. So total everything how much are we looking at?"
His wife: "Like $155."

The prosecutor said the judge "relied on false representations and statements" by Zimmerman and his wife when the court set his bond at $150,000. He was required to post only 10% of that.

Corey argued that the court should revoke the bond or increase it "substantially."
Lester appeared angry that the court had not been told about the money.

"Does your client get to sit there like a potted palm and let you lead me down the primrose path?" he asked Zimmerman's lawyer. "That's the issue."

Outside the courthouse, O'Mara said he hoped the judge's revocation of bond would be temporary. "I hope he'll give us a day in court to explain George's behavior and look at all the circumstances," the lawyer said. "I understand the state's position; I disagree with it.

Meanwhile, Zimmerman's defense team and prosecutors were both on the same side in court Friday afternoon fighting media companies' request to release more information in the case.

Prosecution and defense lawyers argued that a host of material should remain sealed.

The intense public attention on the case is a chief reason certain information should remain out of the public eye, Bernardo de la Rionda of State Attorney Angela Corey's office said in a motion filed earlier this month.

He argued that releasing too much "will result in this matter being tried in the press rather than in court, and an inability to seat a fair and impartial jury in Seminole County." De la Rionda also voiced worries about witnesses being "reluctant to testify" for fear that their privacy would be violated and other witnesses being "harassed by media representatives."

Specifically, the state wants the names and addresses of witnesses kept out of the public record. It asks for the same for crime scene and autopsy photos, a 911 recording of the incident and cell phone records of Martin, Zimmerman and one witness.

De la Rionda is also requesting a judge seal statements Zimmerman made to law enforcement officers, some of which may be used against him at trial because they were "inconsistent with the physical evidence and statements of witnesses."

Zimmerman's attorney, Mark O'Mara, filed his own motion agreeing with the prosecution's desire not to release material. He said the defense wants 1,000 e-mails received by Sanford police to be sealed, plus statements by Zimmerman.

He asked that text messages, e-mail messages or journals made by the defendant be kept private, at least until they can be reviewed.

Scott Ponce of the Miami-based law firm Holland & Knight argued for more disclosure on behalf of various newspapers, TV stations and their parent companies.

The opposing arguments were laid out in motions filed in advance of Friday's hearing.

This week, Ponce filed responses to the prosecution and defense positions, addressing them point by point.

"The broad secrecy the state seeks ... is not supported by statute, constitution or case law, and it certainly cannot be justified in this prosecution," he said.

Ponce argued that civilian witnesses' names and addresses cannot be sealed under Florida's public records law, because they would not be "defamatory" or "jeopardize the safety" of a witness. He said the state hasn't proven anyone is in jeopardy.

The contested cell phone records may be reviewed and, if need be, have parts redacted, but they shouldn't be withheld entirely, he said.

Ponce said Zimmerman's statements to police should not be treated as "confessions," which would not be made public before trial.

The judge expressed sympathy for the prosecution and defense attorneys but said, "The law is against us." He noted that the law in Florida "favors full, complete, open disclosure."

Lester said he would review the discovery request and release material "in a redacted fashion."



George Zimmerman's bond revoked by judge, 48 hours to surrender in Trayvon Martin killing

A judge Friday revoked bond for George Zimmerman, and gave the neighborhood watch volunteer who killed Florida teen Trayvon Martin 48 hours to surrender.

Circuit Judge Kenneth Lester Jr. said that Zimmerman engaged in "material falsehood" about money in issuing his ruling.

About an hour before the ruling came, prosecutors in the second-degree murder case again Zimmerman had filed a new motion requesting the bond revocation.

They contended Zimmerman's wife knew about the donations he had collected through a PayPal account, but didn't mention the money at his bond hearing.

Zimmerman's PayPal account collected more than $200,000, his attorney later revealed.

"Defendant has intentionally deceived the court with the assistance of his wife, Shelley Zimmerman. During the jail phone calls both of them spoke in code to hide what they were doing," the motion read.

The judge said Zimmerman had misled the court at his bond hearing.

The defense says the finances are an innocent misunderstanding.

Prosecutors also argued that Zimmerman has a second passport in addition to the one he surrendered.

Zimmerman was previously released after making a bond that had been set at $150,000.

On Friday, Judge Lester gave the 28-year old Zimmerman two days to turn himself in.

The defendant has repeatedly claimed he shot Trayvon Martin in self-defense on the night of Feb. 26 as the teen was walking in Zimmerman's Sanford, Fla. community.



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Sources: AP, CBS News, CNN, Google Maps

Marcus Robinson Wins Historic NC Racial Injustice Case! Receives Life NOT Death But Still Imprisoned!

Judge: Race 'Significantly' influenced inmate's murder trial

A Cumberland County Superior Court judge made history Friday morning when he commuted a death row inmate’s sentence in the first test of North Carolina’s fledgling Racial Justice Act.

Superior Court Judge Greg Weeks ruled that race significantly influenced jury selection in Marcus Robinson’s 1994 trial in the 1991 shooting death of a white 17-year-old, Erik Tornblom.

The ruling means Robinson, a 38-year-old black man, will be taken off death row and will serve life in prison without the possibility of parole.

Weeks said Robinson's attorneys "presented a wealth of evidence showing the persistent, persuasive and distorting role of race in jury selection in North Carolina."

"When the government's choice of jurors is tainted with racial bias, that overt wall casts down over the parties, the jury and the court to adhere to the law throughout the trial," Weeks said. "The very integrity of the court is jeopardized when a prosecutors discrimination invites cynicism respecting the jury’s neutrality and undermines public confidence."

The case is the first of more than 150 pending cases to get an evidentiary hearing before a judge under the Racial Justice Act, a 2009 law that allows death row prisoners and capital murder defendants to challenge their sentences or prosecutors' decisions with statistics and other evidence.

Weeks said that, by enacting the Racial Justice Act, the General Assembly made clear that North Carolina's laws reject the influence of race discrimination in the administration of the death penalty.

"It’s a widely accepted truth that race discrimination has historically had an impact on state policy in every aspect of our private and public lives, including education, housing, employment and criminal justice, " Weeks said in his ruling. "Race still divides us, and the Racial Justice Act recognizes that the justice system is not immune from this legacy of discrimination in our nation."

Prosecutors said Friday they planned to challenge Weeks' decision, and Cumberland County District Attorney Billy West declined further comment while the case was being appealed.

"There's justice at last," Weeks' mother, Shirley Burnes, said. "It's bittersweet, because I think about the family (of Erik Tornblom) and my son, but you've got to treat people right. You've got to treat people fair. That's what we depend on when we go through the system."

Tornblom's family left the courtroom visibly upset without commenting on the ruling.

Robinson and co-defendant Roderick Williams Jr. murdered Tornblom in 1991 after the teen gave his killers a ride from a Fayetteville convenience store. Tornblom was forced to drive to a field where he was shot with a sawed-off shotgun.

Robinson came close to death in January 2007, but a judge blocked his scheduled execution.

During a hearing in February, Robinson's defense team argued prosecutors' decisions to reject potential jurors who were black were influenced by race.

They cited a Michigan State University study that concluded black jurors were more likely to be dismissed than white jurors.

The study found that, of almost 160 people on North Carolina's death row, 31 had all-white juries, and 38 had only one person of color. A defendant is 2.6 times more likely to be sentenced to death if at least one of the victims is white, the study also found.

Union County prosecutor Jonathan Perry, who helped the Cumberland County District Attorney's Office argue the case against Robinson, said the study was untrustworthy because it was based on a too-limited sample of death penalty cases to provide meaningful results. The study also failed to detect numerous nonracial reasons that a person might be peremptorily struck from a jury, Perry said.

In his ruling, Weeks reiterated the study's findings, calling it very reliable and an example of the continued role of race in the justice system in Cumberland County and across the state. According to the court, prosecutors deliberately excluded black jurors from service in Robinson's case.

"The state's evidence not only failed to rebut Robinson's evidentiary showing, but in many respects, it reinforced and strengthened it," Weeks said. "The evidence should serve as a clear signal of the need for reform in capital jury selection proceedings in the future."

Weeks also noted that discrimination in jury selection across the state undermines the ability of the justice system to appear unbiased in capital cases.

"The very integrity of the court is jeopardized when a prosecutor's discrimination invites cynicism respecting the jury’s neutrality and undermines public confidence," he said.

People of Faith Against the Death Penalty, one of the most noted advocates for the Racial Justice Act, released a statement calling Weeks' ruling "a huge victory for justice, for the people of North Carolina, for the South and the country as a whole."

"This historic victory for justice would not have come about if not for the courage and persistence of ordinary North Carolina citizens who challenged these legacies of discrimination and demanded passage of the RJA," the nonprofit group said in a statement."

The North Carolina Chapter of the NAACP also released a statement:

"Today is a day where we must reflect on a dual tragedy. The loss of life of the Tornblom family is a tragedy that should grieve us all, and the Court's finding is a reminder of the tragedy that racial bias still affects and impacts the judicial process."

Last year, the Republican-led Legislature tried to repeal the Racial Justice Act, but Gov. Bev Perdue vetoed the effort. A subsequent vote in the General Assembly fell short of the required number of votes to override the veto.

A House committee is now looking at ways to narrow the scope of the law.


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George Zimmerman's Bail Set For $150,000! Cold-Blooded MURDER & Racial Profiling! Rally The Troops!

RALLY THE TROOPS!

George Zimmerman Apologizes in Court for Committing Cold-Blooded MURDER on an Unarmed BLACK Teenager & he receives a Low Bail of just $150, 000.

Secret Service Agents Assigned to Protect Pres. Obama’s Life Compromises his Safety by Convorting with $800 a night Colombian Prostitutes.

Its Time For The American BLACK Community To Rally Again!

Its Time For Another Civil Rights March On Washington Before The November Election!

Mission Purpose: Equal Justice, Income Equality & Pres. Obama’s Safety.

BLACK Congressional Caucus Members Get Off Your Scared, “Uncle Tom” Butts!

Do Something To Help Protect President Barack Obama & Ensure George Zimmerman Is NOT Acquitted Like Casey Anthony!

This recent Secret Service Prostitution Scandal is NO Accident.

Why is it that this type of Scandal has NEVER been Exposed while any other Elected U.S. President was in Office?

NO the Behavior is NOT New but this type of Scandal is NEW!

I now Question whether the Complete Safety of Pres. Obama & His Family has been Compromised?

Remember the Female Spy Mata Hari?

Mata Hari was a famous Spy who used SEX with Influential Men to gain Access.

How do we know if some of the Currently Employed Secret Service Agents wouldn't Sell Out Pres. Obama’s Schedule & Itinerary for MONEY or SEX?

This is why I believe Secret Service Agency Director Mark Sullivan also needs to be Replaced!

Remember JFK!

JFK's Assassination was NO Accident!

It was a Well-Planned Murder For Hire!

Many Gov’t Officials were Angry at JFK for wanting to help BLACK people so they Killed him!

And…...

Congress, the CIA, the FBI & Secret Service were ALL in on it!

Of Course Pres. Obama & his Staff will continue to Public State that they “Have Complete Confidence In The Secret Service”.

But I Don’t!

Call me a “Conspiracy Theorist” if you want to but…...

I’m Concerned for Pres. Obama’s Safety!

Was Ted Nugent’s Comments “If Barack Obama Wins Again I’ll Be Dead Or In Jail”, a Public Warning & a Code to Incite Anger Among Racist Gun Rights Advocates?

So Yes! I’m Concerned!

Its Time To Pray For REAL!Its Time For The American BLACK Community To Rally Again To Demand That Congress & The Federal Gov’t Do More To Protect The Obama Family!

This Includes Holding The Secret Service, CIA & FBI Agencies More Accountable.

Its Time For The American BLACK Community To Rally Again!

Its Time For Another Civil Rights March On Washington Before The November Election!





Zimmerman apologizes as judge sets $150,000 bond

George Zimmerman apologized Friday to the family of Trayvon Martin, the unarmed African-American teen that he shot in a confrontation that riveted a nation and sparked intense discussions about race, racial profiling and gun laws.

Zimmerman spoke moments before a Florida judge set a $150,000 bond that will let him get out of jail while he awaits trial.

"I wanted to say I am sorry for the loss of your son," Zimmerman said in an unusual appeal directly to Martin's family before he testified. "I thought he was a little bit younger than I was, and I did not know if he was armed or not."

Zimmerman's attorney, Mark O'Mara, said after the hearing that his client was responding to an interview in which Martin's mother, Sybrina Fulton, said she wanted to hear from the man who shot her son.

"He didn't want to defend himself, he didn't want to discuss the facts of the case. He heard the request of the family, and he wanted to respond to it," O'Mara said.

Attorneys for Martin's family, however, called the apology self-serving by a man facing a life prison sentence if convicted of the second-degree murder charge against him.

"This was the most disingenuous, insulting thing I've ever seen," said Martin family attorney Natalie Jackson.

Martin's parents were "completely devastated" over the decision to allow Zimmerman to go free, attorney Benjamin Crump said.

Prosecutors had asked that Zimmerman remain in jail without bond or that Judge Kenneth R. Lester Jr. set bond at $1 million -- an amount O'Mara said the family would be unable to handle.

Assistant State Attorney Bernie de la Rionda said Zimmerman's prior run-ins with a police officer and a woman who named him in a domestic violence injunction show that he is violent and a threat to the community.

Lester, however, described the incidents as "run of the mill" and "somewhat mild" in approving O'Mara's request for bond.

With the 10% cash payment customarily made to secure bond, Zimmerman could be freed with $15,000 from his family, attorneys said.

He will likely remain in jail for at least a couple of days while his attorneys and authorities work out terms of his release, which also include electronic monitoring and other restrictions, O'Mara said.

The judge told O'Mara to talk to authorities about his request to allow Zimmerman to leave Florida while awaiting trial. O'Mara said he is concerned about threats to Zimmerman's safety as well as that of his family.

De la Rionda said no decision has been made on whether to allow Zimmerman to leave the state.

The decision to grant Zimmerman bond followed a hearing in which his wife and parents testified that he was a caring, nonviolent man who organized a campaign on behalf of a homeless man who had been beaten and mentored an African-American boy for two years.

"I know that he is very protective of people, very protective of homeless people and also of children," Gladys Zimmerman testified by telephone.

She said he helped organize a campaign to "get justice" for a homeless man who had been beaten in Sanford, Florida, where he lived and where the shooting of Martin took place.

He also ventured into a dangerous Orlando neighborhood twice a week to mentor a 14-year-old African-American boy, his mother said. She testified that she begged him not to go because of the danger.

"He said, 'Mom, if I don't go, they don't have nobody,' " she said.

Zimmerman's father, Robert Zimmerman Sr., testified that his son is not a violent man despite previous incidents discussed by de la Rionda during the hearing, including a scuffle with a police officer and a dispute with a woman.

"I've never known him to be violent at all unless he was provoked, and then he would turn the other cheek," Robert Zimmerman testified.
According to authorities, Zimmerman has said he killed Martin in self-defense after the teenager accosted him, knocking him to the ground and bashing his head against the concrete.

Zimmerman's father testified Friday that when he saw his son the day after Martin's shooting, he was wearing a protective cover over his nose, his face was swollen and he had two vertical gashes on his head. He also reportedly suffered a broken nose.

Martin's family and the special prosecutor appointed to investigate the case have rejected that argument, saying they believe Zimmerman disobeyed the instructions of a police dispatcher to stop following Martin, racially profiled him and unjustly killed him.

Although details of the shooting remain murky, what is known is that Martin ventured out from the home of his father's fiancee in Sanford and went to a nearby convenience store, where he bought a bag of Skittles and an Arizona Iced Tea.

On his way back, he had a confrontation with Zimmerman, who shot him.

Zimmerman had called 911 to complain about a suspicious person in the neighborhood, according to authorities.

In the call, Zimmerman said he was following Martin after the teen started to run, prompting the dispatcher to tell him, "We don't need you to do that." Zimmerman pursued Martin anyway but then said he lost sight of him.

According to an Orlando Sentinel story later confirmed by Sanford police, Zimmerman told authorities that after he briefly lost track of Martin, the teen approached him.

After the two exchanged words, Zimmerman said, he reached for his cell phone, and then Martin punched him in the nose.

Zimmerman said Martin pinned him to the ground and began slamming his head onto the sidewalk, leading to the shooting
Police have said Zimmerman was not immediately charged because there was no evidence to disprove his account that he had acted in self-defense.

A police report indicated he was bleeding from the nose and the back of his head.

In Friday's hearing, an investigator for special prosecutor Angela Corey's office said authorities have no evidence showing who started the altercation that led to Martin's death.

"Do I know? No," investigator Dale Gilbreath said when asked if he knew who started the fight.

He said wounds on the back of Zimmerman's head were consistent with his skull being struck with something harder than his skull, and said under questioning from O'Mara that the object could have been a concrete sidewalk.

But he said evidence in the case is not consistent with Zimmerman's account that he was able to move away from the sidewalk just before being shot.

Martin was shot once in the chest at close range, Gilbreath said.

De la Rionda declined to comment on most of Friday's proceedings, including Zimmerman's testimony. But he said there's more to come when the case comes to trial.

"We obviously have evidence we feel we can go forward with," he said. "We did not put our entire case on today."

He declined to address Zimmerman's apology, which O'Mara said after the hearing that his client had tried to make in private but was rebuffed.

Natalie Jackson told CNN legal analyst Sunny Hostin on Thursday that O'Mara called to set up a private meeting between Zimmerman and the Martin family.

The family declined, Jackson said, indicating they want Zimmerman instead to give a deposition on what happened the night Martin was shot.

Crump said Martin's father, Tracy Martin, weeped through much of the hearing, and the family was distraught at the prospect of Zimmerman being able to reunite with his family.

"They pray that his freedom is only temporary because the pain he has caused this family is going to be permanent," Crump said.


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Anthony Trial Judge Belvin Perry: New Legal Break-Out Star! (Videos)

Who Is The New, Unintended Break-Out "Star" Of The Casey Anthony Trial?

NO! It Isn't Cold-Blooded Child Murderer Casey Anthony.

Instead Its No-Nonsense Judge Belvin Perry!





 



Chief Judge Belvin Perry, Jr.

Judicial Assignments

* 2001-2011 Chief Judge, Ninth Judicial Circuit
* 1999-2001 Circuit Judge, Orange County Civil
* 1995-1999 Chief Judge, Ninth Judicial Circuit
* 1992-1995 Circuit Judge, Orange County Criminal
* 1991 Administrative Circuit Judge, Osceola County
* 1989-1990 Circuit Judge, Osceola County

Education

* Juris Doctor: Thurgood Marshall School of Law, Texas Southern University (1977)
* Masters of Education Degree: Tuskegee University (1974)
* Bachelor of Science Degree, History: Tuskegee University (1972)

Professional Activities

* Member, Trial Court Budget Commission
* Member, Texas Bar Association
* Member, Orange County Bar Association
* Member, The Florida Bar






Casey Anthony Trial Update: Judge Belvin Perry calls for indefinite recess


Judge Belvin Perry called for an indefinite recess Friday morning in the Casey Anthony trial so the defense can depose state witnesses.

Perry issued a recess around 9:15 a.m. after hearing arguments from the defense over upcoming testimony in the state's rebuttal case, reports CBS affiliate WKMG.

Defense lead attorney Jose Baez said the state has not provided reports of what the witnesses, a forensic anthropologist and computer analysts, will say. Before the trial, Perry issued a court order saying that all experts had to write reports containing their opinions.

It's not known if the trial will resume Friday.

Perry told attorneys for the state and the defense that, if necessary, he will hold court into the night on Friday, through the 4th of July weekend and beyond, the station reports.

"These folks are ready to return to their homes," said Perry, referring to the jury, which was not seated during the aforementioned arguments.

The prosecution planned to continue its rebuttal case Friday to attack testimony offered by Casey Anthony's mother about computer searches she claims to have made months before her 2-year-old granddaughter, Caylee, first disappeared.

The rebuttal phase of the trial comes after Anthony's defense rested without calling her to testify about the death of her daughter Caylee.

On Thursday after the defense rested, the state called their first rebuttal witness, Alina Burroughs, Orange County Sheriff's Office crime scene investigator and entered George Anthony's suicide note that he left in January 2009 into evidence.

George Anthony testified on Wednesday that in his note he asked questions about what had happened to Caylee, whose remains were found one month prior.

The defense said in its opening statement that Caylee drowned and that George Anthony, a former police officer, helped cover up the death by making it look like a homicide and dumping the body near their home, where it was found by a meter reader six months later.

The prosecution contends that Casey Anthony killed Caylee in June 2008 by covering her mouth with duct tape and dumping her body in the woods near her parents' home, then resumed her life of partying and shopping.

Anthony, 25, has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder in Caylee's death and could get the death penalty if convicted of that charge.


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Casey Anthony's Fate Awaits! Jury Decides: Death Or "The Beautiful Life"?

The World Anxiously Awaits While Members Of The Jury In Casey Anthony's Trial Deliberates On What Her Legal Fate Will Be.

Now Please Allow Me To Tell You How I'd Like To See This Case End.

Since Casey Showed NO Mercy For Her Child, She Should Be Shown NO Mercy!

I Say She Deserves The Death Penalty But Instead Would Love To See Her Rot In Prison For At Least 30 Years!

According To The Evidence & Testimony Presented Casey Wanted "The Beautiful Life Right"?

A Life That Did NOT Include Her Beautiful, Young Child Caylee!

Caylee's In Heaven Now, But Her Foolish, Selfish Mother Currently Sits Behind Bars.

How's That "Beautiful Life" Thing Without Caylee Working Out For You Casey?

Where's Tony?

How Many Times Has Tony Visited After Your Arrest?

No Need For Long Deliberations Or Debates.

Sentence This Chick To LIFE IN PRISON!! For At Least 30 Years!

That Would Be Her Just Reward!

By The Way Kudos To Judge Perry And Prosecutors Jeff & Linda!

Casey's Attorney Jose Baez Didn't Do So Bad Either.

R.I.P. Caylee

 

 






Jury begins deliberations in Casey Anthony murder trial

Jury deliberations are now underway in the first-degree murder trial of Casey Anthony.

Following several weeks of testimony, the 12 member jury will be taken into a deliberation room, where they will stay until a verdict is reached.

All 17 jurors were escorted from the courtroom, but the alternates were separated from the 12 members who will decide Casey Anthony's fate.

The five alternates will continue to be sequestered until the jury reaches a verdict.

Chief Judge Belvin Perry will address the five alternates after they are taken to another location inside the courthouse. A court reporter and one member of the state and defense will join Perry.

The jurors will be served lunch inside the deliberation room, then will choose a jury foreman who will act as a spokesperson and keep the discussion on topic and cordial.

Once a verdict is reached, the judge will give a 30 minute warning to allow the state, defense, defendant and all others gather inside the courtroom.

Impassioned rebuttal

Assistant state Attorney Linda Drane Burdick gave a devastating closing argument that detailed Casey's history of lies and questioned who had most to gain by the child's death.

She replayed video and audio of Casey lying to her parents and law enforcement. Burdick said she was twice given the chance to acknowledge that the death was an accident, as her defense has claimed, but she never did.

During the closing, Casey was seen shaking her head, jutting her jaw and grumbling at her lawyers. Several jurors watched her reactions as they listened to her recorded lies.

In the end, she said, jurors need to consider:

"Whose life was better without Caylee? Was Cindy Anthony's life better?"

In making that argument, Burdick played the now infamous 911 call in which Cindy Anthony says her daughter "finally admitted" that Caylee had been missing for 31 days, and that it smelled like there had been "a dead body in the damn car!"

Burdick closed by saying that in the end, to answer whose life would be better, all the jurors needed to do was consider Casey Anthony's "Belle Vita" tattoo.

At that point, a photo of Casey Anthony's tattoo was shown next to a photo of her partying with friends during the time Caylee was missing in the summer of 2008

"There's your answer," Burdick said.

Burdick's rebuttal lasted about an hour, during which time she talked a lot about Caylee Anthony.

Burdick was mocking the defense's case, saying that all of the times defense attorneys characterized Casey Anthony as an "amazing" mother to Caylee, were laughable.

"Providing food, clothes, that makes her a mother," Burdick said. Not a great mother, "an adequate mother."

Burdick then said that George and Cindy Anthony were the ones who provided for Caylee, the ones who bought her clothes, food, made a lovely room for her in their home.

"If this truly was an accident...Caylee would be found floating in a pool, not a swamp down the street," she said.

Before Burdick continued with closing arguments after the break, defense attorney Jose Baez argued that one of the forensic analyses done on the computer searches for chloroform was erroneous.

Burdick started by telling the jury she doesn't want them to base their decision on emotion, "however emotionally charged" the testimony, details of the case have been.

"My biggest fear…is that common sense will be lost in all the rhetoric of the case," Burdick said. "That you won't step back and look at the evidence as a whole. You got to look at the big picture here."

She continued her closing statements by explaining Casey Anthony's lies. She called the defendant the "most well documented liar ever seen in a courtroom."

Burdick said liars responses to guilt are "oh so predictable."

Argument for first-degree murder

Earlier, Ashton also made the argument for first-degree murder, telling jurors they can reach that verdict through premeditated murder or felony murder through aggravated child abuse.

Ashton reminded jurors they do not need to be unanimous in deciding premeditated or felony murder. They can be divided and still reach a first-degree murder verdict.

"Regardless of how you put these facts together...any way you slice it…Casey Anthony is guilty of first-degree murder in this case," Ashton said.

George Anthony suicide letter

He again reminded jurors of George Anthony's suicide note.

"You cannot read this letter and not see this man was in pain," Ashton said. ""This is the cry of a man who doesn't understand the world anymore."

Ashton read a section of the letter where George said he tried to bring up his issues and was told to set those aside.

"To denigrate that pain...I believe belies the facts," Ashton said.

State explains science in case

Ashton described the testimony of Orange-Osceola Chief Medical Examiner Jan Garavaglia and other medical experts who examined the skeletal remains of Caylee Marie.

Defense attorney Jose Baez in his closing statements Sunday described the science used by the state as "junk science."

Ashton said Sunday that the state would need as much as two hours to wrap up its case this morning.

Barring any unexpected developments, Chief Judge Belvin Perry will instruct the 12 people charged with deciding Casey Anthony's fate and send them to a designated room where they stay until they make a decision.

The jury could begin its deliberations by lunchtime.

Casey Anthony is in the courtroom this morning wearing a blue-and-white striped shirt.

Ashton is digging into the forensic evidence this morning, starting with Caylee's remains, and hitting points on air samples, chloroform.

Experts agree nothing in the bones tells us how Caylee died, Ashton said.

He reminded the jury that two specific parts of the body after decomposition should not stay together — the mandible and the skull, but that Caylee's were in "anatomical position."

The state's experts told you "that tape had to have been on that skull before she decomposed," he said.

But defense expert, Dr. Werner Spitz said the body had to removed, waited for decomposition and then taped them back together. Ashton told jurors it was up to them to determine if that was reasonable.

"Dr. Spitz's version of the events is incredible" and not credible, Ashton said.

Ashton is again showing a series of photos of Caylees skull to underline his argument that the remains were left in the woods for six months and not brought back there after decomposition.

"The scene was not staged. It appears as it does because of the forces of nature. The forces of water. The forces of animals and the forces of decomposition," Ashton says. "That duct tape has been on Caylees face since the day she died."

When speaking about the air science, Ashton paid special attention to the testimony of Dr. Arpad Vass from the Oakridge National Laboratory in Tennessee. Ashton implied that just because the defense didn't agree with his testimony, that doesn't mean it's junk science.

"Dr. Vass is an unapologetic science geek," Ashton said. "When have you heard an expert in a criminal case say, 'and here's the really cool part...'"

On Sunday, jurors sat through a full day of court listening first to Ashton deliver 77 minutes of closing arguments – methodically detailing the state's case for the jury, touching on important points, key evidence and imploring them to find the young mother guilty of first-degree murder.

Baez's three-hour closing argument, the state often objected to comments he made that possibly violated a court order issued by Perry last week.

Perry called a sidebar at one point when Baez raised his voice, and pointed his finger at Ashton, calling him a "laughing man." It appears that Ashton was trying to hide a smirk behind his hand during Baez's closing arguments. Perry had specifically forbidden them from expressing facial gestures in court.

Casey Anthony, 25, is accused of killing her 2-year-old daughter Caylee Anthony during the summer of 2008. The state's theory suggests Casey Anthony used duct tape to suffocate her daughter and then dumped her body in a swampy wooded lot just a few blocks from the family home. The state is seeking the death penalty.

The defense claims Caylee accidentally drowned in the backyard swimming pool on June 16 and her body was disposed of by George Anthony. He has denied anything to do with the death of his granddaughter.


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