"Witness 9" in Trayvon Martin case claims George Zimmerman's family is racist

By: Crimesider Staff
Topics: Daily Blotter

Trayvon Martin (left) and George Zimmerman

/ CBS/AP Photo

(CBS) SANFORD, Fla. - A witness in the George Zimmerman-Trayvon Martin fatal shooting case told investigators Zimmerman's family is racist, as heard in an audio recording released Monday by the special prosecutor's office. The woman, identified as "Witness 9," is heard telling detectives, "They say a lot of bad things about black people."

Pictures: George Zimmerman faces murder charges

On the tape, the witness claimed that Zimmerman's mother announced she was racist during a conversation about president Obama. She was asked whether she saw George Zimmerman himself disparage blacks or act as if he hated blacks, to which the witness replied, "no."

Witness 9 did claim that Zimmerman "only likes black people who act like white people."

Defense attorney Mark O'Mara made a last-minute attempt to block the release of Witness 9's statements, including allegations that Martin's killer molested her when she was between the ages of 6 and 16.

O'Mara filed a motion this morning at the Seminole County Courthouse, but it didn't reach the courthouse in time, and Special Prosecutor Angela Corey's office released the interview anyway, the Chicago Tribune reports.

On Friday, Circuit Judge Kenneth Lester Jr. signed an order requiring that Witness 9's statement be made public. O'Mara had asked that they be kept secret, saying that her statements were uncorroborated and that it's likely to inflame hostility toward his client.

Zimmerman, whose father is white and mother is Hispanic, is charged with second-degree murder in the February 26 shooting death of Martin, a black 17-year-old. Zimmerman said he killed Martin in self-defense under Florida's "stand your ground" law.

Complete coverage of the Trayvon Martin case on CBS News

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by KnowerseekerReturns July 19, 2012 12:22 PM EDT: I too only "like black people who act like white people" (with decency and respect). Guess that makes me a *culturist*, and hey, I'm proud of it. Some cultures are just crap and don't deserve any respect. Hip-hop/gangsta/thug culture is one example, and though they created it, it's not just blacks who are immersed in that culture anymore. (R_e_d_n_e_c_k culture would be another.); Reply to this comment


by kailumego July 18, 2012 5:56 PM EDT: Here's a case, come hypocrites slide from underneath the woodwork. Genarlow Wilson, 17, had consensual oral sex with a young woman, 15. He was convicted of aggravated child molestation and then sentenced to 10 years in prison. A two year age difference, between himself and the alleged victim. Only difference, it was claimed the sexual act had been consensual, unlike Zimmerman, which I'm starting to think otherwise. Do you think Genarlow Wilson should've gone to prison, in spite the fact, he violated this minor's privacy by posting the act on youtube.; Reply to this comment


by andie52 July 18, 2012 7:34 AM EDT: I am not going to play armchair psychiatrist to try to figure out why she went back on her own and narrowly missed an actual rape this time I believe what she said and that she has been effected by the molestation.Zimmerman apologized to her and her family in that restaurant innocent people don't apologize for something they didn't do; Reply to this comment

by ahendryx819 July 17, 2012 11:35 AM EDT

Hmmmm, anyone surprised here? I'm not.

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by ahendryx819 July 18, 2012 10:48 AM EDT: I laughed when I heard that there were FBI reports in regards to his racism. I've dealt with the FBI myself, and they're not the geniuses that they're cracked up to be. It's true; there is no report that can determine whether or not someone is a racist. I only believe he is because of his actions that night.


by jaime_pretell July 17, 2012 11:06 AM EDT: FBI says Zimmerman showed no racism.
http://www.denverpost.com/nationworld/ci_21063761/zimmerman-showed-no-racial-bias-trayvon-martin-shooting; Reply to this comment

by jaime_pretell July 17, 2012 10:22 AM EDT

This is quite stupid for a number of reasons.
1. George Zimmerman is an Afrodescendant himself.
2. So is his mom, and his grandmom and the two Black girls that lived with them.
3. Her interpretation is that the family likes Blacks "that act White." This has long been code for educated Blacks. Michelle Obama has been accused of acting White. We do not know if the Zimmerman family used those terms, but at most this would mean they can be snobbish. They don't like the urban Black culture, etc. That would not make them racist but elitist. I know plenty of Afrodiasporic and African people who can't stand the lower class African American culture. That does not make them racist.
4. Zimmerman has clearly used urban lingo before as evidenced by his 2005 myspace and referring to himself as 'myniggatuggie' or something like that. Some of his best friends were urban Black youths. So just because his parents might be elitist/snobs, the evidence doesn't show George was.
5. This girls claims she visited about once a year. Which would mean she only saw George in a family context, and which would mean if she saw family snobbery (also visible in upper class African American communities who don't like the Hip Hop and other urban and/or ghetto cultures), she would not know how George acted in daily life.
6. An FBI investigation which would have been much more thorough than her once a year visit determined that George was not a racist.
7. Regarding the alleged molestation, according to her it began when she was 6 and he was 8. If so, George would have been a victim of molestation himself. And a child so, not a perp. At no moment does she say he forced himself on her. the second time she says was when she was 7 or 8, behind the curtains kissing and fondling her. Again, she claims she was scared but never mentions George using force or threats. And again, George is still a minor at 9 or 10. The last time she describes, she is 18 goes to his house, lays on his bed, all voluntarily and he gives her a massage, gets a woody, and she leaves. No forcible entry, nothing illegal. She claims she is scared, but again, never mentions use of force or any other method if intimidation.
8. All these allegations are unverified, and furthermore, the allegations of improper touching, none of which were illegal (the first two being when he was a prepubescent child and the third was only a masssage)all have nothing to do with shooting someone he suspected of being a burglar. No evidence he was trying to molest Trayvon.
Again, the incendiary nature of these irrelevant claims, which are hearsay and don't fall within the rules of evidence, unless she actually appears in court to be cross examined, and still don't show any pattern of violence. The fact that Judge Lester released them moments after he gets a motion to disqualify speaks volumes to his bias, and that the Motion is quite valid.

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by ReckonedTruth July 17, 2012 1:12 PM EDT: no GZ is not of Afri-descendent(laughing) ..he's a white hispanic as many want to claim him as(how stupid) so I guess GZ has darker skin as result from the european bloodline....

.. so if you check the multi-ethnic bloodline line of Peru..and the peruvians..you would be correct..

some PPL aren't that bright....just as stupid-- when others didn't want to stated President Obama as a blackman-"no the president is not a black guy!!

WHAT? (geesh).. so President Obama had to tell the eL-stupidos who wanted to make him other than african american- he's african american..in other words a black guy..


by kailumego July 17, 2012 10:31 PM EDT: This is all a rouse to circumvent that the prosecution's case is weak. Molestation between a 6 and 8 year old, sounds more like curiosity than molestation. He didn't penetrate her, there was no oral foundling, etc., etc.,. A six and eight year old, this prosecutor will stoop to anything lower, than low to win a case. And I've further read she isn't his cousin, this happened over a ten year period, really misleading, since she visited the family once a year. She's sixteen and he's eighteen, he tells her to lay down and she does, without argument, this doesn't sound right. I was abused it doesn't work that way......I'm deeply bothered by this prosecutor's actions to sling around accusations of alleged child abuse, between two children.....pathetic....


by goodbyeamerica July 17, 2012 2:35 AM EDT: It's amazing how bad they want to put this guy away. I hate the stand your ground laws, it has created a wild west mentality and many innocent people, and criminals that did not deserve to die, did. It seems they are going after Zimmerman for everything but the accused crime. It's obvious his family is not racist, there is even many independent accounts including court records of Zimmerman's reaction to the police beating of a black man long before his incident, where he is defending the black man and calling out the police for excessive force.
But should we really expect anything from such a schizophrenic state like Florida?; Reply to this comment

by melpol12 July 16, 2012 9:36 PM EDT

Eight year old Zimm was being naughty when he fondled his six year old cousin. He should have been spanked at least 20 times on his bare behind, but he escaped punishment. The incident should not be forgotten and Zimm must pay a price for his bad behavior. An admission of guilt before the media would satisfy the public and courts. He would then be branded as a pedophile and sexual pervert; it would be just punishment for his early mistakes.

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by arthanyel July 16, 2012 9:54 PM EDT: If it was one incident when he was 8 years old, maybe a spanking would have ben the right answer. But multiple incidents over 10 years including luring her to a house for molestation is more than a spankable offense.

by PrimoBrutha July 16, 2012 7:52 PM EDT

GZ is a sick minded person. Anyone that molests their own fleshing-blood is not only a perp but mentally disturbed. GZ has apparently been mentally disturbed since birth; and it's perhaps his birth-mark. The father of the girl should find GZ and castrate him. Rip his entire nut-sacs out and lay it on top of his lawyers office door.

GZ's supporters are supporting a CHILD MOLESTER and a CHILD MURDERER...Disqusting bastard...

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by ReckonedTruth July 16, 2012 9:35 PM EDT: it hasn't been discovered who witness#9 is by the defenders of GZ.. or the supporters may know by now and SHOCKED..so they are as silent as RATZ pissin on cotton.. looking like the fools they are defending a PERV..and better yet sending money to someone because they feel they must REWARD a murderer..

Witness


by andie52 July 16, 2012 7:34 PM EDT: Investigators asked the woman why she's coming forward now. "This is the first time in my life that I'm not afraid of him," she replied. (The woman also told state investigators that she annoymously called Sanford police after Martin's death to tell them what she knew about Zimmerman.)

The alleged victim said she and her parents tried to discuss the abuse with Zimmerman at a Lake Mary, Fla. restaurant in 2005. "He said, 'I'm sorry' and just got up and walked out."

The woman, who was not a witness to the killing of Trayvon Martin, made her explosive statement to Sanford police in March, a month after the shooting.

"I wanted to say I am sorry for the loss of your son," to trayvons parents

He said, 'I'm sorry' and just got up and walked out." to witness # 9 and her parents; Reply to this comment