Trayvon Martin Trial Day 11: Forensic Pathologist Gives His Testimony on Trayvon’s Gunshot Wound

By: Taren Vaughan

Trayvon Martin’s father Tracy Martin took the stand yesterday on Day 10 of the trial. And as it was a difficult thing for Mr. Martin to go through, he brought clarity to the initial comment he made when he first heard the 911 tapes as Sanford police officers Chris Serino and Doris Singleton claimed in their testimonies that Trayvon’s father said the screams heard were not his son’s. Tracy Martin testified and denied saying the screams weren’t coming from Trayvon. Today, the jury got to hear a testimony from one of George Zimmerman’s neighbors and from a forensic pathologist who spoke on the gunshot wound Trayvon received during the altercation with Zimmerman, CBS News reports:

A renowned forensic pathologist testified for the defense Tuesday, saying that Martin’s injuries were consistent with Zimmerman’s story that Martin was leaning over Zimmerman when he was shot.

On cross-examination, Dr. Vincent Di Maio conceded that the gunshot could also be consistent with Martin pulling away from Zimmerman, and that he didn’t rely on statements from some Zimmerman neighbors who say Zimmerman was on top of Martin to reach his conclusion. The pathologist, who also has testified at the murder trials of Illinois police sergeant Drew Peterson and record producer Phil Spector, said he had been paid $2,400 by the defense.

Although Dr. Di Maio says the gunshot wound was consistent with Trayvon pulling away from George Zimmerman, he did tell prosecutor Bernie de la Rionda he could not determine who actually started the altercation between Trayvon Martin and George Zimmerman.

Sanford City Manager Norton Bonaparte also took the stand today and described how Trayvon Martin’s family members came to hear the 911 tapes:

Bonaparte said he played the 911 tapes while members of Martin’s family sat together at City Hall. He played them as a courtesy before they were released publicly, he said.

Defense attorneys are trying to show that Martin’s family members may have influenced each other in concluding the screams are those of the Miami teen. Police officers testified for the defense that it’s better for someone who is trying to identify a voice to listen to it alone.

George Zimmerman’s neighbor Eloise Dilligard gave her testimony via video. She was asked to identify photos of George Zimmerman and Trayvon Martin the night of the shooting by police officers. And during her testimony, Eloise said she believes the screams heard on the 911 call were Zimmerman’s.

The judge excused the jury this afternoon as she is trying to make a decision on whether or not to allow the defense to show an animation of each event leading up to the shooting.

Here are the video clips for Day 11 of the trial: