http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/1207/12/ijvm.01.htmlJANE VELEZ-MITCHELL
School Showed `Total Disregard` for Child Rape Victims
Aired July 12, 2012 - 19:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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Plus, unbelievable details revealed about Neighborhood Watch shooter George Zimmerman`s past. You won`t believe what his ex-fiancee told cops, stories that claim pushing and kicking and other violence long before Zimmerman gunned down unarmed teen Trayvon Martin. All the details tonight.
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(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What happened here on April 20? And why did that happen?
GEORGE ZIMMERMAN, ACCUSED SHOOT: He said, "Yo, you got a problem?`
I turned around. And I said, no, I don`t have a problem, man.
SYBRINA FULTON, TRAYVON`S MOTHER: This is not a black and white thing. This is about a right and wrong thing.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Somehow Mr. Martin because he was wearing the hoodie is a criminal?
ZIMMERMAN:: I didn`t think I hit him because he sat up and he said, "Oh, you got me. You got it -- you got me, you got it," something like that.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It is not the grand conspiracy that the state seems to suggest.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He had lacerations on the back of his head.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So his head was banged into something harder than his head.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Astonishing new developments in the Trayvon Martin case. New evidence just released shows Trayvon`s shooter George Zimmerman -- are you sitting down -- wanted more guns after he shot Trayvon Martin dead in March.
You remember this? The nation exploding with protest because Zimmerman was still not arrested. Zimmerman`s in hiding. And we`re now learning tonight he was trying to get another gun. He contacted a gun shop asking for a weapon, allegedly. Why?
Zimmerman told the FBI that, quote "his life is in danger and he needs more guns."
Watch Zimmerman re-enact how he says this confrontation with Trayvon Martin went down.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ZIMMERMAN: When he was hitting my head against -- I felt like my head was going to explode and I thought I was going to lose consciousness.
He said, "You`re going to die tonight, (EXPLETIVE DELETED)." And he reached for it. But he reached -- like, I felt his arm going down to my side and I grabbed it. And I just grabbed my firearm and I shot one time.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Did Zimmerman have violent perhaps even racist tendencies? The FBI also interviewed his ex-fiancee who revealed the stunning accusation that during their engagement, quote, "Zimmerman hit her in the mouth with an open hand." Why -- because she was chewing gum. She also states that during an argument Zimmerman kicked her dog in the stomach when the dog approached him.
Will prosecutors be able to use this newly released evidence to portray Zimmerman as violence-prone? Give me a call, 1-877-JVM-SAYS, 1- 877-586-7297.
Straight out to Natalie Jackson, the attorney for Trayvon Martin`s family; Natalie, thanks for joining us. What do you make of this bombshell new evidence just released hours ago?
NATALIE JACKSON, ATTORNEY FOR TRAYVON MARTIN`S FAMILY: Well, there are 300 pages that were released by the state attorney`s office. I only went through half of it. I think it definitely will help the state with their case. There`s a lot of information -- new information that talks about the psychological of George Zimmerman.
But ultimately this case, the star witness of this case will be George Zimmerman and his own words; the smoking gun is his own words. So the jury will just -- they`ll come back and they`ll notice -- I believe that they`ll notice all the inconsistencies with the story and that will be what is the thing they consider most.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, listen, an ex-fiancee can sometimes hold a grudge.
But criminal defense attorney out of Miami, Michelle Suskauer, Zimmerman allegedly hit here in the mouth with his open hand because she was chewing gum? Kicks her dog, according to her? Will prosecutors be able to use this in court during his trial as evidence that he is prone to violence?
MICHELLE SUSKAUER, CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY: You know what; I don`t know if they -- listen, they are certainly going to want to try. But this is a prior bad act or prior bad act and they may not be able to use this at all.
But certainly it`s bad information about George Zimmerman if in fact this person is credible, which we do not know if she is credible or not. Just like you said, Jane, this is an ex-fiancee. This is someone who did not marry him for whatever reason. He broke up with her. She broke up with him. Who knows?
But, again, what is consistent from what everything I`ve read is that he does not come across as a racist. Everyone who has been interviewed and there were over 30 interviews about that.
(CROSSTALK)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, ok.
SUSKAUER: But he does not come across -- no one has said that he ever has been that way. And so there are some very positive things, if you want to spin it in the other way, for the defense that have come out of all this document today.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Your thoughts on that, Natalie Jackson.
JACKSON: Well, I`m not saying that George Zimmerman is a racist or he isn`t, but there is a witness that has come out. That`s witness number 9, the controversial witness, whose statements have been redacted. But the statements that were released with witness number 9; she called two days after the shooting before all of the uprising and she did say that he had those tendencies.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Speaking of -- and I`m writing down a caller`s name and state. So let me continue now. Speaking of this whole issue of whether or not he`s racist, evidence released today once again raises this question, was George Zimmerman racist? Is he a racist? Does he have those tendencies?
Now, police did suspect that although Zimmerman himself hotly denied it. Listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This person was not doing anything bad. You know the name of the person that died?
ZIMMERMAN: Trayvon?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Trayvon.
ZIMMERMAN: Trayvon Martin.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Trayvon Benjamin Martin. He was born in 1995, February the 5th. He was 17 years old. In his possession we found a can of iced tea and a bag of Skittles and about $40 in cash. Not the goon.
You got problems with black people?
ZIMMERMAN: No.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Ok. I had to ask.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Ok. "So you got problems with black people?" "No." "Ok, I had to ask." Zimmerman constantly claims he`s not racist.
But in this new evidence some disturbing things from his MySpace profile. He wrote about Mexicans walking on the side of the street soft (EXPLETIVE DELETED) want-to-be thugs messing with cars and he goes on to complain about getting knives pulled on you by every Mexican you run into.
Now, Robi Ludwig, this sounds to me like a very judgmental person who makes sweeping generalizations and assumptions based on people based on their ethnicity, their appearance, whatever. Isn`t that exactly what he did to Trayvon Martin?
ROBI LUDWIG, PSYCHOTHERAPIST: Well, it sounds that way. And of course we`ll find out more details. But he also sounds very paranoid to me and highly reactive. And when someone`s in a paranoid state, then they tend to see things if you are in an outsiders group, you`re an enemy. You`re either an outsider or an insider.
And that`s what I see about Zimmerman. He seems perhaps when he`s not well is increasingly paranoid, increasingly more suspicious and increasingly highly reactive.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: What I found astounding about these documents, Tanya Acker, is that until the shooting -- oh the irony -- he was not on good terms with his own parents and he became on better terms after the shooting.
So what`s adding up here is somebody who has a tendency to get into arguments -- the ex-fiancee, Trayvon Martin, his own parents.
TANYA ACKER, ATTORNEY: I think that George Zimmerman`s best hope in his trial moving forward is he is going to have to take the stand. And he`s going to have to take a story. And he`s going to have to tell his story.
And if he does that, he is possibly going to open up the door to all of these other sorts of questions. He`s going to have to answer questions about his prior relationships, his tendency toward violence.
And look, the whole notion about whether or not he`s racist or not racist, whether or not Trayvon Martin was brought to his attention or whether or not George Zimmerman thought that Trayvon was more dangerous because he was black, that doesn`t necessarily turn on whether or not Zimmerman had a history of using the n-word or being in a hate group. They`re separate issues.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Yes. Now, we`re going to the phone lines quickly. Crystal, Iowa, your thought, my dear.
CRYSTAL, IOWA (via telephone): does Trayvon`s family have any right to sue for the poor handling of their case?
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Oh, well that`s an excellent question. Very quickly, Michelle Suskauer, can Trayvon Martin`s family sue?
SUSKAUER: Well, who are they going to sue? Suing law enforcement? There`s immunity. But suing George Zimmerman, potentially. But, again, in Florida the "Stand Your Ground" law it`s very possible that they will have -- that George Zimmerman may be able to have civil immunity under this law. So that is an option.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Natalie Jackson, any plans now for a civil suit?
JACKSON: That is something that we have not ruled out the possibility. Right now the parents they are more concerned with the criminal case and what happens with George Zimmerman.
Jane, I want to talk about the racism issue. The state is not charging George Zimmerman with any racial crime. So that really -- that is not an issue here. They have not charged him with any sort of hate or racial crime. They are charging him straight with murder two. And the profiling that they`re alleging is criminal profiling.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: All right. We are on top of this story. Thank you Natalie Jackson. Thank you my entire panel. Come here for the latest on the Zimmerman case.
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