George Zimmerman/Trayvon Martin Case: Time Line of Events

The Crime Scene

Pictured here is the area of Twin Lakes where the shooting occurred. In the northwest corner is roughly where Zimmerman is said to have parked his Honda on Twin Trees Lane after he made his way westbound from the clubhouse, still on the phone with the non emergency dispatcher. He describes getting out of his vehicle here after Trayvon approached him and then ran off.  The red X denotes where police reported Trayvon's body was found. 

 In the reenactment, Zimmerman recalls Martin cutting between the houses as he ran off. He effectively lost sight of him for the rest of his call with the dispatcher. His exact path is unknown. We know Zimmerman had no visual on him, so its unclear if he may have gone straight down the path or simply cut the corner and ducked out of sight in the darkness, perhaps behind a fence by a house. George seems to describe him coming from the eastern side, rather than the western side where the body was found.

 Zimmerman admittedly went straight down the cut thru, in hopes of getting an address to relay to police or perhaps getting a glimpse of Martin making his way to the back gate, where he seemed to think he was running to. George seemingly has no idea where Trayvon is according to the last two minutes of his police call. He ends the call and shortly after begins walking westward back to his vehicle. 

 George ends his call at 7:13:40 pm. We know very little about what happens at this point, but its likely the confrontation didn't occur until two minutes or so later. Its unknown what exactly each person did for this few minutes but its clear neither went particularly far. However, if Martin ran at around 7:11 and they didn't cross paths until around 7:15 it remains to be seen why he ended up north by the T, when he seemed to be running south. Zimmerman claims he was on the cut thru the entire time but its unclear what he did in the 2 minutes or so after his police call. Did he simply linger around the Retreat View Circle side trying to get his flashlight to work? We simply don't know, but for both people a lot of time seemed to pass without a lot of movement.

Timeline of Events

6:29 pm - Martin leaves 711

Trayvon Martin left the 711 store at about 6:30 pm that night, and possibly arrived back at Twin Lakes around 7 pm. However, the walk back home under normal circumstances would have took less time than that so whether he simply took his time while talking on the phone, or perhaps went somewhere other than straight home, we'll likely never know.

6:54 pm - DeeDee calls Trayvon

"DeeDee", often described as Trayvon's girlfriend calls at this time, presumably as he is making his way back to Twin Lakes.  Later in her interviews with the state attorney, she mentions he initially sought refuge from the rain at an overhang by a "mail shed", presumably by the clubhouse. She goes on to say the phone then hung up, and upon making contact again Trayvon mentions a man is watching him and be begins walking.

7:09:34 pm - George Zimmerman begins his non emergency call

At this time Zimmerman connects with a non emergency police number to report Trayvon as a suspicious person who appears to be closely looking at some of the houses in the area. He later elaborates he first sees Martin cutting into the community from the northwest corner, in an area that is not gated between houses.

7:11:41 pm - Trayvon runs

Zimmerman, presumably parked on Twin Trees now, describes Martin as approaching his vehicle "to check him out" with "his hand in his waistband". Based on his demeanor, Trayvon does appear to be close and then runs off. Still on the phone with non emergency, Zimmerman exits his car under the impression Martin is headed for the back gate.

7:12 pm (approx.) - DeeDee reconnects with Trayvon

The previous phone call starting at 6:54 disconnects, and the two reconnect quickly again. DeeDee later says Trayvon briefly lost the man and tells him to run to his dad's house.

7:12:11 - "He ran"

George once again reiterates that Trayvon has run, and goes on to say he has no idea where he is. He is still on foot at this point, and later describes making his way on the cut thru onto Retreat View Circle.

7:13:40 pm - George hangs up

Zimmerman ends his non emergency call and he agrees to have police call him back and meet with him when they arrive.

7:15:30 pm (approx.) - Zimmerman and Martin cross paths

The first words are spoken around this time and the fight erupts quickly after. By Zimmerman's account, he is making his way back to his vehicle on the cut thru when Trayvon appears from the darkness and asks what he is problem is. George replies he has no problem to which Martin replies "You do now" and punches him in the face, knocking him down.

DeeDee is a bit more vague in her account. She doesn't really go into detail as to the context in which they met but seemingly once the two were close enough to each other Trayvon first asks "Why are you following me?" to which George says "What are you doing around here?"

7:16 pm (approx.) - DeeDee's call ends

DeeDee claims she hears details of the onset of the fight, including the two speaking to each other. She goes on to later say it sounds like Trayvon is pushed, there are sounds indicative of a scuffle and apparently she hears Trayvon say "Get off, get off" faintly. At that point the phone goes dead.

7:16:11 pm - First 911 call comes in

Witness 11 is the first to call 911, describing to the operator an apparent fight in progress. This is the call that goes on to capture both the screams and the gunshot.

7:16:41 pm - Second 911 call

Witness 3 is the next caller to report the events unfolding. Though, not as close to the fight as witness 11, the gunshot is still faintly heard on this call as well.

7:16:56 pm - Gunshot

A single shot is fired, prompting several more 911 calls.

7:17 pm (approx.) - First police officer arrives

Around this time the first responding officer, Timothy Smith arrives at Twin Lakes and proceeds to make his way to the crime scene. 

7:19 pm - Zimmerman's injuries captured on iPhone

Witness 13, another close resident, apparently makes contact with George before Officer Smith arrives. He speaks briefly to George and proceeds to take three pictures with his iPhone: a flashlight, Trayvon's body and the infamous photo of the bloodied back of Zimmerman's head.

7:19:30 pm (approx.) - Police make contact

At this point, Officer Smith makes contact with George, removes his weapon and begins to sort out what happened.

7:23 pm and onward -

EMTs arrive and attempt CPR on Martin. He is later pronounced dead at around 7:30 pm. George is subsequently taken into custody and transported to the police station. A crime scene is officially in effect and technicians arrive shortly after to process the evidence.

The Walking Dead Seasons 1 - 3 Revisited

So many classic moments from season one, such as the hospital scene.

Yet another season of Walking Dead has come to a close and while we have quite some time until season four, there is now ample time to look back upon the series while the anticipation builds for next chapter of the story.

With my Sunday nights suddenly feeling empty, I figured why not revisit all the past episodes and try to get a more fluid, concise feel for the story again and perhaps pick up on a few things I have missed along the way.

Without further ado, a quick break down and some thoughts from seasons passed.

Season 1

Any time I go back and watch S1 I am instantly reminded why this is my favorite season. The movie-like cinematography, the fluid pace, the abrupt transition from everyday life to dealing with hordes of the undead. Everything just flowed so seamlessly in this season, perhaps due the bigger budget, fewer episodes. Regardless, it came off a lot more like a mini-series than a TV show, nothing short of epic. The scene with Daryl discovering his brother has cut his own hand off to escape the handcuffs on the roof always gives me chills, and the accompanying music made it one of the most unforgettable TWD scenes ever.

With only a few minor flat spots in the story arch, this season should essentially serve as blueprint to future curators of the show.

Season 2

Initially, I hated the first half and loved the second half. Upon first view the pacing seem too slow, certain story arcs seemed to drag out, and the character drama to zombie killing ratio was severely disproportionate. However, future viewings have proved to be more forgiving. I still like how the plot moved quicker in part 2, but despite some shortcomings, and part 1 of this season did have some merit. Though, I still tend to think Sophia going MIA was stretched a bit far. Nonetheless, it still felt cohesive and necessary in the end.

Season 3

What I liked about this season was the fact they seemed more vested in creating a more fluid storyline. Things moved quicker and the attention to action was much more present. The interesting catalyst here seemed to be not only are the walkers dangerous, but people's desperation to survive at any cost is equally as dangerous. One of the areas it seemed to lack in was sheer "Oh, shit!" moments, just that spark that the tail end of season two had. Learning that we all turn when we die, Rick killing Shane, a massive horde of zombies approaching the barn. Not that season three didn't have its merit, just the major developments didn't seem quite as captivating but they are both really close in terms of enjoyment otherwise.

Of course, season three will likely get another watching in the near future and as always my thoughts are subject to change. Regardless, all the seasons have been great thus far and hopefully the next season will be on par with the others.

George Zimmerman/Trayvon Martin Case: Timelines, Screams and Reasonable Doubt

Thus far, most people have reached their own verdict based on emotion alone.

On Sunday February 26, 2012 at roughly 7:09 pm, George Zimmerman places a call to a non emergency police line in which he reports Trayvon Martin as a suspicious person. Several minutes prior, he first observed Martin between some houses on the outskirts of gated community. It aroused his suspicions due to the fact it was raining and Martin appeared to be looking around the houses in the dark, aimlessly, in no hurry to get out of the rain. Zimmerman, now pulled over at the community's clubhouse continues to watch Trayvon.

In the course of the 4 minute and 7 second police call he describes Martin, his mannerisms and where he is headed. Zimmerman also maintains view in his car, driving more than 100 yards from the clubhouse on Retreat View Circle to Twin Trees Lane. He parks for a second time there while still on the phone with the police dispatcher. Suddenly, the focus of the call shifts from Zimmerman giving distracted directions where to find him - to the fact Martin just approached his vehicle and then inexplicably ran off out of sight.

At roughly 7:14 pm, Zimmerman is now on foot, yards away from his parked truck on a dog walk that serves as a cut through to the adjacent street, in the backyard area between the rows of adjoined houses. Around this time he ends his call, Martin has vanished and he now proceeds to walk westbound back to his truck, expecting to meet up with police shortly.

Exactly what happens in the next few minutes is unknown. A violent encounter occurs between the two people, 911 calls begin pouring in regarding the fight, one call capturing numerous screams from the scuffle and also the fatal gunshot, moments before police arrive on scene at 7:17 pm. The first responding officer finds a bloodied Zimmerman near an unresponsive Martin, laying face down with a single gunshot wound to the chest, a bit more than 50 yards from where he first starting running.

Over the past year, many new revelations have come to light. Some important, some irrelevant. However, what hasn't changed is the lack of insight as to what happened in the minutes after Zimmerman got off the phone with police. By all accounts, both had ample time to get to their implied destinations (Zimmerman, back to his truck; Martin back to his house or out of the immediate area) but neither of them did, and neither seemed to go very far despite fast movements on both sides. Interestingly, Martin's 'girlfriend' alluded to him being out of breath, but also that he was "not going to run". Zimmerman also seemed to engage in some sort of quick sprint, but appeared to stop when the dispatcher told him following the suspect wasn't necessary. The question is why neither party achieved any sort of distance on one another.

Seemingly, without any major evidence as to who started the altercation, the prosecution has focused again on its contention that the screams on the 911 call were in fact from Trayvon. They have also procured a few audio expects who side with them to back their claims up. However, this seems to be a shaky point. The FBI's analysis came up inconclusive as they felt the quality was too poor and there were too many other variables to reach any sort of conclusion. Other experts conceded the screams might be from both Martin and Zimmerman as well.

Mark O'Mara could theoretically bring in his his own "experts" as well and simply turn this into a duel of audiologists. However, that takes time and money, something the defense doesn't have so likely his route will be to try and have the judge rule to exclude this from court proceedings.

However, given the facts, one has to ask, for what reason would Martin be screaming? Clearly, Martin was on the better end of the fight. Zimmerman, not so much with the fractured, bloody, swollen nose and lacerations, bruises, scrapes etc. Aside from the single gunshot, Martin was virtually unscathed with just a minor cut on his knuckle. Couple that with the closest eyewitness adamant that he was on top of Zimmerman, is there really a plausible situation where he'd be screaming?

Sure, many people out there would like to think Zimmerman was prowling around with his gun drawn and racking the slide, but realistically with no evidence to support that, what scenario would fit Martin being the screamer? Besides, who in their right mind would, unarmed, attempt to attack someone with a gun? Even in a situation like that, how could Martin have such an upper hand in the fight and not manage to get his hands (or at least a fingerprint) on the weapon?

As stated before, the fight was relatively brief, Zimmerman clearly took a beating. I just don't see a possibility that, while doling out this beating, Martin decided to start screaming at the top of his lungs for 30 plus seconds. Or conversely, I can't imagine Zimmerman somehow gaining control and then perhaps waving his gun around for that long, causing Martin to scream, calling attention to fact that he is now out of harm's way and about to commit murder.

And let's not forget the fact that Trayvon's own father initially denied it was him screaming upon first hearing the recording. To me, that is way more damning than some random expert claiming he hears all sorts of weird utterances from Zimmerman and somehow matches the screams to Martin without any type of reasonable exemplar from him to base his "opinion" on.

With this case, people are favoring their emotions over any sort of legal basis here. We are forgetting we are missing the most vital pieces to the puzzle - any solid evidence as to who started the fight. All that we're left with is two sides of a story, one we'll never hear and one that presents a case of self defense that has yet to be conclusively disproved. That, my friends, is called reasonable doubt.