Zimmerman Trial Live Stream of Day 8; Trayvon Martin Parents May Testify (Watch Online)
Day 8 of George Zimmerman's second-degree murder trial resumed at 8:30 a.m. today. Zimmerman is facing a possible conviction for the 2012 murder of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin, an unarmed teen he shot and killed in what he claimed was self-defense.
View Day 8 of the court session via free live stream below on a computer, tablet or mobile phone.
On Wednesday, Judge Debra Nelson ruled in favor of the prosecution to allow a rejection letter Zimmerman received from Seminole State College as evidence that the accused knew the state's defense laws, according to the Orlando Sentinel.
Prosecutors requested that Zimmerman's school records be submitted into the trial as evidence to debunk statements he made in an interview with anchor Sean Hannity on Fox News in 2012, according to the report. During the interview, Zimmerman said he didn't know about Florida's "Stand Your Ground" self-defense law before he shot Martin.
The Florida state prosecutor argued in court on July 3 that Zimmerman had a "desire to be an actual police officer" and that a criminal investigation course he took prepared him for his self-appointed neighborhood watch work. He also cited Zimmerman's knowledge of police terminology when he was interviewed by law enforcement after Martin's death, pointing to the the defendant's use of th term "unholstered" when he spoke of reaching for his gun.
"Stand Your Ground," which was made law in 2005, states that a person may use deadly force in self- defense without the duty to retreat when faced with a reasonably perceived threat. The law is practiced in almost 30 states.
Watch George Zimmerman tell Sean Hannity on Fox News that he had never heard of the "Stand Your Ground Law" before he shot Martin.
Zimmerman's defense attorney, Mark O'Mara, argued Wednesday morning that his client's school records were irrelevant, prior to the judge allowing it as admissible evidence.
Zimmerman is facing second-degree murder charges in the trial, which began on June 24. Zimmerman wasn't arrested,initially, which sparked protests around the country. The chief of Sanford's police department resigned amid the backlash. Zimmerman was eventually arrested and charged 44 days after the shooting on April 11, 2012.
Watch the free live stream of George Zimmerman's second-degree murder trial below.
