A month or so ago, I received an email (not from a bcclist commenter) asking if I considered the option that Zimmerman arrived at Retreat View Circle and headed south (instead of walking back west towards the T).
While I originally suggested Trayvon may have taken this route home, I never drew out a variation of Zimmerman pursuing in such a manner. So, there are 2 new maps below — the 1st suggests Trayvon reached home via the inner path and the 2nd suggests he took Retreat View Circle.
Map 3.1 from 6/27/2013…
Map 3.2 from 6/27/2013…
Why are these 2 maps (and this one) so intriguing?
Rachel Jenteal is insistent that Trayvon reached his dad’s fiancee’s house. Specifically, Trayvon was out of breath/laboring when Zimmerman appeared again. Trayvon Martin: “Why are you following me for?” Zimmerman: “What are you doing around here?” After this verbal exchange, a final chase started and ended with a bump/scuffle/grass noise/gunshot.
At least 2 witnesses have stated they saw shadows running from south to north before the scuffle began and the shot was fired.
Zimmerman has 2+ minutes to account for from when his call ended with police to when the scuffle with Trayvon Martin began. Any of the maps depicting a south to north chase account for this gap in time (since it would have taken time for Zimmerman to get from north to south on Retreat View Circle).
Brandy Green – Tracy Martin’s girlfriend – stated the day after the murder that Trayvon was sitting on her porch and then somebody shot him up by the T.
Note: The above is a one off blog posting during George Zimmerman’s trial. This BccList.com forum posting — see the comment section here — is where the conversation is continuing.
I’ve set-up this posting so that both of my “final” maps – one from 4/2/2012 and one from 5/23/2012 – can be referenced in one spot. Therefore, in the benefit of page load times and brevity, I’m going to turn off comments for this posting.
Map from 4/2/2012…
Map from 5/23/2012…
Lastly, a few volunteer blog commenters and I are scraping the comment sections from both the original posting and currently maintained posting in an attempt to create a BccList.com evidence dump of sorts. Look for said posting soon!
Note: The comment section for this posting has been disabled. This BccList.com forum posting — see the comment section here — is where the conversation is continuing.
There are several updated maps plus new information regarding the Trayvon Martin shooting below – make sure you scroll down a bit!
At the end of my 8th grade Careers class, I stated my goal was to become an FBI agent. In front of the entire class, my 60+ year old chain smoking (in the indoor teacher’s lobby of course) teacher insisted I was too “big” to work for the FBI. Yes, he was basically saying, “Kid, you’re fat.”
Instead, the teacher suggested I become a trader because I absolutely destroyed the stock trading portion of our class by putting my entire pool of fake cash into Royal Dutch Shell (RDS) as it rose 30+ points in less than 4-5 months. I didn’t make this fake trade blindly – research was done daily (via a newspaper!) for a few weeks leading up to my “buy.” Meaning, at least I was having fun “investigating” something though trading stocks for a living still didn’t sound as fun of detective work. Yes, I have the world’s worst memory but I remember really random stuff like the above story from a boring 8th grade class. You’re so pissed you’ve made it this far in the posting for nothing, right?
My point is simple – I’ve always liked investigation/research…a lot. So, I’ve broken down the Trayvon Martin George Zimmerman crime scene based on as much public information that’s currently available. Here’s what’s currently known (assuming what’s known is accurate):
Trayvon Martin and George Zimmerman crossed paths (update: maybe not…but maybe) before Trayvon walked north (update: north and then west) 1.4 miles (update: 1.5 miles round trip) to the neighborhood 7-11 for some Skittles and Iced Tea. Otherwise, there wouldn’t be enough time for Zimmerman to become paranoid about a black teen in the area or Trayvon to become concerned about a guy watching him.
So, upon his return to the gated community, Trayvon likely walked south from the “Front Entrance” (update: maybe…but maybe not) towards Zimmerman who phoned 911 when he noticed Trayvon again (because all suspicious looking black teens return to their crime scenes, right?). Zimmerman was sitting in a truck parked pointing north (update: west – see 3rd map below) the mailboxes near the clubhouse and “cut through.”
Click on the following for a larger map…
Trayvon approached Zimmerman’s truck en route to his father’s girlfriend’s house which was near the “Back Entrance.” Trayvon had his hand in his waistband and started running once he passed Zimmerman’s truck. Zimmerman followed by foot. Zimmerman was asked to stop following Trayvon by the 911 operator. The 911 call ends shortly thereafter when Zimmerman suggested to the operator that the police can call his cellphone when they show up. Once the 911 call ends, there’s a gap of time that’s not accounted for.
Per the final call with his girlfriend, Trayvon was concerned about Zimmerman watching him and would have likely tried to get home in an efficient manner. So, there’s only one possible route that each person would have taken to end up at the shooting scene. And, this route eliminates ANY possibility that Trayvon came up from behind and attacked Zimmerman as he was heading back to his truck (which was presumably parked on the STREET and not in the middle of a sidewalk area between two rows of buildings).
The only assumption I make above is that Trayvon wanted to get home. If he wanted to bait Zimmerman, he could have hid and “attacked” from behind as Zimmerman returned to his truck…if his truck was parked on the SIDEWALK in between 2 rows of buildings. This – a 150 pound 17 year old wanting to rough up a 200 pound 28 year old that’s stalking you – also seems rather unlikely to me (and I assume everybody else).
At the least, the Sanford Police Department absolutely sucks and Zimmerman should have been arrested. I’m not trying to play judge, jury, and executioner but Zimmerman’s story of being attacked from behind as he headed back to his truck doesn’t add up AT ALL and he should be awaiting a fair trial.
P.S. Completely unrelated but I find it super awkward that with all the police/EMT presence literally feet from their home, Trayvon Martin’s family didn’t file a missing police report until the next day. No, I’m obviously not suggesting anything…at all…I just find it weird. (update: Tracy Martin and Brandy Green were out to dinner during/after the shooting)
Update from 3/26:
Maybe it comes out that Zimmerman chased Trayvon Martin down with his truck to where the fatal shot was fired? So, in between buildings near a sidewalk and no street. If that’s the case, Zimmerman can kiss the “Stand Your Ground” law goodbye.
Update from 3/26 (I found it 3/29) – Interesting read:
Update from 3/22 (I found it 3/30)– Retracing Trayvon Martin’s final steps with Tracy Martin:
Update from 3/31 – An alternative map:
If we’re to believe a word Zimmerman says – god, that’s been difficult so far – the alternative map could make sense. I’d still love to know where his truck was parked when the shot was fired. Meaning, the vehicle’s location will tell us if Zimmerman was just trying to get back to his truck when he was attacked from behind or if he continued to stalk Trayvon Martin after being told to stop following him.
Regardless, per the map below, Trayvon Martin runs past the sidewalk that would have lead to his back door (even though this isn’t necessarily the quickest/most logical way home) and heads south on Retreat View Circle. As BccList.com reader Jo commented, Zimmerman loses sight of Trayvon and proceeds south down the path between the buildings. After going south on Retreat View Circle, Trayvon heads west back towards the path – maybe he wasn’t carrying a front door key or maybe he wanted to see what the f_ck was going on with the weird guy chasing him – and runs into an overzealous Zimmerman again. At which point, the confrontation begins.
Either way, after being told by the 911 operator to chill out, Zimmerman is undeniably stalking his prey. It’s ludicrous to suggest Trayvon Martin didn’t have every right to beat his ass. Who’s to say Zimmerman wasn’t a kidnapper in Trayvon’s mind?
Without being said, there wasn’t an issue until Zimmerman got pwned* by a teenager weighing significantly less than him, supposedly started screaming for help (tough with a broken nose/blood gurgling down your throat), and decided to shoot another human being during a FIST FIGHT – WRESTLING MATCH (with cops only seconds/minutes away).
I guess this one didn’t get away, right – George? Congrats on living the rest of your life in hiding and/or prison.
*Keep in mind: Zimmerman’s father is a retired judge, his mom was a clerk, and he wanted to be a cop so he definitely knows how laws like “Stand Your Ground” work.
Update from 3/31 – Updated truck location:
The following unedited 911 tape and me measuring/timing out some distances has provided some new insight into where Zimmerman’s truck was parked…and this information is definitely DAMNING to his case.
So, Zimmerman’s truck likely wasn’t where I originally suggested in the maps above. Why? 2 reasons…
1) There are no houses for Trayvon Martin to be “looking about” as he heads south from the “Front Entrance” on Twin Trees. Well, per the map, there are obviously houses to look at but there’s nothing much to see. Meaning, all that’s visible from Twin Trees is the sides of houses. Zimmerman wouldn’t have imagined a story (in his own mind) where Trayvon was “looking at all the houses” if there was nothing of substance to look at.
If Zimmerman’s parked where it’s noted below, that gives him clear site of the clubhouse awning that Trayvon Martin was ducking under to avoid the rain. It also allows approximately 150 feet of houses – both the fronts (houses to the south) and backs (houses to the north) of them – for Trayvon to be looking into as he approached Zimmerman’s truck.
(update: In this “final” version of my map , Zimmerman mentions Trayvon Martin “looking at all the houses” before Trayvon leaves the clubhouse and heads towards his truck. Did Zimmerman mean clubhouse instead of house? Maybe. Did Zimmerman see Trayvon earlier in the evening looking “real suspicious” while walking to 7-11? Maybe. I’ll redact the above “150 feet of houses” statement though.)
And, this location would mean he’s still parked near a cut through and without clear view of a house number (though nowhere near the mailboxes…you suck at giving directions, George).
2) I just roped off 100 feet. I’m a 30ish year old male that’s slightly overweight but in decent shape. It took me approximately 20 seconds to walk 100 feet and 10 seconds to jog it. I wasn’t overly exerting myself in anyway – Zimmerman was on the phone and obviously couldn’t sprint – but these estimates should be good enough.
Zimmerman gets out of his truck at the 2:10 mark of the above recording. At the 2:15 mark, the door is heard shutting and he begins his pursuit. You don’t hear wind interference – from jogging/running – until the 2:17 mark. By 2:38/2:39, he has reached the sidewalk in between the buildings and declares, “He ran.” By 2:43, Zimmerman’s approaching Retreat View Circle and has stopped running per the lack of wind interference.
So, that’s 26 seconds of total jogging/running which equals approximately 260 feet. It’s 21-22 seconds of running to the sidewalk path (remember: “He ran”) which equals approximately 210 – 220 feet. By my calculations, the truck was parked approximately where I indicate below and Zimmerman COULDN’T have headed south on Twin Trees to cut Trayvon Martin off as I originally (the first map above) speculated.
This location of Zimmerman’s truck also coordinates quite well with the following:
Trayvon Martin had left the clubhouse and is heading towards Zimmerman’s truck at the :58 mark when the 911 operator says, “He’s near the clubhouse right now?” and Zimmerman says, “He’s AT the clubhouse.” Second later, Zimmerman says, “He’s coming towards me now.”
Trayvon Martin reaches Zimmerman’s truck at the 1:30 mark when Zimmerman shiats a brick and asks/pleads for the police.
Trayvon Martin is past Zimmerman’s truck between 1:35 and 1:40 when Zimmerman says, “Ok” in a faded tone (indicating he’s moved his mouth/head and is looking into the rear view mirror) and then says, “These assholes, they always get away.”
What’s wrong with the above timing/route as it pertains to Zimmerman’s story? If Zimmerman’s “just” trying to get back to his truck when he’s attacked from behind – and his truck is where I’ve drawn it – how does he end up killing Trayvon south of the “T” in the sidewalk?
Zimmerman must have headed south on the sidewalk at some point AFTER the 911 call ended (Are you following him? Ok, we don’t need you to do that.) for the murder scene to make sense, right? Why did he go south when his truck is due west? Meaning, his truck is not south AT ALL. Adios, “Stand Your Ground” law and hello stalking, manslaughter, murder, etc.
Update from 3/31 (I found it 4/1) –It’s not George Zimmerman crying for help on 911 recording, 2 experts say:
OH SH_T! Per the police report, Zimmerman claims he repeatedly cried out for help and nobody came to his rescue. If the above ends up being factually correct – it’s tough to doubt 2 independent experts – it’s CRAZY Zimmerman was deceiving/informed enough to know he had to claim he was crying for help because that’s what his victim was doing.
Update from 3/31 (I found it 4/1 – thank you, Amy!) – New Evidence Contradicts Zimmerman’s Claim of a Violent Fight With Trayvon Martin:
We’ve all seen the tape. Many of us obsessed with the investigation have heard from the funeral director and the autopsy report will confirm his assertion. But, I didn’t know the second ambulance was called off!
If EMTs respond to your fender bender, you’re likely getting put in a stretcher/neck brace. Why? Of course, to rightfully cover their asses. If Zimmerman was remotely hurt – I.e. a profoundly broken nose/wound to the head that required his fatal shot – that 2nd ambulance would have continued to the scene and Zimmerman would have been questioned at a hospital.
Update from 3/31 (I found it 4/1) – Prosecutor in Trayvon Martin case known as tough:
The article’s title is encouraging. In fact, I only read a few sentences before sending it along to a friend to support my assumption that this investigation will be completed thoroughly. And then, a few minutes later, I continued to read the rest of the article…
A job evaluation from 2006 provided by Corey said “Angela is one of the best” in reference to her litigation skills. It said she goes out of her way to help others but also warned her against giving the impression that police officers could appeal to her with any decision about which they were unhappy. The evaluation is signed by Shorstein.
Corey also has been criticized for bringing a case to a grand jury that indicted a 12-year-old boy (Cristian Fernandez) for first-degree murder in the beating death of his 2-year-old half-brother instead of allowing it to be handled in juvenile court. Protesters marched outside her office and delivered a petition with 180,000 names opposed to the decision.
So, Angela Corey is accused of being in bed with police departments and has a history of trying juveniles to the fullest extent. Ummmm – Is somebody that’s in cahoots with the police while being aggressive towards juveniles really the best prosecutor for this particular investigation?!? WTF is wrong with you, State of Florida?
Update from 4/2 – A map including times from Zimmerman’s 911 call:
“Why did Trayvon run when he did around the 2:08 mark of Zimmerman’s 911 call?”
If my new map is correct, Zimmerman was still in his parked truck facing west by the cut through, watching Trayvon in his rearview mirrors, talking to 911 about how “these assholes always get away,” giving absolutely HORRIBLE directions to his location, and then Trayvon runs.
So, what made Trayvon run around the 2:08 mark? Rain? Was he sick/scared of being stalked by Zimmerman? And, by sick/scared of being stalked, I don’t mean the first time Trayvon noticed Zimmerman was when he was leaving the clubhouse’s awning at the beginning of Zimmerman’s 911 call. Trayvon wouldn’t be sick/scared of Zimmerman watching him if the only time they saw each other was from :01 – 1:30 of Zimmerman’s 911 call. I sort of make this point in my original posting but that seems like years (and a few maps) ago.
My goal from the outset on March 27th was to either prove or disprove that Zimmerman was attacked from behind by Trayvon as he was returning to his truck.
In this scenario – and almost every other scenario I’ve dreamt up online/offline – that’s 100% impossible. And, of course, providing false information (seemingly a recurring theme in this case so far) is a crime.
Update from 4/11
George Zimmerman to be charged with Second Degree Murder by Angela Corey in the death of Trayvon Martin
Update from 4/17 (I received it 4/9) – A map based on witness location AND description was submitted by BccList.com visitor Tchoupi Caillou…
2831 Retreat View Circle is on the Property Appraiser of Seminole County under Selma. This also is the 2nd address given by dispatcher to help police Officers locate the crime scene.
1211 Twin Trees Lane pops up when you google Jeremy in the Twin Trees or Retreat View. He seem to have a home business. Jeremy is also the name called out in the earliest 911 call. He was basically instructed to stay inside during the scuffle.
1221 Twin Trees Lane is “John’s” place as shown by Fox Orlando.
1231 Twin Trees Lane is the first address used to direct Officer Timothy Smith. This female witness is the one who saw a white t-shirt. More importantly, when it comes to locating her house, she is the one saying that the police officer should go to her backyard rather than her front.
2851 Retreat View Circle isn’t directly related to the witness I claim. But, I think there is more than 80% chance I’m right since she was able to see and hear details of the fight. She could hear the two men arguing before the cries for help. She could hear George Zimmerman tell Officer T. Smith that he killed Trayvon Martin. When the 2 officer flipped TM’s body, she could see it was that of a young boy. If you compare to the account from Mary & Selma, you have to conclude that she must have been the closest to the crime scene together with “John.”
Concerning the other two witnesses — Austin McLendon & his mother Cheryl Brown have been outside around the time of GZ’s call.
Update from 4/26 – What’s up with this Frank Taaffe guy and where did Joe Oliver go?
I was watching some TV interview where Joe Oliver said he would put a hoodie on and march the day he found out George Zimmerman was a fraud. Has he marched yet?
And, Frank Taaffe has come to the defense of his neighbor and friend, George Zimmerman, as seen here…
So, where does Frank Taaffe live? 1460 Retreat View Sanford, FL…
Would you take route option 1 or 2 below if you wanted to enter the gated community (that reportedly locked at 7 pm while Trayvon was out getting Skittles and Iced Tea) as soon as possible to avoid the rain? Either option would make a real suspicious guy acting like he’s on drugs walking about in the rain visible through Frank Taaffe’s (A) back windows…
Was Frank Taaffe wearing a white t-shirt (see witness 911 calls, comments section of this posting, or upcoming section)? Did George Zimmerman make any calls to Taaffe that night or vice versa? Did Zimmerman, Taaffe, anybody else on the neighborhood watch team have CB radios and did they ever use them to communicate? All of these questions are important.
As for the white t-shirt person described during witness 911 calls…
A few weeks back, I ran a test on my wife. If she didn’t think I was crazy before, she did afterwards…for a few seconds at least. I put on a t-shirt that sort of matched what Zimmerman was wearing in the surveillance video from the police department station. See below.
It was after the sun was down, pretty dark, and there was a drizzle. She doesn’t follow my blog posting or the case. Before going 20 feet out in the lawn, I asked her to give me an instant response to a question I was about to ask. When I counted off 20 feet, I asked: “Is this a dark, grey, or white shirt?” She responded without hesitation: “Dark — but not really.” I asked her what her second choice was: “Grey — I guess.” Regardless, the t-shirt definitely wasn’t white in her opinion.
So, who was wearing the white t-shirt per a 911 witness? It wasn’t George per my test above and the assertion that he was wearing a jacket during the entire wrestling match. It wasn’t Trayvon with his grey hoodie. It wasn’t a uniformed cop. How about the witness “John,” Frank Taaffe, or other? Who took the picture of Zimmerman’s apparently bloodied head? Are there any other pics from the scene of the shooting before/after the police showed up? We have this one showing a tarp over something that is NOT directly near a sidewalk as Zimmerman has apparently claimed…
Update from 4/27 – Zimmerman has $204,000 in his PayPal account:
I can’t believe it! 2 discrepancies with Taaffe’s story…
1) The area at the T where he says the confrontation occurred. All other reports say it was south of the T (including the reporter in the above video).
2) Trayvon Martin didn’t circle Zimmerman’s vehicle. The timing would have been impossible per Zimmerman’s 911 call.
This is by far the most damning evidence against George Zimmerman and his Stand Your Ground defense. By the time he shot Trayvon Martin, Zimmerman should have been in his parked car waiting for Stanford Police to meet him. Instead, he stalked, harassed, and preyed upon an unarmed African American teenager.
Update from 5/14 –Angela Corey files a list of witnesses and evidence in George Zimmerman – Trayvon Martin shooting:
Note:I published and will continue to update the above “Evidence and Court Proceedings” blog posting as this one was getting overly lengthy with case updates and incredibly insightful comments.
Update from 5/23 –A new map that Zimmerman’s defense team will not like…at all.
I wondered why, on 5/10, Frank Taaffe would blow Zimmerman’s Stand Your Ground and/or self defense case. Not that Taaffe’s sloppy reenactment seen above matters – Zimmerman still should have never been a step south of the T in the original “final” map – but, if this new “final” map ends up being correct, the hurdle is insurmountable for O’Mara.
The above posting is the 1st of 5 postings that includes updates regarding the Trayvon Martin – George Zimmerman shooting. The others can be found here…
Note: The comment section for this posting has been disabled. This BccList.com forum posting — see the comment section here — is where the conversation is continuing.
Bcc:List.com 