George Zimmerman’s Lawyer Challenges Use of Voice Experts at Trial Posted on May 7, 2013 by Andrew Findley Thomson Reuters; May 7, 2013 ORLANDO, Fla., (Reuters) – A lawyer for a Florida man charged in the shooting death of unarmed black teenager Trayvon Martin is asking a judge to bar voice-recognition experts from testifying at his murder trial on grounds their techniques are not scientifically valid. Prosecutors are expected to call audio experts to testify in the trial of George Zimmerman to analyze a 911 call made during the night when Martin was shot and killed. Zimmerman, a neighborhood watch captain, goes on trial June 10 on charges of second-degree murder. One potential piece of evidence is expected to be a 911 call in which screams for help can be heard in the background during an altercation between Zimmerman and Martin before the shooting. Zimmerman’s family and supporters claim the voice is his, while Martin’s parents insist the voice belongs to their son. Last year, an FBI expert said a voice analysis of the call was inconclusive. In a written motion made public on Monday, Mark O’Mara, Zimmerman’s lawyer, argued against allowing voice analysts to testify. “Scientific evidence presented to the court must be interpreted by the court as “generally accepted” by a meaningful segment of the scientific community in the particular field in which it belongs,” O’Mara wrote. O’Mara, who could not immediately be reached for comment, also wrote that the testimony could confuse the jury. Ben Crump, lawyer for Trayvon Martin’s parents, told Reuters the evidence is “absolutely” important for jurors to hear. “The defense is concerned with the expert testimony because it supports what most have concluded, that Trayvon was screaming for help,” Crump said. Prosecutors say Zimmerman profiled and confronted Martin despite a police dispatcher telling him not to pursue the 17-year-old. Zimmerman, 29, has said the two fought and that he shot Martin because he feared for his life. To read the complete story, please click here: http://newsandinsight.thomsonreuters.com/Legal/News/2013/05_-_May/George_Zimmerman_s_lawyer_challenges_use_of_voice_experts_at_trial/
