Trayvon Martin Case: George Zimmerman Lawyer Cites 'Shaken Baby Syndrome' As Defense
Trayvon Martin Case: George Zimmerman Lawyer Cites 'Shaken Baby Syndrome' As Defense
SANFORD, Fla., April 6 (Reuters) - "Shaken Baby Syndrome"
was cited on Friday in the defense of George Zimmerman, the Sanford,
Florida, man who shot and killed unarmed black teenager Trayvon Martin
in a case that has sparked a widespread public outcry.
Hal
Uhrig, a lawyer and former Gainesville, Florida, police officer who
recently joined Zimmerman's defense team, cited in a TV interview the
brain damage that can seriously injure or kill an infant.
His
point, which has been made before, was that Zimmerman contends he shot
Martin in self defense and feared for his life after the 17-year-old
attacked him and began pounding his head into the concrete pavement of a
gated community on a rainy evening in Sanford on Feb. 26.
But
Uhrig's choice of words, and use of a recognized sign of child abuse
to defend a 28-year-old man who killed a kid, seemed likely to raise
more than just a few eyebrows.
"We're familiar
with the Shaken Baby Syndrome," said Uhrig on the CBS This Morning
program. "You shake a baby, the brain shakes around inside the skull.
You can die when someone's pounding your head into the ground."
Apart
from saying his client suffered a broken nose, Uhrig did not elaborate
on the extent of any injuries Zimmerman actually suffered. But
characteristic injuries associated with SBS, as Shaken Baby Syndrome is
known, include bleeding in the brain. There are often no visible
external signs such injuries have occurred.
Police
have not arrested Zimmerman because the use of lethal force in self
defense is permitted under the Stand Your Ground law approved by former
Florida Governor Jeb Bush in 2005.
The lack of
an arrest in the Martin case has triggered protests across the United
States. A special prosecutor appointed by Governor Rick Scott is
investigating to decide whether charges are warranted, amid allegations
of racial profiling and initial police bungling of the case.
If
it goes to trial, Uhrig said he and his fellow defense attorney, would
defend Zimmerman under the Stand Your Ground statute.
"He
didn't commit any crime," Uhrig said on CBS. "He was attacked, broke
his nose, hit his head into the ground and he defended himself. That's
not against the law."
A USA Today/Gallup poll
published on Saturday showed that Americans are deeply divided across
color lines in their opinions about Martin's killing.
Seventy-three
percent of blacks in the survey said they believed Zimmerman, a white
Hispanic, would have been arrested if the person he shot dead was
white.
Only 33 percent of whites agreed with that
view while the majority of whites polled, 52 percent, said race made
no difference in the case.
(Reporting By Tom Brown; Editing by Philip Barbara)
Quoting kailu1835:Maybe like a geyeser is a bit of an overstatment, but it certainly does gush everywhere. So where's the blood all over Zimmerman?
Quoting Tea4Tas:
Quoting kailu1835:
It does not take 3 days for a broken nose to gush blood like a geyser.
Quoting Tea4Tas:
Quoting kailu1835:
Zimmerman's nose was not broken, that much is clearly obvious to anyone who has ever seen a broken nose. If his head was seriously being beat on the ground, he'd have a lot more than a tiny scratch on the back of his head.
Actually the Mayo clinic would differ with you on that. I would think it would be pretty stupid of his lawyer to lie about that wouldn't you?
Signs and symptoms of a broken nose may appear immediately or may take up to three days to develop. Signs and symptoms may include:
- Pain or tenderness, especially when touching your nose
- Swelling of your nose and surrounding areas
- Bleeding from your nose
- Bruising around your nose or eyes
- Crooked or misshapen nose
- Difficulty breathing through your nose
- Discharge of mucus from your nose (rhinorrhea)
- Feeling that one or both of your nasal passages are blocked
And not all broken noses will do that. Did you read what you are responding to? Because if you did, I am not sure where you saw spurt blood like a geyser...
A broken nose may or may not bleed. Please read what I quoted.
They had to find something to support their claim of injury without any signs present. They don't even care how ridiculous they sound.
Quoting LauraKW:I *think* they are saying Z was afraid he would get Shaken Baby Syndrome. Which isn't any less absurd.
Quoting Sisteract:
Wait, I thought it was self defense?
This new lawyer's claim would seem to indicate that GZ has had brain damage for 28 years? How does a brain damaged person obtain a CC permit, and if they can legally do so, MORE REASON to stay the he!! out of FL-
Throwing everything against the kitchen wall to see what sticks defense-
LOL_ I think they are saying that the repeated banging or shaking of a head-can cause brain damage.
True story. I was at a bar one night, and these 4 guys got into an argument. One punched the other and knocked him to the ground. They came running back in looking for towels and ice, and took the guy to the hospital. The hospital treated and released him. The next day the police came BACK to the bar-because the guy had DIED! he hit the back of his head when he went down and it caused a brainbleed which wasn't noticed, and the guy died over night.
I read what you quoted, and I have experience that says it almost always bleeds. In fact I have yet to see one broken nose that did not bleed, and I've seen plenty. There's another nurse here who has written the same thing.
Quoting Tea4Tas:
Quoting kailu1835:
Maybe like a geyeser is a bit of an overstatment, but it certainly does gush everywhere. So where's the blood all over Zimmerman?
Quoting Tea4Tas:
Quoting kailu1835:
It does not take 3 days for a broken nose to gush blood like a geyser.
Quoting Tea4Tas:
Quoting kailu1835:
Zimmerman's nose was not broken, that much is clearly obvious to anyone who has ever seen a broken nose. If his head was seriously being beat on the ground, he'd have a lot more than a tiny scratch on the back of his head.
Actually the Mayo clinic would differ with you on that. I would think it would be pretty stupid of his lawyer to lie about that wouldn't you?
Signs and symptoms of a broken nose may appear immediately or may take up to three days to develop. Signs and symptoms may include:
- Pain or tenderness, especially when touching your nose
- Swelling of your nose and surrounding areas
- Bleeding from your nose
- Bruising around your nose or eyes
- Crooked or misshapen nose
- Difficulty breathing through your nose
- Discharge of mucus from your nose (rhinorrhea)
- Feeling that one or both of your nasal passages are blocked
And not all broken noses will do that. Did you read what you are responding to? Because if you did, I am not sure where you saw spurt blood like a geyser...
A broken nose may or may not bleed. Please read what I quoted.
I hope he goes to jail for life
Quoting charleyd68:Yea, Because under the hate crime statue he would get a double sentence!
Quoting EvilQueenMommy:Race makes a big difference in this country
Quoting kailu1835:I read what you quoted, and I have experience that says it almost always bleeds. In fact I have yet to see one broken nose that did not bleed, and I've seen plenty. There's another nurse here who has written the same thing.
Quoting Tea4Tas:
Quoting kailu1835:
Maybe like a geyeser is a bit of an overstatment, but it certainly does gush everywhere. So where's the blood all over Zimmerman?
Quoting Tea4Tas:
Quoting kailu1835:
It does not take 3 days for a broken nose to gush blood like a geyser.
Quoting Tea4Tas:
Quoting kailu1835:
Zimmerman's nose was not broken, that much is clearly obvious to anyone who has ever seen a broken nose. If his head was seriously being beat on the ground, he'd have a lot more than a tiny scratch on the back of his head.
Actually the Mayo clinic would differ with you on that. I would think it would be pretty stupid of his lawyer to lie about that wouldn't you?
Signs and symptoms of a broken nose may appear immediately or may take up to three days to develop. Signs and symptoms may include:
- Pain or tenderness, especially when touching your nose
- Swelling of your nose and surrounding areas
- Bleeding from your nose
- Bruising around your nose or eyes
- Crooked or misshapen nose
- Difficulty breathing through your nose
- Discharge of mucus from your nose (rhinorrhea)
- Feeling that one or both of your nasal passages are blocked
And not all broken noses will do that. Did you read what you are responding to? Because if you did, I am not sure where you saw spurt blood like a geyser...
A broken nose may or may not bleed. Please read what I quoted.
So your empirical evidence trumps the Mayo clinic? Really?
agreed! and what happens on tuesay?
Quoting NaniMami317:Give me a fuckin break. This shit get more and more ridiculous everyday. can't wait til Tuesday. If Angela Corey doesn't charge him before then. I'll be glad to see what the jury decides. This is been dragged out long enough.
Once witness said she saw no discernible bruises, right after to shot!
Quoting kailu1835:You know, number 3 was my very first instinct the first time the broken nose story came up. It wouldn't be the first time a criminal did something to himself to make his story more plausible.
Quoting charleyd68:
He may or may not have a broken nose, However, If he does, it may have been the result of one of three different ways! 1,Trayvon(if so to defend himself, we logical people think Zimmerman continued with the pursuit)2, Rolling around wrestling with his victim! Or 3, he did it to make his story logical!
Quoting PamR:
I don't think there are any medical records that indicate he was treated for a broken nose, were there? I would at least think you'd see some swelling and discoloration, as with any broken bone. I did see that the back of his head looked like there was some injury to it, although it didn't look like it was much more than superficial, but that's hard to tell from a grainy video. I also wonder why, if Trayvon was on top of Zimmerman when he was shot, there was no blood on Zimmerman.
At any rate, using a shaken baby defense seems to indicate there's some desperation on the part of Zimmerman's defense attorneys. It's pretty far-fetched.
In my Opininon No Disrespect
If you know people in OK help out with getting people together
First Posted: 04/ 6/2012 12:04 pm Updated: 04/ 6/2012 2:16 pm