10:36 a.m.
She says she has heard the recording less than 6 times, the first time being on the news.

She identifies the voice in the background as Zimmerman.

“I have no doubt in my mind that’s his voice,” she says.

Prosecutor John Guy cross examines.

She says she would characterize herself as a good friend, work friend.

She heard the tape soon after it was released to the media, she says.

She says doesn’t remember that Zimmerman was being actively investigated.

She thought Zimmerman was out sick from work and then out on FMLA, Family and Medical Leave Act.

Guy asks if she wanted to believe it was Zimmerman.

She says no.

She says she never heard Trayvon Martin speak or yell.

Guy finishes questioning.

O’Mara redirects.

Russo says she knew Zimmerman wasn’t in Florida after the shooting.

O’Mara asks if she know how long it was before Zimmerman was charged.

She believes it was a couple of months.

She doesn’t know who charged him, but believes a special prosecutor was involved.

O’Mara asks about the question if she was hopeful it was Zimmerman screaming.

She says she recognized the voice and there was no hoping it was one person or the other.

She says hope for the outcome of the case is not affecting her testimony and if she thought it was someone else’s voice she would testify to that.

Russo is excused.

O’Mara suggests a break.

The jury says they are good and Judge Nelson asks for the next witness.

10:28 a.m.
Russo says she heard his voice in normal, personal and work conversation in English and Spanish.

She has heard him laughing, but not yelling.

She says she spoke to him sometime in the year after the shooting. She estimates it was a couple of months before he returned to Seminole County.

O’Mara plays the 911 call with the screams in the background.

10:24 a.m.
Geri Russo takes the stand. She worked with Zimmerman at Digital Risk and considers him a friend. When she wasn't working there, she kept in touch with him. She did not know Shellie Zimmerman personally.
Witness: Mark Osterman - Friend of Zimmerman

10:23 a.m.
O’Mara asks about firing for center-mass.

Osterman says if you feel threatened, you aim for the largest area to stop the threat.

He says there is training for firing more than once in concealed weapon permit training.

He says wearing an internal holster is for comfort.

O’Mara demonstrates how an internal holster would look in his belt.

De la Rionda re-cross examines.

He asks about shooting at a threat more than once.

Osterman says they practiced it.

Osterman is excused but subject to recall

The state calls Geri Russo.

_________________
Do not go gentle into that good night.
___________ Rage, rage against the dying of the light

Up is down, left is right, backward is forward, state tries to raise reasonable doubt.

_________________
All posts are my own opinion and do not necessarily reflect the views of Random Topics. Differences are allowed here.

Leanne Benjamin is NOT a good candidate for Bernie to get nasty with ...it would be like pushing the wheelchair over the cliff.

Trayborg™ excited; think MOM opened door to character evidence with testimony about tutoring, etc.

_________________
All posts are my own opinion and do not necessarily reflect the views of Random Topics. Differences are allowed here.

No doubt, but can he help himself??

_________________
All posts are my own opinion and do not necessarily reflect the views of Random Topics. Differences are allowed here.

It took two questions for Bernie to start compleing her sentences!

Knowing Bernie I'm sure that wouldn't stop him from being an asshole. He would probably push his own Grandma over a cliff if it would get him a conviction.

LB not rolling over either; tougher than she looks.

_________________
All posts are my own opinion and do not necessarily reflect the views of Random Topics. Differences are allowed here.

10:49 a.m.
Benjamin says her office was in the same building as his and shared a refrigerator.

She says Zimmerman asked her business start-up questions.

She says they would go to lunch or dinner socially and a mutual friend was interested in politics in Lake Mary.

Benjamin says she and Zimmerman served on the friend’s campaign together.

She says the relationship over the last few years has been a little intermittent.

She says she and her husband recognized his strong interest in business and encouraged him to go to college.

Benjamin says her background before real estate was in teaching and encouraged Zimmerman’s tutoring of some young children.

She says at the time of the shooting, she didn’t hear about it because her father was sick and she was spending time with him.

She says Zimmerman called her and they spoke on the phone for a time. She didn’t know the shooting happened when he called her.

She says she doesn’t remember when the conversation was, but it was within a couple weeks after the shooting.

She says he tried to call her before that, but she was taking care of her dad.

The friendship reemerged, she says, and she offered support and help.

She says the mostly talked. Her husband donated money on Zimmerman’s website, she says.

She says her husband took him to Men’s Wearhouse for clothes for court.

She and her husband took Zimmerman food.

She says the connections would not affect her testimony.

She has heard the 911 call and has an opinion about the voice in the background.

O’Mara plays the 911 call.

_________________
Do not go gentle into that good night.
___________ Rage, rage against the dying of the light

Bernie is trying to get the news about George's arrest confused to be within the initial couple weeks of the shooting ...as he puts words in her mouth.

Why would anyone donate monies to someone they didn't believe to be innocent and truthful????

I agree. I would have shot twice because that's how I was trained at the 5 yard line. Pull the gun and point, no time to aim, two quick shots.

Good point and one I hope occurs to the jurors.

_________________
All posts are my own opinion and do not necessarily reflect the views of Random Topics. Differences are allowed here.

Doesn't Bernie realize every time he plays the NEN tape, we hear about the drugs and most normal people hear NO spite, ill will, hatred. I hear George saying please get officer over here. I also hear how much time has elapsed from the time exited his car and the call ended. So where was Trayvon during this time?