Why was Zimmerman's cousin afraid of him? (+audio)
| MIAMI
Despite a last-minute rush to the courthouse by the defense to keep a witness鈥檚 damaging story out of public view, prosecutors on Monday released a recorded statement from George聽Zimmerman鈥檚聽cousin, who said聽Zimmerman聽molested her for 10 years, beginning when she was 6 years old.
Like most other witnesses in the case, the woman鈥檚 name was not released. Dubbed 鈥淲itness 9,鈥� she is 26 and lives in central Florida. She called investigators shortly after聽Zimmerman聽was arrested in the shooting of black teenager Trayvon Martin to say th补迟听Zimmerman聽and his family were racists. The evidence released Monday shows she also called a state attorney about three weeks later with more serious allegations.
She told investigators Jim Post and Jim Rick that her family and聽Zimmerman鈥檚聽lived in different states, but inappropriate incidents of a sexual nature took place during annual visits until she was 16. Although just two years younger than聽Zimmerman, she said she was scared of him because he was bigger, older and stronger.
She described him as a charmer who made everyone laugh and love him. He was different, she said, when alone with her behind closed doors.
When she was 6 and her family was in the process of moving from Louisiana to Florida, she said, she and her sister were sent to stay with the聽Zimmermans聽at their home in Virginia. The children would lie on sofas under blankets to watch TV, and聽Zimmerman, she claims, would use the opportunity to fondle her and penetrate her with his fingers, even though there were other people in the room.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 my earliest memory of him trying to do things. He would reach under the blankets,鈥� she said. 鈥淗e was bigger and stronger and older. I was a kid. I didn鈥檛 know any better.鈥�
Arguing that the allegation was irrelevant to the murder charge,聽Zimmerman鈥檚聽defense attorney, Mark O鈥橫ara, had two hearings before Seminole County Circuit Judge Kenneth Lester in an effort to seal the witness statement. Lester twice ruled against him.
O鈥橫ara filed a motion Monday morning to put a stop to the judge鈥檚 ruling just minutes before the statement鈥檚 scheduled release. Absent an order from the court to hold off, the Duval County state attorney, trying Zimmerman聽on a second-degree murder charge for the killing of Martin, released the statement, along with audio of more than a hundred phone calls聽Zimmerman聽made from jail.
鈥淣ow that this statement is part of the public record, the defense will vigorously defend Mr.聽Zimmermanagainst the allegations,鈥� O鈥橫ara wrote on his website. 鈥淚n the next several weeks, there will be reciprocal discovery filed regarding Witness No. 9鈥檚 statement.鈥�
The judge said in his ruling that nothing in Florida鈥檚 public-records law allows for such information to be kept secret. By law, evidence the prosecution turns over to the defense 鈥� called 鈥渄iscovery鈥� 鈥� is public record. There are exceptions for things such as telecommunications records and confessions.
Lawyers for McClatchy Newspapers, the Orlando Sentinel and other media argued for the release of the statement and about 150 of聽Zimmerman鈥檚聽recorded jailhouse calls. At a hearing held last month, Assistant State Attorney Bernie de la Rionda said he may call Witness 9 as a rebuttal witness at trial.
Benjamin Crump, an attorney for Martin鈥檚 family, compared the testimony to the recent child-molestation case involving former Pennsylvania State University assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky.
鈥淪he certainly would be a rebuttal witness very similar to that in the Sandusky trial, showing that he has a history of violence and manipulation,鈥� Crump said. 鈥淶immerman鈥檚聽mentality is very relevant to this trial.鈥�
Crump and his team have known about the woman from the early stages of the case, because she approached them after calling the police and prosecutors. Orlando attorney Natalie Jackson, who also represents Martin鈥檚 family, spoke to Witness 9 on several occasions, but declined to discuss what she said. Reached earlier this month by McClatchy Newspapers, Witness 9 declined to be interviewed.
In her statement, Witness 9 said she kept the allegations secret for years because of聽Zimmerman鈥檚聽popularity among his family.
Experts said children who act out sexually with other kids have often been exposed to domestic violence and pornography. Children as young as 8 鈥� the age the witness said聽Zimmerman聽was when he first touched her inappropriately 鈥� are generally not considered sex offenders, and would be referred to get therapeutic help.
鈥淚f a child was coerced or forced or intimidated or manipulated by an older child, in that sense, they are being victimized,鈥� said Jill Levenson, a Lynn University expert in sex abuse. 鈥淓ight is pretty young to be initiating sexual activity. You鈥檙e talking about more than, 鈥楥an I see it?鈥� So the questions become: Where did the 8-year-old learn that, and does that 8-year-old need some help?鈥�
She stressed that she has no knowledge of the case and was speaking in general terms.
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