Those are the two early takeaways from hundreds of pages of evidence made public Thursday.
| Posted Thursday, May 17, 2012, at 5:36 PM ET
UPDATE: The slow trickle of new info on the Trayvon Martin murder case turned into a flood Thursday afternoon when Florida prosecutors turned over a mountain of court documents, videos and photographs to media outlets large and small.
There are 67 CDs worth of evidence, including photos from the scene, so it will probably take some time for reporters to finish sorting through it all. But in the meantime, here are the early takeaways that will likely have people talking.
1) "Avoidable" - Local police believed that the encounter between George Zimmerman and Martin could have been avoided if the 28-year-old neighborhood watch volunteer would have heeded the 911 dispatcher's advice and stayed put, or simply identified himself to Martin at the outset.
NPR flags the section in question: "The encounter between George Zimmerman and Trayvon Martin was ultimately avoidable by Zimmerman, if Zimmerman had remained in his vehicle and awaited the arrival of law enforcement, or conversely if he had identified himself to Martin as a concerned citizen and initiated dialog in an effort to dispel each party's concern," the investigators wrote. Read more over at NPR.
2) Drugs - Medical examiners discovered that Martin had drugs in his system at the time of the shooting. From ABC News: "The autopsy report shows traces of the drug THC, which is found in marijuana, in Martin's blood and urine." Read more over at ABC News, and check out a .pdf of the autopsy report here (via CNN).
3) Crime-scene photo - The trove of evidence includes a photo of Zimmerman with a bloody nose on the night that Martin was shot and killed. A report from emergency personnel also said that the 28-year-old had a 1-inch laceration on his head, along with an abrasion on his forehead. From the Associated Press: "'Bleeding tenderness to his nose, and a small laceration to the back of his head. All injuries have minor bleeding,' paramedic Michael Brandy wrote about Zimmerman’s injuries in the report."
4) What Martin had on him - From the Associated Press: "A police report says Martin had $40.15, Skittles candy, a red lighter, headphones and a photo pin in his pocket. He had been shot once in the chest and was pronounced dead at the scene." Read more over at the AP.
5) What's missing - The Miami Herald: "[I]ncluded are cell phone records for Zimmerman, Trayvon Martin, and the girl Trayvon chatted with in the moments before his death. ... Not included: [Zimmerman's] three statements to police or the video-taped reenactment he did for detectives the day after he killed Trayvon. Under Florida law, confessions are exempt from public records laws." Read more over at the Herald.
The documents were released as part of the discovery process, during which the state is required to turn over their evidence to the defense. They did that earlier in the week (which may account for at least some of the earlier leaks) and then on Thursday gave the media access through a secure online site.
Thursday, May 17: A single gunshot wound to the chest fired at "intermediate range" killed Trayvon Martin, according to an autopsy report submitted to the court.
NBC News reviewed the document on Wednesday. The medical examiner in Volusia County, Fla. also noted one small, fresh cut on Martin's left ring finger below the knuckle.
The report is apparently one of several documents leaking to the media from the pile of evidence related to the second-degree murder charges Zimmerman faces for Martin's shooting death. On Wednesday, a medical report prepared by Zimmerman's family doctor was reviewed by ABC News, indicating that Zimmerman had a broken nose, two black eyes, and cuts on the back of his head the day after he shot and killed Trayvon Martin.
The list of evidence was disclosed to the defense in a summary released Wednesday. According to NBC, the rest of the evidence is expected to go public soon.
Wednesday, May 16: George Zimmerman had a broken nose, two black eyes, and two cuts on the back of his head the day after he shot and killed Trayvon Martin, according to a medical report from his family doctor.
ABC News broke the news of the medical report Tuesday evening, shortly before the court made it public. According to the medical report, the 28-year-old neighborhood-watch volunteer also suffered bruising along his upper lip and cheek and reported lower back pain. One of the two cuts to the back of his head was nearly an inch long, while the other was about a quarter inch. In addition to the physical injuries, Zimmerman also complained of stress and "occasional nausea when thinking about violence."
The medical report also shows, however, that Zimmerman declined hospitalization the night of the shooting, which he maintains was in self-defense, and also did not follow a recommendation to make a follow-up appointment with an ear, nose, and throat doctor.
Zimmerman's doctor wrote that it was "imperative" that the 28-year-old see his psychologist following the incident. Prior to the Feb. 26 shooting, Zimmerman had been prescribed Adderall and Temazepam. As ABC news notes, those drugs can occasionally produce side effects that include agitation and mood swings (but only in fewer than 10 percent of patients).
The report boosts Zimmerman's claim that he was injured in an altercation with Martin, leading to the teenager's shooting death. But it does little to directly contradict the prosecution's assertion that Zimmerman initiated the confrontation after profiling the 17-year-old African-American.
Prosecutors released a summary of evidence on Tuesday, as CNN reports. The medical report is included in the documents eligible for the defense's use.
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