Was George Zimmerman’s 911 Call a Clever Piece of Propaganda?

[Gothmog]

It was clear in the Zimmerman trial that Zimmerman knows something about the law and how to take advantage of the law. I tend to agree with this articles conclusion that Zimmerman's latest 911 call was a way to get his story out in a fashion where he would not be subject to cross examination http://www.slate.com/blogs/crime/2013/11/20/george_zimmerman_samantha_scheibe_was_the_trayvon_martin_shooter_s_911_call.html?wpisrc=burger_bar

The Associated Press published a thought-provoking story Tuesday suggesting that Zimmerman and Scheibe called 911 knowing that the recordings of their calls were admissible in court, and would likely be made public. As such, it’s not unreasonable to think that both calls may have been intended as pre-emptive public relations efforts in addition to requests for police assistance. According to the AP, this sort of strategic 911 call “spinning” is a common tactic among savvy defendants and accusers:

"There really has been what I would call a multiyear training program in place, frankly" to use 911 calls strategically, says former Massachusetts prosecutor Wendy Murphy. "And folks, especially people who understand high-profile crimes and the nature of evidence and the rules of evidence and domestic abuse generally, they (know) the power of a 911 call to change not only the trajectory of the case, but to change public opinion and to affect the jury pool."
For defendants or accusers, a 911 call is a way to get their side of the story on the record without having to testify in court. “It allows him to speak without the fear of cross-examination,” a San Francisco lawyer told the AP in reference to George Zimmerman’s most recent 911 call. “So if he can get his side out, and in a clear way, he never has to face the other side asking him questions or follow-ups.”

....Spinning an emergency dispatcher is a technique best deployed by someone exactly like George Zimmerman: a well-known alleged repeat offender with a bad reputation, good lawyers, and a habit of finding himself in your-word-against-mine situations. The tactic is obviously most valuable in cases where there’s very little physical evidence, and that’s the case in many alleged domestic assault incidents, which often come down to the relative credibility of the accuser and the defendant. As prosecutor Wendy Murphy indicated in the AP story, a strategic 911 call from an alleged abuser could well be effective in establishing reasonable doubt that a given assault actually took place in the way the victim claims. If the Zimmerman table-smashing case ever comes to trial, I’m sure that Zimmerman’s lawyer will use his client’s 911 call in exactly that fashion.

Zimmerman avoided taking the stand in his first trial and there is no way that a good lawyer would let Zimmerman ever take the stand

[arcane1]

1. It's cheaper than producing a cartoon video of the events n/t

[PDJane]

2. Yes. Typical manipulation from an abusive man.

[avebury]

3. There is absolutely no doubt that Zimmerman is trying

to game the system. Unless he get some idiots or uber gun nuts on the jury I think that there is a good chance that he might not get away with it this time. A clear pattern of behavior has been established and I would hope that some of his other incidents will be allowed in a trial.

[surrealAmerican]

4. not half as clever as he thinks it is.

He only called after the police were outside the door. That doesn't make it look like he needed their help.

[Blue_Tires]

5. I'm amused at how many people are just now discovering

Zimmerman's creative use of 911 recordings as the foundation of a pre-emptive legal defense...It was *clearly* obvious on the night of the Martin shooting; I'd only mentioned the fact a thousand times since then....

[Gothmog]

7. I am a transactional lawyer and so did not focus on this aspect

It is clear that this is now an established tactic and Zimmerman knew what he was doing. http://www.nola.com/news/index.ssf/2013/11/george_zimmermans_recent_dispu.html

From his experience in the Trayvon Martin case, it's clear that Zimmerman knew his 911 call would be both a powerful evidentiary and public relations tool, says Ken LaMance of San Francisco, general counsel for LegalMatch.com.

"So it's almost as if he's making statement about the case beforehand -- especially if he's not planning on testifying in the future" says LaMance. "It allows him to speak without the fear of cross-examination. So if he can get his side out, and in a clear way, he never has to face the other side asking him questions or follow-ups."

[Blue_Tires]

9. It was obvious

given the amount of pure bullshit Zimmerman put in his call while tailing Martin...

With no possible way to verify it, Zimmerman said on the call that Martin was likely about to commit a crime, possibly armed, possibly on drugs, and probably related to a string of burglaries in the neighborhood (which was the biggest laugher since no burglar would ever strike at 7 p.m. on Sunday evening)...

[Gothmog]

6. This is from the AP Article on 911 Call Spinning

As a lawyer, I find the rationale for admitting these tapes to be interesting http://www.nola.com/news/index.ssf/2013/11/george_zimmermans_recent_dispu.html

In 2006, the U.S. Supreme Court determined that the use of some 911 calls as evidence did not violate a defendant's Sixth Amendment right to confront and cross-examine his accuser. These "excited utterance" exceptions to the rules involving hearsay are especially crucial in domestic violence cases, in which the victim might be reluctant or even unable to testify, says Murphy.

As a result, she says, victims began to think "strategically" about using 911 calls as a way to have their accusations entered into the record without necessarily having to testify, says Murphy, now an adjunct professor at New England Law in Boston.

[pokerfan]

8. "He knows how to play the game."

according to both the wife and girlfriend.

[JI7]

10. Clever ? i guess to dumbasses and racists like on that jury that let him off, but it's obvious

what he was trying to do there to me.