Trayvon Martin had an illicit drug in his system the night of this death, according to new information obtained by the news media. Trayvon Martin is the the 17-year-old who was shot and killed by neighborhood watch volunteer George Zimmerman in Sanford, Fla., that ignited an international outrage.
The revelation that Trayvon Martin had THC in his system comes as prosecutors in the case prepared to release to the public hundreds of pages of new evidence along with videos and crime scene photos. Trayvon Martin’s death sparked public outrage, and even comments from as high up as the White House, after police released Zimmerman without any criminal charges for the killing.
Zimmerman is the 28-year-old white Hispanic man who shot Trayvon Martin, the high school junior, at close range on Feb. 26 in suburban Orlando, Fla., and claimed self-defense, though Martin was unarmed. Zimmerman was later charged with second-degree murder, and the killing provoked widespread debate about racial profiling. He may also be charged with a hate crime, the FBI hinted, which would constitute a federal offense that carries a lengthy prison term if convicted.
The autopsy report showed traces of the drug THC, which is found in marijuana, in Martin’s blood and urine.
What else did the autopsy report state?
1. Zimmerman shot Martin from a distance of between 1 inch and 18 inches away, bolstering Zimmerman’s claim that he shot Martin during a struggle that landed Zimmerman on his back, Martin straddling him and banging Zimmerman’s head on the ground.
2. There was a quarter-inch by half-inch abrasion on the left fourth finger of Martin, another indication of a possible struggle. The teen, who lived in Miami, was in Sanford while serving a suspension for a bag of marijuana being discovered in his possession.
Later today, a trove of documents that are part of the discovery in Zimmerman’s trial are expected to be released on a website run by the state’s attorney, including 67 CDs worth of documents, video of Martin on the night of the shooting, his autopsy report and videos of Zimmerman’s questioning by police.
— terry shropshire
