Posted on 11/20/2012 6:35:52 AM PST by marktwain
The lead detective in the George Zimmerman murder trial has hired famed lawyer Jose Baez to represent him as he maneuvers the next steps of the contentious, high-profile case, The Miami Herald has learned.
Chris Serino, a former Sanford police major-crimes investigator, became a controversial figure when evidence revealed he had quietly filed an arrest affidavit a few weeks after the shooting death of Miami Gardens teenager Trayvon Martin, even as his chief publicly said there wasn’t enough evidence to make a case.
A letter was sent last week by Baez to Dean Ringer Morton & Lawton, the law firm that sometimes represents the city of Sanford, advising that he will represent Serino in the upcoming proceedings. It is highly unusual for investigators to approach a murder trial with their own counsel.
Baez, who gained fame with the 2011 Casey Anthony child-murder case, declined to comment. A spokesman for Baez confirmed the letter and said Serino felt he needed an attorney to look out for his interests in the next stage of the case, but that he does not plan to file a lawsuit.
“He wants his own counsel — he’s intimidated,” said Baez spokesman Michael Wright. “It may not be a friendly deposition.”
---------------cut-----------------------------
Defense lawyer Mark O’Mara recently began interviewing Sanford police officers and detectives to determine who at the department wanted to arrest Zimmerman. Early interviews suggested the department was largely in agreement that there was no case against Zimmerman, O’Mara has said.
An FBI report released this summer showed Serino told agents that he was pressured by African-American officers to file charges.
(Excerpt) Read more at miamiherald.com ...
“An FBI report released this summer showed Serino told agents that he was pressured by African-American officers to file charges.”
BINGO. Of course they were goaded to do so by the guy who said if he had a son, he would look like Trayvon.
Will the DA and the police dept even make it through discovery and deposition and be able to advance the case?
IIRC, Serino peppers Zimmerman with questions, but doesn’t crack GZ’s story. Serino does his job properly initially, playing bad cop and trying to break GZ.
Serino doesn’t really get anywhere, and is satisfied that there are no charges to be filed.
Serino is then pressured into recommending a manslaughter charge.
My neighbor is a detective who has been on multiple high enough profile cases to end up as episodes of the Forensic Files TV series. They have never needed a lawyer. Funny, that.
Obama did not have to goad any black officer to take an anti-Zimmerman position. The harsh reality is that all too many of American blacks are racists and harbor deep resentment, if not open hatred for whites.
Why this is may be related to what Darbyshire wrote about. Life in America is such that intelligence is still a factor in success, despite generations of commies, liberals and union efforts to remove rewards for superior performance.
Blacks have consistently scored lower than whites in IQ tests and have so done since such testing began some 100 years ago.
It surprises me not in the slightest that black officers resent the better test scores achieved by whites. What disgusts me is that there are people vastly smarter than I - and I do not resent them. I do, however, wish I could trade my brain in for one with their abilities. But, as that isn’t possible, I keep busy achieving what I can with what I have.
I hope this prediction is wrong, but I think the Muslims living in America, Black Muslims, “angry black youths”, and foreign Muslims will strike our vulnerable points such as power facilities, water and sewer plants, refineries, etc in a “Hail Mary” attempt to cower America into allowing Muslim dominance of such areas as they demand.
The greatest error such Koranimals make is to forget what Isoruko Yamamato is widely accepted as having said regarding grass and guns in America.
or was Serino offered a bribe, aka Quid Pro Quo, by somebody from the Martin side of the equation.
Serino's in fine shape. But I suspect the remark that he's intimidated is about right. He's concerned about being sucked into a wrongful prosecution suit.
There is no other reason for an investigator to lawyer up.
I thought that said Joan Baez.
Bookmarked
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.