George Zimmerman Witness Can't Read Letter She 'Wrote' About Shooting

ABC News ^ | June 27, 2013 | SENI TIENABESO and MATT GUTMAN

[iowamark]

A teenage friend of Trayvon Martin was forced to admit today in the George Zimmerman murder trial that she did not write a letter that was sent to Martin's mother describing what she allegedly heard on a phone call with Martin moments before he was shot.

In a painfully embarassing moment, Rachel Jeantel was asked to read the letter out loud in court.

"Are you able to read that at all?" defense attorney Don West asked.

Jeantel, head bowed, eyes averted whispered into the court microphone, "Some but not all. I don't read cursive."

It sent a hush through the packed courtroom.

Jeantel, 19, was unable to read any of the letter save for her name...

During nearly two hours of cross examination Wednesday in which he tried to raise questions about her version of events and accused her of telling several lies under oath, including about her whereabouts during Martin's wake.

"Under oath, you created a lie and said you went to the hospital?" asked West.

"Yes," responded Jeantel. She said she lied because she didn't want to see the body.

Jeantel became increasingly agitated and scoffed when West told her that she would have to continue testifying.

She is seen as a critical witness to the prosecution because she is the only person able to say that Martin claimed that he noticed a strange man following him and that he was scared. Jeantel said Martin described the stranger as a "creepy ass cracker."

Jeantel said Martin, 17, was walking home during halftime of the NBA All-Star Game when he became unnerved because he was being followed.

[liberalh8ter]

I've seen that look before.....did she say, ‘whatchu talkin’ bout, Willis?’ before that picture was snapped?

[liberalh8ter]

What’s that thing around her neck?

A Johnsonville brat.......for snack time.

[peeps36]

I just got in an argument with the 75 year old dean of the school I work at. She was repeating the bias media coverage and was convinced she knew what happened. I tried to give her the facts but she didn't want to hear them. George was the big aggressive racist and Trayvon was a sweet innocent little boy. It's amazing how highly educated people could be so ignorant.

[kiryandil]

Start calling her “Sizzurp” until she asks you what it means...

[rhubarbk]

Based on what I’m seeing that would be all of the time.

[wideawake]

Breaker Morant was not the victim of a show trial. He was rightfully convicted.

His entire defense was: I may have murdered unarmed men in cold blood, but a really important guy told me that I was allowed to do it. He denies it now, but he totally said I could. Also I'm pretty sure other guys were doing it too.

Morant was a psychopath - he murdered an unarmed clergyman because that clergyman threatened to report his other extrajudicial killings to the authorities.

George Zimmermann killed one man, in an act of self-defense.

He's no scumbag like Morant was.

[DungeonMaster]

LOL!!!!!!

And with this crap, if you don't laugh you'll go nuts.

[DungeonMaster]

LOL!

[Frank_2001]

Even under the worst-case scenario here, Zimmerman will not get a lethal injection. However, she looks like a fine candidate for a position at the DMV! /s;)

[DungeonMaster]

I was thinking maybe it’s a neck neck.

[Red in Blue PA]

LOL!

Great skit and fantastic reference.

[dfwgator]

I believe that skit was completely improvised, they just basically told Steve to go out there and do something, since they were short of material that night.

[ScottinSacto]

Or she can be an extra in the new Star Wars trilogy as a Gamorrean Guard....no facial make up needed.

[Future Snake Eater]

LOL!

Here's the audio.

[LibsRJerks]

don’t read cursive.”

What does that mean?

***

Cursive is RACIST, you creepy old cracka!

[Hot Tabasco]

My other question is how did these two come to even know each other and be phone buds since the Martin punk was from out of town?

She mentioned Miami several times so that makes me believe she is from the same area TM is........

[rlmorel]

“Go away...batin’...”

[Political Junkie Too]

"Conspiracy to commit penmanship" is a very serious charge.

Apparently, it's also sexist.

"Penmanship" is now "handwriting" as Washington state removes gender bias in statutes

-PJ

[Joe 6-pack]

"If she didn’t write that letter, who did? I’m guessing someone at the prosecutor’s office."

My money is on Benjamin Crump.

[OneWingedShark]

I see it as a way cut off future generations from learning from past generations. All the letters and all the writings of our forefathers were written in cursive. Future generations will have to rely on ‘experts’ to transcribe the texts for them with, perhaps, the occasional change here and there to make things more ‘understandable.’

Our great, great grandchildren will stare as stupidly at the Constitution as illiterate peasants from the Dark Ages stared at Latin Bibles.

They already do it with the law, even the Constitution, so that we need lawyers or Black-Robed God-Kings to translate it for us... and it doesn't matter if what it says is plainly not what the law sa—GET BACK TO WORK PEASANT, HOW DARE YOU QUESTION YOUR BETTERS!