Dr. Bao’s Lawsuit To Expose Biases Against Trayvon Martin

Attorney Willie E. Gary

Attorney Willie E. Gary has quite a reputation. He has won over 150 cases valued in excess of $1 million each. Attorney Gary has been featured in Ebony Magazine as one of the “100 Most Influential Black Americans.” Forbes magazine has listed him as one of the “Top 50 Attorneys in the U.S.”

Now, attorney Gary is representing Dr. Shiping Bao, the assistant medical examiner who performed Trayvon Martin’s autopsy.

Dr. Bao was one of the most controversial prosecution witnesses because of his conflicting testimony.

In a letter dated August 23, 2013, Dr. Bao was given 30 days to find employment at another office or resign. He declined to resign. Volusia County released a letter on Tuesday, September 10, 2013, stating that Dr. Shiping Bao was fired from his position as an associate medical examiner last week. Spokesman Dave Byron declined to give a reason, citing county standard personnel practices.

Dr. Bao began his employment with Volusia County in July 2011 and made an annual salary of $175,950.

Former Assistant Medical Examiner, Dr. Shiping Bao

During George Zimmerman’s trial, Bao changed his original opinion about how long Martin lived after being shot. Bao said he had changed his opinion three weeks before the trial based on another case that was similar to Martin’s. Bao also changed his opinion about the effect of the small amount of THC, the active ingredient of marijuana, found in Trayvon’s body. Now, Dr. Bao is ready to tell why his testimony brought shame upon the prosecution.

According to WFTV news, attorney Gary stated that Dr. Bao claims that the medical examiner, state attorney’s office, and Sanford Police Department were all biased against Martin. “He says their general attitude was that he got what he deserved,” Attorney Willie Gary told Channel 9.

Attorney Gary said Dr. Bao was made to be a scapegoat and was wrongfully fired from the medical examiner’s office. He said his client was prepared to offer proof that Martin was not the aggressor.

“He wanted a question that would have allowed him to explain to the jury with scientific evidence how there was no way Trayvon Martin could have been on top of George Zimmerman,” Gary said.

“He was in essence told to zip his lips. ‘Shut up. Don’t say those things,'” Gary said.

Hearing that the Sanford Police Department was biased against Trayvon Martin is no surprise. At George Zimmerman’s trial, questions were raised about how Trayvon Martin’s clothing was not dried out and was maintained in plastic rather than paper bags. The defense argued that might have degraded DNA evidence on Trayvon’s clothing. Although there was no testimony that DNA on Trayvon’s clothing was degraded, the defense took advantage of the negligence of the Sanford Police Department’s and Florida Department of Law Enforcement’s staff to raise doubt.

Before his arrest, George Zimmerman was monitored by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement regarding his safety. It should come as no surprise therefore, that George Zimmerman would attempt to speak with State’s Attorney Angela Corey before she announced the results of her investigation. George Zimmerman apparently felt comfortable and favored by the Florida Dept. of Law Enforcement.

Additionally, there were serious inconsistencies in George Zimmerman’s statements to Detective (now patrol officer) Serino and Doris Singleton. Without question, they allowed George Zimmerman to change relevant portions of his story. For example, Zimmerman repeatedly claimed that he was knocked down by a punch in the nose at the “T.” When conducting an re-enactment however, Zimmerman realized that Trayvon’s body was found about 40 ft south of the “T” and changed his story to stumbling after being hit in the nose.

Detectives never asked Zimmerman when, why and how he dropped his key chain flashlight, nor his tactical flashlight. Zimmerman omitted any mention of when he dropped those items, and detectives did not bother to ask him.  Although Zimmerman never stated where, why and how he dropped the key chain flashlight, his attorneys would testify for him, without objection from the State, that the location of the key chain flashlight confirmed that the altercation began at the “T”.

Another relevant omission is that Zimmerman failed in total to mention that a witness, Jonathan Manalo, took a photo of his head before the first cop arrived.  Zimmerman’s story was a flow from getting off Trayvon’s back, to seeing the flashlight of the arriving cop.

At the crime scene, police did not instruct EMT’s to retain materials they used to clean dried blood off Zimmerman’s head. Testimony at trial by Anthony Gorgone revealed that stains indicating the presence of blood tested positive for DNA. The mixtures of DNA ruled out Trayvon, and were found on Zimmerman’s jacket. Trayvon’s DNA was also found on Zimmerman’s right jacket’s cuff and right upper shoulder.

While the prosecution did not ask Dr. Bao a question allowing him to explain to the jury with scientific evidence that there was no way Trayvon Martin could have been on top of George Zimmerman, prosecutors did demonstrate that Zimmerman could not have drawn his gun with Trayvon straddle him. Even Adam Pollock, owner of Kokopelli’s Gym, testified that Zimmerman could not hold Trayvon’s arm (as Zimmerman stated), and shot his gun while on his back.

A major concern of those anticipating justice for Trayvon, is why prosecutors did not object to the seating of Juror B37 on the jury. It was Juror B37 who during voir dire, called peaceful protests “riots.” The protests called for the arrest of George Zimmerman. After the verdict, Juror B37’s now former literary agent released a statement saying that the jury voted not guilty “…due to the manner in which [George Zimmerman] was arrested.”