George Zimmerman Told Us Where He Saw Trayvon Martin When Saying “When I walked back towards him”

Since the verdict in George Zimmerman’s 2^nd degree murder trial, I’ve tried not to post much that rehashes arguments that happened before and during his trial. However, there has been a repeat of something on Twitter that compels me to go into detail. The same argument appears to come up at least once a month. That issue is that Zimmerman said, “When I walked back towards him.”

Because of Zimmerman’s story that he first came face-to-face with Trayvon at the “T,” some people have not thought outside that box to what Zimmerman wrote and said before he had time to omit and add to his story by the time of his re-enactment.  To say it another way, some people believe that Zimmerman saw Trayvon on the dog path and try to reconcile “when I walked back towards him” to have occurred on the dog path.  Zimmerman did not find Trayvon on the dog path. Rather, he found Trayvon on Retreat View Circle.

I sought out someone who is good at video animation and has the software to show rather than only tell. Not having those resources myself, I did compile two videos in effort to show what I heard Zimmerman say about his actions after getting out of his truck. The following is more of a bullet point presentation that connects the dots and I’ve embedded the two videos to support the following. Below is also a map of Retreat at Twin Lakes indicating Trayvon’s and Zimmerman’s positions when Zimmerman said “When I walked back towards him.” I’ve also placed “BG” to indicate the back gate.

Those who followed the case will recognize the recorded non-emergency call, Zimmerman’s statements, and Rachel Jeantel’s testimony. Rachel was there as an audio witness only. She was not familiar with the area of Retreat at Twin Lakes where Trayvon was staying with his dad. Rachel could only testify what Trayvon said to her.

We should consider the following as happening simultaneously with Zimmerman talking to dispatch and afterwards, while Trayvon is talking with Jeantel.

• We know that Trayvon ran from Zimmerman. We know this because Zimmerman said so on his call to non-emergency dispatch.

 

• We know that Zimmerman got out of his truck when Trayvon ran and answered in the affirmative to following Trayvon.

 

• Zimmerman told dispatch that Trayvon was running towards the back entrance. He later told detectives that Trayvon ran down the dog path. The dog path comes out on Twin Trees Lane and that street leads to the back gate.

 

• With that assumption, Zimmerman did not drive down Twin Trees Lane to catch Trayvon when he came off the dog path. No vehicle could drive down the dog path and Zimmerman couldn’t chance Trayvon seeing his truck and running back down the dog path where he could not follow in his truck.

 

• George Zimmerman told detectives that when he was told “We don’t need you to that”, that he was standing on Retreat View Circle.       Retreat View Circle also leads to the back gate.

 

• Zimmerman said he was not following Trayvon but going in the same direction. In other words, Zimmerman was going to the back gate where he assumed Trayvon was going but without being directly behind Trayvon.

 

• Zimmerman said “he ran” and that he thought the “suspect” was “long gone.” That’s because he didn’t see Trayvon cross the intersection of Twin Trees Lane and Retreat View Circle going to the back gate.

 

• While on Retreat View Circle, Zimmerman did not want to give dispatch his address because “I don’t know where this kid is.” This indicates that Zimmerman was not in open space but close to the houses where he assumed Trayvon might be hiding and was close enough to hear him.

 

• George Zimmerman changed his mind to meet the cop at the mail boxes and asked dispatch to have the cop call him and he would tell him where he was.  This indicates that Zimmerman saw Trayvon and that Trayvon was not going towards the back gate.

 

• No keys were found on Trayvon’s body. The prosecution failed to ask Chad how Trayvon was going to get back inside the house. Did he have the code to open the attached garage to enter the house, need to ring the doorbell, or was he suppose to call Chad to come downstairs to open the door? The prosecution left us without an answer.

 

• Brandy Green lived on Retreat View Circle. Trayvon would need to walk onto Twins Tree Lane and around the corner to Retreat View Circle in order to enter Green’s house from the front.

 

• Having to walk onto Twins Tree Lane, Trayvon would linger on the dog path and look out to make sure he did not see the truck that had followed him.

 

• Trayvon told Rachel that he had lost the guy.

 

• Trayvon told Rachel that he saw the guy again. He told Rachel that he wasn’t going to run because he was by his dad’s house. Trayvon was at the corner of Twins Tree Lane and Retreat View Circle.

 

• Zimmerman told detectives that when he walked back towards him, [Trayvon], that he saw Trayvon coming towards him.  Both were on Retreat View Circle. Zimmerman was walking to the end of the block, and Trayvon was walking to the front of Green’s house.

 

• Trayvon then told Rachel that the guy was “behind him” again.       This indicates that Trayvon turned, walked back to Twins Tree Lane and back to the dog path. He was going to “walk fast.” There was nowhere for him to run because he was by his dad’s house. Trayvon told Rachel that the guy was getting closer. So, Trayvon asked, “What are you following me for?”

During closing argument, Bernie de la Rionda told the jury about Zimmerman saying “When I walked back towards him” and Bernie even mentioned that Zimmerman could have gone in a circle and came up behind Trayvon on the dog path.  What Bernie didn’t do however, was use the maps in the courtroom to show the jury how it happened and how it agrees with Jeantel’s testimony and Zimmerman’s statements to detectives.