Judge excludes state audio experts in George Zimmerman trial

Judge excludes state audio experts in George Zimmerman trial

In a major blow for the prosecution in the George Zimmerman case, a

judge on Saturday barred the testimony of two audio experts who

suggested that a taped 911 call indicated Trayvon Martin was crying

out for help during the violent struggle that ended with a gunshot.

The testimony of Tom Owen and Alan Reich, both of whom analyzed a 911

call by a neighbor that captured the sounds of the brawl, was key for

the state because it could have painted Zimmerman as the aggressor.

The neighborhood watchman is accused of fatally shooting Trayvon, an

unarmed teen from Miami Gardens, during a confrontation inside a gated

Sanford community in February 2012.

The police's delay in charging Zimmerman, who claimed self-defense,

sparked large civil rights rallies in Sanford and drew worldwide

headlines.

In the ruling released Saturday, Seminole Circuit Judge Debra S.

Nelson said prosecutors can still play the 911 tape and other

recordings at trial, and lawyers can introduce witnesses who are

familiar with the voices of Trayvon or Zimmerman to testify about the

identity of the person or persons screaming.

In her 12-page order, sent via e-mail to the lawyers in the case,

Nelson found that the methods the two men used to analyze the audio

were not generally accepted in the scientific community.

"There is no evidence to establish that their scientific techniques

have been tested and found reliable," she wrote.

She singled out Reich, who claimed he heard Trayvon saying specific

phrases, including "I'm begging you." Nelson said his report to the

prosecution, which differed from one given earlier to a newspaper,

"would confuse issues" and "mislead the jury."

The judge's decision on the audio experts was highly anticipated.

Previous hearings on the experts, heavy on scientific jargon and

explanations of computer software and national standards, unfolded

during five separate days over the past two weeks, concluding Thursday

afternoon.

The key 911 call, made by a neighbor reporting the violent scuffle,

captured the cries of someone in apparent fear.

Reich claimed in his report that he hears Zimmerman say "these shall

be," which he calls a "seemingly religious proclamation," while

Trayvon, scared and in a high-pitched voice, screams, "I'm begging

you," just before the shooting.

Another state expert, Tom Owen, used computer software to analyze a

four-second snippet of cries. He compared it to a sample of an audio

clip of Zimmerman, and concluded the voice on the 911 call did not

belong to him.

In an effort to keep the testimony from being used as evidence for

jurors to consider, Zimmerman's defense team challenged the

reliability of the science involved. On Tuesday, a defense expert,

James Wayman, testified that Owen's methods were "fundamentally

flawed."

Defense attorney Don West, on Friday, mocked Reich's report, saying it

showed Trayvon and Zimmerman "having a conversation" and that the

document should begin, "It was a dark and stormy night."

Prosecutor Rich Mantei shot back, saying that the defense had told the

press that a defense expert would say Zimmerman was the voice crying

out. But no such expert was ever produced, Mantei said.



BY DAVID OVALLE

DOVALLE@MIAMIHERALD.COM

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