Miami Herald Frances Robles: Sanford Police Officer Was Pressured "To File Charges Against Zimmerman"

Frances Robles  at the Miami Herald says that:

"The lead Sanford Police investigator who sought manslaughter charges against George Zimmerman told the FBI that a sergeant and two other officers tried to pressure him into making an arrest in the controversial case — even though he didn’t think there was enough evidence."

According to Robles, Sanford, Florida Police Officer Chris Serino made headlines when evidence was released that showed he sought manslaughter charges against Zimmerman, while his Chief publicly stated there was no probable cause to arrest him:

"...But a document released late Thursday casts doubt on Serino’s prior sworn affidavit seeking criminal charges, and raises questions about the credibility of the star law-enforcement witness in the murder case against Zimmerman for the shooting death of a black teenager, Miami Gardens high school junior Trayvon Martin..."

Robles reports that Serino was concerned that people inside the police department were leaking information:

"...Serino cited Sgt. Arthur Barnes, officers Rebecca Villalona and Trekelle Perkins 'as all pressuring him to file charges against Zimmerman after the incident,' an FBI report said. 'Serino did not believe he had enough evidence at the time to file charges'..."

The Robles report states:

*That there has been no comment from the Sanford Police Department about Serino's statement. 

*That Serino was demoted last month to overnight patrol; 

*That Serino, in tapes of interviews with Zimmerman show Serino poking holes in Zimmerman's account of what happened;  

*That Serino told the FBI that Zimmerman had a "little hero complex;" 

*That Zimmerman sounded "scripted" [during interviews]; 

*That he believed Zimmerman "targeted" Martin because of what he was wearing, the rash of burglaries in the area, and not because of "the color of the teen's skin." 

*That Records released Thursday show Sgt. Barnes, "..a 25-year veteran of the department, told the FBI that he believed the black community would be “in an uproar” if Zimmerman was not charged. “The community will be satisfied if an arrest takes place,” the FBI quoted him saying. Barnes “felt the shooting was not racially motivated, but it was a man shooting an unarmed kid.”

The items detailed in the report, if shown to a jury, may weigh heavily in favor of Zimmerman.

Do you think the jury will by privy to this information?


How do you think this will affect the outcome of the trial?

See the Robles Miami Herald Report Here....

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