Medical examiner in shooting case fired
The medical examiner that performed Trayvon Martin’s autopsy and offered conflicting testimony at George Zimmerman’s murder trial has been relieved of his position. According to a letter released by Volusia County on Tuesday, 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. In the Aug. 23 letter, Bao was granted 30 days to find employment at another office, and he declined to resign at the end of that period. Bao began his employment with Volusia County in July 2011 and made an annual salary of $175,950. During Zimmerman’s trial Bao changed his original opinion about how long Martin lived after being shot.
Police investigating a domestic dispute between George Zimmerman and his estranged wife said Tuesday that video from her broken iPad may be crucial evidence in determining whether any charges are filed.
Police believe the mobile device captured video of Monday’s dispute at the Lake Mary house where Zimmerman was living, but the former neighborhood watch volunteer smashed it to pieces and it needs to be examined in a crime lab. Without the video or some other piece of independent evidence, legal experts said it will be hard to build a case because Shellie Zimmerman changed her story about her husband threatening her with a gun and decided not to press charges.
“I think it’s severely limited if they can’t get anything from an eyewitness or video,” said Randy McCLean, a former prosecutor who now practices criminal defense and family law in central Florida.
Shellie Zimmerman, 26, had moved out of the house last month but stopped by with her father Monday to gather some remaining items. Shellie Zimmerman’s father owns the house with his wife.
Shellie Zimmerman called 911, saying her estranged husband was in his truck and threatening her and her father with a gun. She also said her husband punched her father in the nose. Hours later, she told police she hadn’t seen a gun.
Police said no gun was ever found and the former couple blamed each other for being the aggressor.
“The iPad video is going to be paramount in this case,” Zach Hudson, a spokesman for the Lake Mary Police Department.
Hudson said as many as seven people were at the house and they all have been questioned by investigators. He didn’t say who they were. Authorities are also looking into whether surveillance video from cameras at the house captured the dispute.
Also, Shellie Zimmerman said on the 911 call that a city worker witnessed the dispute, and if so, that eyewitness and any others could help authorities decide whether to file charges. Florida law allows police officers to arrest someone for domestic violence without the consent of the victim.
Shellie Zimmerman’s father and Zimmerman “put hands on each other” but there were no injuries and the father doesn’t want to press charges either, Hudson said Tuesday.
When asked if George or Shellie Zimmerman could be charged, Hudson said: “As of right now, it could be either one or it could be no one. It depends what that iPad has on it, what that footage shows.”
Shellie Zimmerman filed for divorce last week. She and her husband separated a month after he was acquitted July 13 in the fatal shooting of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin in 2012 in Sanford, an Orlando suburb less than 5 miles from Lake Mary.
Zimmerman said he acted in self-defense when he shot Martin. He wasn’t charged until 44 days after the shooting, leading to protests nationwide from people who believed he should’ve been immediately arrested.
Demonstrations were organized again after his acquittal. Federal authorities are now reviewing the case the see if Martin’s civil rights were violated.
The encounter Monday was the latest in a string of events for Zimmerman since he was found not guilty. He has twice been pulled over on suspicion of speeding and ticketed once. He also appeared in photos online at a gun maker’s plant and he helped members of a family from their vehicle following a car wreck.
Shellie Zimmerman was convicted of perjury last month for lying about the couple’s finances at her husband’s bail hearing for killing Martin.
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