It Looked Like Trayvon Was on Top: Zimmerman Witness

Neighbor John Good had 'perhaps the best view of the struggle'
By Kate Seamons,  Newser Staff
Posted Jun 28, 2013 2:04 PM CDT
It Looked Like Trayvon Was on Top: Zimmerman Witness
John Good, a neighbor who witnessed part of the confrontation between George Zimmerman and Trayvon Martin testifies during the 15th day of Zimmerman's trial in Seminole circuit court.   (AP Photo/Orlando Sentinel, Joe Burbank, Pool)

George Zimmerman's trial has moved on from key witness Rachel Jeantel, with today seeing a handful of people take the stand. The day's standout testimony, largely per the Orlando Sentinel:

  • Zimmerman neighbor John Good, described by the AP as having "perhaps the best view of the struggle," said he heard noise while watching TV on the night Trayvon Martin was killed and stepped outside to investigate. He described seeing a MMA-style scene unfold. In his telling, the two men were "tussling" on the ground, with the person on top in a straddle position and throwing punches "ground and pound" style. He described the person on top as darkly-clad, with the one on the bottom in either red or white, and having lighter skin. Per the evidence, Trayvon was in a dark-colored sweatshirt and Zimmerman was dressed in red that night. When asked if he believed Trayvon was on top, Good replied, "Correct ... that's what it looked like."

  • Neighbor Jonathon Manalo, who was the first one to step outside and took cellphone photos that night that were shown to the jury today, described "blood running down [Zimmerman's] nose from both nostrils and over his lips." He said Zimmerman's demeanor was calm, and said Zimmerman asked him to call his wife. "Just tell her I shot someone," Manalo recounts Zimmerman as saying. He said Zimmerman told him at the time that the shooting was in self-defense. When asked if that "seemed completely true," Manalo replied, "yes."
The Sentinel notes that some big names have yet to take the stand. Among them: Trayvon's parents, the medical examiner, and lead Sanford police investigator Christopher Serino. (More Trayvon Martin stories.)

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