Trayvon Martin autopsy doctor: State 'hoped to lose the case' against Zimmerman

[Baitball Blogger]

This article is accessible by subscription only, but I included the first allowable paras. I will say that it is the strangest newspaper article that I have read from the Orlando Sentinel. The article is a hit piece against the autopsy doctor. I have never seen them do such a thorough job of getting everyone's comments to dispute the doctor's findings. They may be right, but I thought I would include this for DU posterity:



The doctor who autopsied Trayvon Martin, and later raised eyebrows with his uneven testimony during the trial of George Zimmerman, has released an ebook in which he argues prosecutors "hoped to lose the case."

Despite that claim, "Dead Men Can't Lie," the 37-page ebook by Dr. Shiping Bao, offers no proof.

Rather, it largely alleges poor preparation and bad evidence practices contributed to Zimmerman's acquittal.

Bao appeared flustered and was at times confrontational during his trial testimony, and gave opinions on the witness stand that conflicted with his earlier analysis of the case.

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/trayvon-martin-george-zimmerman/os-trayvon-martin-autopsy-doctor-book-20140814,0,925805.story

[B2G]

1. Dr. Bao was a large part of the reason they lost

I have no interest in anything he has to say.

[Baitball Blogger]

2. I wonder why the paper would give him any white space?

[JI7]

3. fuck him, now the fucker is looking to profit off of a murdered teen

and i'm pretty sure even if there was video of it which showed zimmerman was at fault that the ignorant racist jury would still have voted to aquit .

[Baitball Blogger]

4. It's really whack.

What I did learn, however, is that someone can write 37 pages and call it a book!

[katmondoo]

5. It was obvious if you watched the trial

[Baitball Blogger]

7. I stayed with the online reports.

Everything I was reading was going negative. He was not the only witness who was problematic.

[etherealtruth]

17. I caught snippets of the trial ....

I strongly felt the prosecutors had the "B" or "C" team prosecuting the case .... it appeared that it was incompetently prosecuted.

[Boom Sound 416]

6. Said the guy who blew it on the stand

[pintobean]

8. He was the worst witness I've ever seen.

A gift for the defense. If the state 'hoped to lose the case', putting him on the stand was the slam-dunk.

[hack89]

9. I think it was the opposite

it was such a weak case because there were no eyewitnesses that in any other situation the state would have offered a plea bargain to a reduced charge to avoid a trial. Because it was a high profile crime, they decided they public opinion demanded they charge Zimmerman with murder and take him to trial - I suspect they felt like they had a good change to get a guilty verdict. Two things killed their case - no eye witnesses and prosecution witnesses collaborating Zimmerman's story. Toss in idiots like Dr Bao and the verdict was no surprise.

[Baitball Blogger]

10. I will disagree with you.

Zimmerman was told by the police to stay put, but Zimmerman went after Trayvon. This should have been a precedent setting case that should have establish parameters for Stand your ground. If you're stalking someone the defense should not even be considered.

The other mistake was having a police department that didn't bring Zimmerman into the police station, until much later; and an idiot State Attorney who took a call from Zimmerman's father that night. These are privileges that only accentuate the two tiered justice system that we live under.

What we should be asking is why are incompetents like Bao tolerated? Even when they hit the wall with their incompetence, there is enough of a trail of evidence to allow for plausible deniability.

[hack89]

11. The police did not tell him that

He was talking to a civilian 911 operator. When he was talking to the operator he had lost sight of Martin and was no longer chasing him.

Secondly, this was not a SYG case - Zimmerman specifically revoked his right to a SYG hearing before the trial started.

[Baitball Blogger]

12. The 911 operator would have been trained to provide advice that

was consistent with police policy. Nothing I read after the fact suggests that she offered advice that was not consistent with the police's standards.

As for SYG, unfortunately this case was argued in the public forums on the basis of SYG and for too many, the fact that Zimmerman got off was an indication that SYG would have been an acceptable defense. That issue is still open for another court case to determine, because the Zimmerman case did nothing to nip it in the bud.

[hack89]

13. 911 operators are not LEOs

They have no legal authority - you don't have to obey them.

It's was classic self defense case using old laws with years of case law behind it. People think that SYG is something new and radical. It is not - SYG has been around for decades in many common law states. The Zimmerman case did not enter any new legal territory.

[Baitball Blogger]

14. This came down to a jury verdict.

What they believe is what matters. Personally, I think a good prosecutor would have made the point that Zimmerman's refusal to listen to the operator points to a man who had his own agenda. If Shelley Zimmerman would have stepped up to the plate and rounded out the details of Zimmerman's God complex, I think the case would have gone a different way.

But, it is all hindsight.

[hack89]

15. It wouldn't trump prosecution witnesses supporting Z's version of what happened

If that isn't reasonable doubt I don't know what is.

[Baitball Blogger]

16. I see nothing but a double standard.

What I'm hearing is that Trayvon did not have a right to defend himself. The result of what happened that night hinged entirely on Zimmerman's decision to pursue Trayvon. You said that the operator did not have legal authority, well, Zimmerman had no legal authority either. Trayvon had a right to view him as a threat. Zimmerman was entirely responsible for the way that night ended.

But a black man defending himself is not a picture that many people are capable of seeing in their minds. That's the double standard that some people are incapable of recognizing.

[hack89]

18. The problem is that it is perfectly legal to follow someone

So the question is what was the first illegal act. Z says he lost sight of Martin and that Martin doubled back to confront him.

[Baitball Blogger]

20. Implausible bullshit, in my opinion.

I don't recall that particular detail coming out in the case, but it only plays into stereotypes. This was a new community for Trayvon, but I understand why Zimmerman would have wanted him to appear like some turf protecting gang-banger.

[hack89]

21. Trials are skewed towards the defendant for obvious reasons

Not only could the state not conclusively prove anything, their own witnesses undermined their own case.

[Baitball Blogger]

22. The incompetence of Florida's legal agencies is a dark abyss that is bottomless.

That is why we are a haven for fraudsters, con-artists and racists.

[cpwm17]

19. Dr. Shiping Bao embarrassed himself on the stand.

At least he should have been embarrassed. He couldn't remember anything from the autopsy, and he was totally unprepared and obviously incompetent. He was fired shortly after his fiasco on the stand.

He then sued the state of Florida for $100 million for wrongful termination and discrimination.