Billy Martin and Kendall Coffey Analyze the Potential Reaction from the Jury in the Zimmerman Trial

The friend who was on the phone with Florida teenager Trayvon Martin just moments before he was shot and killed finishes two days of testimony in the George Zimmerman murder trial. Key witness Rachel Jeantel spent more than five hours under cross-examination by the defense.

Zimmerman is facing second-degree murder charges and claims he shot Martin in self-defense.

In a recent appearance on MSNBC’s “PoliticsNation,” criminal defense attorney Billy Martin and MSNBC legal analyst Kendall Coffey discuss Rachel Jeantel’s performance on the stand and whether the jury finds her as an unreliable or a sympathetic witness.

In the court of public opinion, people have come to her defense or ridiculed her as she admitted she’s unable to read cursive. Jeantel claims that she wrote the letter with a friend, describing what happened on the night of the shooting and sent it to Martin’s mom several weeks after his death.

Former U.S. Attorney Kendall Coffey told MSNBC's Al Sharpton, the jury may not be able to relate to Jeantel, but her testimony is consistent.

“What I think the jury is seeing, is somebody who is there, doesn’t want to be there was brought in by a horrific twist of destiny and tragedy to have to talk about what happened in the final minutes of the life of a friend of hers. And who is by and large being truthful and being truthful is a lot more important than sympathetic than any other word when it comes to the key witness for the prosecution,” said Coffey.

Jeantel said that Trayvon Martin used slurs when describing Zimmerman in their final conversation. As a former chief prosecutor in Washington, D.C.'s homicide unit, Billy Martin says the jurors typically look past the language.

“This is not unusual in a homicide case to have vulgar language and activity that people feel and fund uncomfortable. I think a juror and jurors look right through that and look at what are we trying to determine. They’re not trying to see if one was a good person or a bad person. There are facts here. Who was the aggressor? Who had the ability to flee? And who had the gun? I think they’ll look right past these slurs and find the facts that will really help them decide this case."

Miami Teen Returns to Stand in the George Zimmerman Trial

The friend of Trayvon Martin returns to the stand in the George Zimmerman trial saying she believes the encounter was racially charged. Rachel Jeantel is a crucial witness for prosecutors as she was on the phone with Martin before his fatal fight with George Zimmerman in February 2012.

Jeantel said Martin complained to her that a man described as “creepy” was following him through the community.  Martin said Zimmerman was behind him and she heard him ask: “What are you following me for?”

"He kept complaining that a man was just watching him," Jeantel said.

She heard Martin say, “Get off! Get off!” before the phone went dead.  Jeantel said she thought race was an issue because Martin told her a white man was following him. It has been reported that Zimmerman identifies himself as Hispanic and his family claims the confrontation had nothing to do with race.

Cross-examination continues today, but the major question is whether George Zimmerman will testify. Defense attorney Mark O’Mara says he’s not sure if his client will take the stand.

In an interview on MSNBC, Former U.S. Attorney Kendall Coffey says the prosecution’s strategy will have to prove that there are inconsistencies and falsities in George Zimmerman’s statements.

“We all know that innocent people don't have to lie if someone is caught and trapped in a number of untruthful comments, it strongly indicates guilt…the young woman who was on the cell phone with Trayvon Martin in the final minutes of his life, those could be the major parts of the prosecution's evidence,” said Kendall Coffey.

For the defendant, Former U.S. Attorney Zachary Carter tells MSNBC that Zimmerman’s story must stay consistent. “If he did something at a certain time and you listen to 911 recordings in which certain things actually occurred and you can verify it, on a different timeline that is inconsistent with what he says then you can disparage his story.”

Zimmerman Trial Jury Selection

In day three of the George Zimmerman trial, attorneys have interview over two-dozen potential jurors. At least 70 jury candidates were dismissed.

Potential jurors have revealed they’ve had some kind of exposure to the details in the shooting.

The father of Trayvon Martin, the Florida teen who was shot and killed by Zimmerman in February 2012, said his family was encouraged so far by what they had seen in the jury selection.

Former federal prosecutor Kendall Coffey spoke to Rev. Al Sharpton on MSNBC’s “PoliticsNation” to discuss the deciding factors in the jury selection process.

Mr. Coffey said it would be challenging to find people who could be fair and haven’t been influenced by what they have seen already.

 “People that are basically gun owners are going to be much better jurors for the defense. People on the other hand people who just aren’t comfortable with the idea of guns and violence, that think that something has to be done about it, those are going to be the best people for the prosecution,” said Kendall Coffey.

No decision has been made on whether the voice experts can testify about the screams in the 911 call made during the confrontation.

Martin’s family believes it was the teen that was screaming for help, while it was Zimmerman’s father saying it was his son. Audio experts have given mixed conclusions.

Zimmerman has pleaded not guilty to a second degree murder charge, telling police he fired the fatal shot that killed Trayvon Martin in self-defense during a fight initiated by 17-year-old.

George Zimmerman Trial Update

A judge has rejected a motion to delay the second-degree murder trial of George Zimmerman, the man facing murder charges in the death of Florida teenager Trayvon Martin.

According to reports, Zimmerman’s attorneys needed more time to research one of the state’s witnesses. 

Circuit Judge Debra. S Nelson says both sides have had enough time to prepare. Jury selection is set to begin on June 10.

Nelson also denied the state’s third attempt at a gag order on Tuesday as pretrial publicity generated with a court filing by Zimmerman’s attorney. Attorney’s say the teenager’s text messages show he was “hostile” and had been arguing with someone on the day he died.

Judge Nelson ruled that Martin’s text messages and school records are not admissible; however, she left  the possibility open if the defense could show relevance later during the trial.

In an interview on MSNBC’s “Politics Nation,” Former U.S. Attorney Kendall Coffey says Zimmerman’s attorney is attempting to try the case in the court of public opinion.

“It’s inflammatory, it’s damaging, and frankly potential jurors are going to find it very hard to unsee what they are already seeing on television, the Internet and in newspapers,” said Kendall Coffey.

Prosecutor Paul Henderson says the information could be harmful.

“They only reason that they are including it as evidence that they would like to introduce, when they know that it won’t be introduced, is to try to and taint the jury pool, and to try and change public perception with this information that they have.”

In the interview, Coffey and Henderson discuss the role of the 911 tapes in the case.

Watch the rest of the interview here.