CNN's Suzanne Malveaux went to ridiculous ends on Monday to suggest
that a testimony in defense of George Zimmerman could be used by the
prosecution.
A witness testified that she recognized Zimmerman's voice crying for
help in a 911 call as he struggled with Trayvon Martin, because she
worked with him on a political campaign. Malveaux suggested that the
prosecution could argue that Zimmerman's jubilant cries during political
rallies could be similar to his voice while "pummeling Trayvon Martin"
with "a sense of joy."
[Video below. Audio here [1].]
Defense attorney Mark Nejame shot that proposition down immediately. "Whoever was screaming we know was saying 'help.' So it's rare that you would be jubilant and saying 'help' at the same time. That would take pretty much a diabolical mastermind that I don't think we're going to find here. "
The witness, Leanne Benjamin, had testified earlier on Monday that Zimmerman's voice in the
audio was "not like the pep rally." The prosecutor followed up, asking
"He's not going, 'hey!' Right? He's not screaming?" Benjamin answered
"Correct."
This was Malveaux's ridiculous question in full, from CNN Newsroom on July 8 at 1:40 p.m. EDT:
"Earlier we heard from Lee Ann Benjamin. She was another friend of George Zimmerman. And one of the things that she said is that she knew him because they were involved in these political campaigns. And she had heard George Zimmerman, as she said, whooping it up, kind of like these screams of joy if you will, or these rallies during these campaigns, these political campaigns. And she was asked about the 911 tape, and she said that's George Zimmerman's voice, a cry for help if you will. Is there any way that they could turn that and say you know what, George Zimmerman, if he sounds that way on both the tape as well as what she recalls, that this was not somebody who was screaming for help and crying out but that he was actually enjoying it? That he was pummeling Trayvon Martin. That there was a sense of joy in that moment. Is there any way that the jurors could confuse that, her testimony?"