Prosecutors and defense attorneys in the George Zimmerman case returned to a Sanford courtroom to continue a hearing Friday, three days before his trial is scheduled to begin.
The hearing before Circuit Judge Debra Nelson began shortly before 9:30 a.m. with prosecutors calling voice recognition expert Tom Owen to testify at the hearing, which will determine whether Owen and other voice experts can testify at the trial.
Zimmerman is charged with second-degree murder in the shooting of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin in February 2012. He has pleaded not guilty, claiming self-defense. His trial is set to begin Monday.
FBI voice expert Hirotaka Nakasone testified during Thursday's hearing. Nelson hasn’t ruled yet whether she’ll accept his testimony.
Earlier Thursday, Nelson denied a defense request to let some witnesses testify confidentially at the trial.
The judge also heard testimony after defense attorneys asked her to sanction prosecutors for alleged delays in turning over evidence from Martin’s phone. But she decided to suspend the hearing on that matter until after the trial, saying she was concerned that if it continued, the trial wouldn’t start on time.
George Zimmerman has sued NBCUniversal, the parent company of this site, for defamation. The company has strongly denied his allegations.
