An FBI speech scientist testified today that current technology cannot categorically determine whose voice is heard screaming in the background of a 45-second 911 call made on the evening George Zimmerman is accused of killing Florida teenager Trayvon Martin.
"The voice was outside the normal range. We know the [computer] system cannot distinguish normal speech from abnormal speech," testified Dr. Hirotake Nakasone, a senior audio engineer at the FBI, on Zimmerman's behalf at a pre-trial hearing to determine whether the recording should be admissible.
Zimmerman, 29, is charged with shooting Martin, an unarmed black teenager inside a gated community in Sanford, Fla., in February 2012.
His trial is scheduled to begin on June 10, but lawyers are currently in court to hash out the rules for the proceedings.
Of the 45-second call, in which an individual is heard screaming from a distance, Nakasone said only three seconds of the recording consisted of just the screamer without other the caller or 911 operator speaking, not enough to make a scientific identification.
Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel/AP Photo
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Prosecutors believe the voice belongs to Martin and wants the jury to hear, potentially, the teenager's last words. They argue that while scientists might have different opinions about whose voice it is, the methodology is sound.
Judge Debra Nelson did not rule on the audio today and adjourned the hearing to Friday.
Also today, Nelson ruled against a defense motion to allow some witnesses to testify anonymously.
Zimmerman's attorney Mark O'Mara said some witnesses feared for their safety if his client were acquitted, and asked that they be allowed to testify anonymously during the trial.
Zimmerman, who has received death threats, has been in hiding since his arrest and often wears a bullet-proof vest when he appears in public to attend court hearings
Prosecutor Bernie de la Rionda argued that allowing some witnesses to testify anonymously could unfairly sway the jury who might assume those witnesses were more important.
Judge Debra Nelson rejected O'Mara's request, ruling that all witnesses would have to be named and appear in open court.
The judge also tabled until after the trial a heated exchange between the lawyers over whether the prosecutor adequately disclosed evidence to the defense including deleted texts, photographs, and video found on Martin's cell phone.
O'Mara called to the stand Ben Kruidbos, a former IT director in the state prosecutor's office, whom they claim is whistleblower who discovered that the prosecution had evidence it had not shared with Zimmeraman's lawyers.
Among the data found on the phone are photos of Martin possible holding a gun and smoking marijuana.
The judge has ruled that those photos cannot be mentioned in Zimmerman's opening statement, but has left open the possibility that they could be introduced later.
"The voice was outside the normal range. We know the [computer] system cannot distinguish normal speech from abnormal speech," testified Dr. Hirotake Nakasone, a senior audio engineer at the FBI, on Zimmerman's behalf at a pre-trial hearing to determine whether the recording should be admissible.
Zimmerman, 29, is charged with shooting Martin, an unarmed black teenager inside a gated community in Sanford, Fla., in February 2012.
His trial is scheduled to begin on June 10, but lawyers are currently in court to hash out the rules for the proceedings.
Of the 45-second call, in which an individual is heard screaming from a distance, Nakasone said only three seconds of the recording consisted of just the screamer without other the caller or 911 operator speaking, not enough to make a scientific identification.
Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel/AP Photo
George Zimmerman arrives in Seminole circuit... View Full Size
George Zimmerman Trial Delay Request Denied Watch Video
Trayvon Martin Texts Reveal Fighting, Drug Use Watch Video
Zimmerman Waives Immunity Hearing Right Watch Video
Prosecutors believe the voice belongs to Martin and wants the jury to hear, potentially, the teenager's last words. They argue that while scientists might have different opinions about whose voice it is, the methodology is sound.
Judge Debra Nelson did not rule on the audio today and adjourned the hearing to Friday.
Also today, Nelson ruled against a defense motion to allow some witnesses to testify anonymously.
Zimmerman's attorney Mark O'Mara said some witnesses feared for their safety if his client were acquitted, and asked that they be allowed to testify anonymously during the trial.
Zimmerman, who has received death threats, has been in hiding since his arrest and often wears a bullet-proof vest when he appears in public to attend court hearings
Prosecutor Bernie de la Rionda argued that allowing some witnesses to testify anonymously could unfairly sway the jury who might assume those witnesses were more important.
Judge Debra Nelson rejected O'Mara's request, ruling that all witnesses would have to be named and appear in open court.
The judge also tabled until after the trial a heated exchange between the lawyers over whether the prosecutor adequately disclosed evidence to the defense including deleted texts, photographs, and video found on Martin's cell phone.
O'Mara called to the stand Ben Kruidbos, a former IT director in the state prosecutor's office, whom they claim is whistleblower who discovered that the prosecution had evidence it had not shared with Zimmeraman's lawyers.
Among the data found on the phone are photos of Martin possible holding a gun and smoking marijuana.
The judge has ruled that those photos cannot be mentioned in Zimmerman's opening statement, but has left open the possibility that they could be introduced later.