Controversy Surrounds Trayvon Martin Detective's Testimony
Chris Serino had pursued manslaughter charges for George Zimmerman but the investigator's bosses rejected his recommendation. Serino later said he was pressured by black officers into filing charges.
Detective Chris Serino testifies Monday in the Trayvon Martin trial. Screenshot via The Count.
Key witness Chris Serino, the Sanford (Fla.) Police Department’s lead investigator in the 2012 shooting death of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin, began his testimony in the George Zimmerman murder trial Monday afternoon.
Serino, the 25th witness called by the state, is expected to testify about how he called the events that unfolded the night of Feb. 26, 2012, "avoidable." He also interviewed Zimmerman in the aftermath of the shooting.
Serino had pursued manslaughter charges for Zimmerman, 29, for the Miami Gardens teen's death but the investigator's bosses rejected his recommendation. Serino later said he was pressured by black officers into filing charges and did not believe there was enough evidence to support charges. That shift in stance could raise questions about the credibility of the law-enforcement witness in the murder trial.
Read the full Miami Herald story.
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