George Zimmerman’s credibility might be hurting at the moment, but records released to the public on Tuesday show he passed a pair of lie detector tests in February just a day after killing unarmed teenager Trayvon Martin.
The tests were part of a new round of evidence made public by the office of Florida special prosecutor Angela Corey, who charged Zimmerman in April with second degree murder. He has pleaded not guilty and said he was acting in self defense when he shot and killed the teen.
The type of tests Zimmerman submitted to were called computer voice stress analysis. They looked for changes in his speech as he answered simple yes or no questions.
Among the questions Zimmerman answered: Did you confront the guy you shot? (No.) And were you afraid for your life when you shot the guy? (Yes.)
Video of one of the tests was released last week by Zimmerman’s attorneys. But documents showing the results were only made public on Tuesday. They show the person who performed the test determined Zimmerman “told substantially the complete truth” when he was questioned on Feb. 27, the day after the killing.
Zimmerman’s credibility has been damaged in recent weeks after revelations that he and his wife used code words and unusual bank transfers to try to conceal a huge amount of money from authorities.
The deception led to prosecutors charging his wife with perjury and the judge to issue an order saying it was clear Zimmerman wasn’t taking his case seriously.
Read the Sanford Police documents that include the lie detector results:
Nick R. Martin
Nick Martin is an associate editor at TPM in New York City. He came to the site in 2011 as a reporter for TPMMuckraker. Previously, he worked in Arizona, first as a staff reporter for a local newspaper and later as a freelance journalist. He also ran the news blog Heat City. Contact him: nick [at] talkingpointsmemo.com
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