Page 4 - Mark Osterman News Today

Examiner valerie rao sees it. >> are the injuries in the back of his head consistent with having been repeatedly slammed into a concrete surface? >> no. >> reporter: after examining dozens of pictures, rao testified the injuries are not life threatening, consistent with being punched once. during cross-examination, rao admitted when pressed by attorney mark omara he could have been hit multiple times. the jury also heard from a man who calls himself george zimmermans best friend. mark osterman s...

The program, george zimmermans best friend took the stand today, testifying as a prosecution witness. mark osterman. hes worked in law enforcement for two decades and convinced zimmerman to purchase a gun. heres part of his testimony. >> it was actually you who assisted him when he decided that he needed a firearm, correct? >> that is correct. >> and did he tell you the reason why he wanted to get a firearm? >> he -- he asked what would -- whether he should or shouldnt to start with. i recommend...

Him where is your exact location because the officer was getting close. so as the police officer gets closer and closer to the actual scene, the dispatch likes to tell them exact street house and street numbers so you can find your place exactly. >> we played the wrong sound bite. that wasnt about the gun. but the importance of that sound bite is the prosecution is trying to establish inconsistencies in george zimmermans story. earlier, there had been reports of zimmerman trying to get out of th...

Are many people that are not concealed carry people. they dont have a weapon or a firearm. to them the question is, what was this guy doing running around carrying a gun? its not something that is in my world. now consider what osterman offers. hes in law enforcement and he considers george zimmerman to be his best friend, that humanizes george zimmerman. why does george zimmerman carry a gun? this gentleman who has been in law enforcement since 1992 told him unequivocally you could be carrying ...

That we saw on george zimmermans head, was he truly in danger of being killed himself? images of george zimmerman bloodied and beaten up. important visuals for his defense, trying to show that zimmzim ermans head was slammed against the sidewalk and he had to fire his gun to save his own life. that is not the way jacksonville-based medical examiner sees it. >> are the injuries consistent with having been repeatedly slammed into a concrete surface? >> no. >> after examining dozens of pictures rao...

>> reporter: in that book, he says zimmerman said martin tried to reach for the weapon on his hip, actually touching the gun. >> the defendant is claiming that the victim actually grabbed the gun, grabbed the -- >> that was my understanding, that he grabbed the gun. >> reporter: but a latent print technician found no trace of martins prints but conceded rain could have washed it away. >> so fingerprints may have exited on an item that you have lift a latent from and there be no latents whatsoeve...

What i think stood out is jurors were asked to ignore a statement he made the day before about zimmerman telling the truth. he also testified that he didnt believe that zimmermans cuts and bruises were all that bad either. what stood out yesterday is we actually heard three different accounts of what george zimmerman said happened that day, but not via his testimony. we heard of course an interview with sean hannity that went national. we heard from mark osterman, zimmermans best friend. he reco...

Correct. >> reporter: in that book, osterman said zimmerman tried to reach for the weapon on his hip, actually touching the gun. >> the defendant is claiming that the victim actually grabbed the gun, grabbed the -- >> that was my understanding, that he grabbed the gun. >> reporter: but a latent print technician found no trace of martins prints but conceded rain or other factors could have washed prints away. >> so that fingerprints may have existed on an item that you have a list from a latent f...

Introduce evidence that would speak to the contrary. so judge nelson gave the attorneys some time to introduce some case law. we expect that she may rule on that tomorrow. but we just -- we know at this point that attorneys will continue those arguments at 8:30 before the jury is brought back in after. >> thats great reporting. thanks, craig. well be back to you again and again. joining me now is veteran prosecutor and former san francisco da paul henderson, there he is, and defense attorney k...

Talking about how george zimmerman was telling the truth and what a good person he was and maybe you got some inconsistency out of it but they didnt strike me as major inconsistency. >> apparently what mark osterman said, what he had been told by george zimmerman is that trayvon martin actually got his hand on the gun and then he managed to get it out of his hand, whereas in his own testimony george zimmerman never said that trayvon martin got his hand on the gun. >> exactly. those are the incon...