Someone has really goofed in the Trayvon Martin-George Zimmerman case.
In an embarrassing mix-up, the Florida prosecutor’s office accidentally released a photo of the deceased body of Trayvon Martin, along with copies of George Zimmerman’s private college records, which Florida law considers confidential and exempt from disclosure.
A variety of media outlets have paid a fee to receive discovery records provided by the government to Zimmerman’s lawyer. But the Trayvon Martin death photo was inadvertently included in what was distributed by prosecutor Angela Corey’s office, prompting an aide to email reporters and advise them that a “photo depicting the killing of a person” was “confidential and exempt” pursuant to state law.
In addition to the photo of Trayvon Martin lying face down on the ground, Zimmerman’s Seminole State College of Florida records were also released, displaying the poor grades that landed him on academic probation last year. Zimmerman, who was studying for an associate degree in criminal justice, did not graduate last year due to a series of D’s and F’s.
The prosecutor’s office has issued a formal apology for the screw-up, which should not affect the case going forward.
