Judge Debra Nelson during the George Zimmerman Trial (Getty)
Judge Debra Nelson today addressed defendant George Zimmerman directly, inquiring about whether he intends to testify in his trial for the killing of Trayvon Martin. The question was quickly followed by an objection from Zimmerman’s attorney, Don West. Judge Nelson overruled the objection and restated the question.
West objected again, resulting in another overruling from the justice.
After the the judge posed the question for a third time, Zimmerman broke his silence for one of the first times during the proceedings:
“I assume it would depend on how long the recesses are, your Honor. At the end of the day…”
“If your attorneys have finished with two witnesses before the end of the day, do you think you would know then whether or not you want to testify?” asked Judge Nelson.
West then attempted to speak on behalf of his client, which incited a exasperated overruling from the judge. The judge granted Zimmerman some time to further discuss the matter with his counsel.
Her reactions to West are a growing trend of frustration against the defensive counsel. Judge Nelson made two rulings this morning against the defense — one refusing to allow an animated recreation of the event that resulted in the death of Trayvon Martin to be used in court, and the second prohibiting the use of Trayvon Martin’s text messages as evidence.
Zimmerman was not expected to testify in his trial. Many law experts suggest that it would be “suicide” as the prosecution would “tear him apart.”
The video below, courtesty of MediaIte, shows the proceedings described above.