Prosecutors released a new set of evidence Monday in which a witness claims that George Zimmerman molested her for 10 years.
The young woman, identified only as witness 9, said the molestation started when she was 6-years-old and Zimmerman was almost two-years older than she was at the time.
In a recorded interview, the woman said the sexual abuse began when she and her sister stayed with Zimmerman and his family when her parents were moving to another state. She said, Zimmerman would touch her when the two watched movies in front of the TV, with pillows and blankets. She told police that she would try to push him off, but he was stronger and older than her.
“He would put his hands under my pants, under my underwear. Before he left any place he would say we weren’t doing anything, we were just laying down. I didn’t know, I was a kid,” witness 9 told police.
The woman claimed that the sexual abuse went on until she was 16 years. She said at age 12, Zimmerman forced her to touch his private parts.
The young woman also said that she knows that Zimmerman did similar things to another victim, but that person would never come forward. “For the first time in my life, I’m not afraid of him,” the woman said.
Zimmerman’s attorney, Mark O’Mara fought to keep witness 9 interview out of the public domain, saying it shouldn’t be released as it wasn’t relevant.
In a separate development, Zimmerman’s defense team filed a motion last Friday to have Judge Kenneth Lester thrown off the case, saying that he made disparaging comments about their client during the last bond hearing. Prosecutors reject this and are fighting to have Lester remain.
Zimmerman, 28, is accused of fatally shooting Trayvon Martin, 17, an unarmed black teen. He has said he shot and killed Martin in self-defense.
