Judge Debra Nelson Considers Allowing Voice Experts in George Zimmerman – Trayvon Martin Murder Case … FBI Speech Scientist Says Current Technology Cannot Determine Voice

Circuit Judge Debra Nelson will be hearing testimony today as to whether or not to allow a voice expert to testify in the George Zimmerman -  Trayvon Marin murder trial. Zimmerman is charged with first degree murder of Martin. In question is whether voice experts will be allowed to testify as to whether the screams on the 911 tape the night of the altercation between George Zimmerman and Trayvon Martin are that of Zimmerman or Martin.  The hearing will resume again at 9 a.m. Friday, will be whether or not to allow the testimony of a state audio expert who says he heard Martin screaming and saying “I’m begging you” in the background of the same call.

The judge made rulings on other issues and heard other testy squabbling between attorneys. From going by the pre-trail hearings, this is going to be one ugly, ugly murder trial.

For a second day in a row, a Florida judge is weighing whether to allow certain voice experts to testify at the trial of a neighborhood watch volunteer charged in the fatal shooting of an unarmed teen.

Circuit Judge Debra Nelson is listening Friday to testimony from voice experts about whether witnesses with expertise in speech identification should be allowed to testify when George Zimmerman’s trial starts next week.

An FBI speech scientist, Dr. Hirotake Nakasone, a senior audio engineer, testified in court today that current technology cannot categorically determine whether a voice heard on a 911 tape screaming for help moments before Trayvon Martin was killed was that of Martin or George Zimmerman, the man accused of murdering him.

Hirotaka Nakasone testified that he dissected the 45-second sample and found only three seconds in which the screams were not at least partially obscured by other sounds.

That’s too little for a proper analysis, he said.

“It’s not really feasible and not possible,” he testified, saying he was “disturbed” that other scientists had made identifications anyway.

Some of those other scientists are scheduled to testify Friday at the continuation of a hearing that will determine whether Circuit Judge Debra S. Nelson lets jurors hear anyone’s opinions about who made those cries for help.

Three audio experts have concluded that they either came from Trayvon, the unarmed 17-year-old who Zimmerman shot last year in Sanford, or ruled out Zimmerman.

In other rulings, George Zimmerman defense witnesses have been denied the request to testify confidentially and that they must do so publicly.

The trial is scheduled to begin June 10, 2013.