Zimmerman Attorney Don West Loses his Mind at the Prosecution For Introducing Third Degree Felony Murder Child Abuse Charge … Tells Court, ‘This Was A Trick’ (UPDATE: Judge Disallows Third Degree Murder Child Abuse Charges)

This morning the State dropped a bombshell that smelled to the high heavens as they tried to sand bag George Zimmerman and the Defense team with a last second underlying lesser felony of third degree murder child abuse charge.  UNREAL! Defense attorney Don West blasted the prosecution for their tactics and called it nothing more than a “trick”. West states to the Court, “This is outrageous “. Judge Nelson recessed the court for a number of hours in order to allow the defense to prepare for the change in charges the jury will be allowed to consider.

George Zimmerman’s prosecutors want to add lesser charges for the death of Florida teen Trayvon Martin, including manslaughter and third-degree murder, possibly because they’re worried he’ll be acquitted.

In the state of Florida, third-degree murder doesn’t require proving that Zimmerman acted with some sort of “ill will” or hatred. The new charge, however, does need a felony-basis. In a surprising move, the prosecution argued Zimmerman committed child abuse as the felony required for third-degree murder.

Richard Mantei, one prosecutor explained, “When one commits … child abuse, and the child dies — the child being defined as a person under the age of 18 — that can constitute felony murder in the third degree.”

From Mediaite:

“This is outrageous,” West said. He asked Judge Debra Nelson to recess the court for a number of hours in order to allow the defense to prepare for the change in charges the jury will be allowed to consider.

RELATED: BREAKING: Zimmerman Judge Rules Prosecution Can Include Manslaughter Charges Over Defense’s Objections

“It’s just hard for me to imagine that the court could take this seriously,” he noted, observing that the court had not been provided sufficient time to prepare for this change in charges either. Nelson dismissed this objection saying that the late introduction of requested materials has been from both the prosecution and the defense has been a regular feature of this case.

West protested again that this instruction was emailed to him only this morning, but it was obvious that the state had been preparing the background to support the additional charges for some time.

“Really?” he asked. West indicated that Angela Corey, attorney in Florida’s Fourth Judicial Circuit Court who presented the initial second degree murder charge against Zimmerman, apparently “approves” of the state’s maneuver.

“It’s not fair to me, it’s not fair to Mr. Zimmerman, or Mr. O’Mara, or the court for this to happen like this right now,” West said.

UPDATE I: Judge Debra Nelson disallows the State’s attempt to charge George Zimmerman with the ridiculous charge of Third Degree Felony Murder Child Abuse. Judge Nelson stated that the evidence did not warrant the charge.

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