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Lawyer for Trayvon’s Parents Complains About Zimmerman Facebook Request

The lawyer for Trayvon Martin’s parents complains about George Zimmerman's lawyers' effort to get school and Facebook records.

The lawyer for Trayvon Martin’s parents harshly criticized efforts by George Zimmerman’s attorneys to obtain the school records and Facebook information for the deceased 17-year-old high school student, saying they were irrelevant to the case.

“Zimmerman’s lawyers are attempting to assassinate Trayvon Martin’s character,” said Benjamin Crump, in an interview with BET.com. “Whatever Trayvon had on his Facebook page or whatever was in his school records have nothing to do with why Zimmerman shot him.”

Crump said he is seeking to obtain Zimmerman’s medical records.

“The medical condition and medical history of George Zimmerman is far more relevant to the case,” Crump said. “He was the one who did the shooting.”

Zimmerman, who has been charged with second-degree murder in the killing of the teenager, contends that he acted in self-defense. Initially, Zimmerman invoked Florida's controversial Stand Your Ground law, which allows people to use deadly force if they feel threatened.

Trayvon' parents and their lawyer have contended that the teenager was racially profiled. Zimmerman's father is white and his mother is Peruvian.

The case sparked national attention, with even President Obama weighing in at one point. 

Earlier this month, a new judge was assigned to the Trayvon Martin case by the Fifth District Court of Appeals in Daytona Beach, Florida, with Judge Debra Nelson replacing Seminole County Judge Kenneth Lester. Zimmerman’s lawyers had requested a change of judges, accusing Lester of being biased.

In recent weeks, the teenager’s parents have continued to appear at public events and on television to campaign against racial profiling and in promoting the foundation that bears the son’s name. 

They have also appeared on the Dr. Phil show and, over the weekend, attended services at the Potter’s House, the Dallas mega-church whose pastor is Bishop T.D. Jakes. 

Jakes said that there was no such thing as closure when parents lose a child. Sybrina Fulton, Trayvon’s mother, underscored that point.

"I know that this will never end for us because Trayvon is not going to come back,” Fulton said. “But what we do hope is that we can help somebody else's family out. And I just also want you to know that God is in control."

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(Photo: REUTERS/David Manning)

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