Obviously given detective Chris Serino’s testimony today many people are wondering what’s the back-story?
What you witnessed play out today was a State Prosecutor who called up the “lead detective” in the case, and yet only asked him about Serino’s direct interviews with George Zimmerman.  Bernie De La Rionda never asked Serino about the investigation itself.
Bill Lee - Chris Serino 2
Why?
Chris Serino was the very narrowest point of the information and investigative funnel. All investigative information ended up on his desk. Serino was the lead information gatherer, interviewer, and investigative person behind every single aspect to the evidence in the case. So why didn’t the State ask the lead homicide detective anything about the evidence?
The answer to that question once again frames the narrative of a fraudulent and malicious prosecution. The State does not want Detective Serino to testify about the evidence, because there isn’t any. The only reason Serino even filed a capias was to get the case from his desk into the hands of the State investigative team, FDLE.
DiwataMan has previously written about this – CLICK HERE. And likewise in April, May and June of last year we followed the “why” trail to the same conclusion. Detective Serino was pressured to file a capias where no justification existed.
[scribd id=151186793 key=key-6thqy8gzw6clnvcb9oh mode=scroll]
Ultimately the FBI interviewed Serino and he told how and who pressured him. We presented that highly revealing interview then and here it is to help you understand:

“He listed Sgt. Arthur Barnes, Rebecca Villenova, and Trekelle Perkins as all pressuring him to file charges against Zimmerman after the incident.

[…] Serino also stated that Barnes is friendly with Tracy Martin and Barnes asked Serino for Martin’s phone number, but ended up getting the phone number from another source.”

Then-Sanford Police Chief Bill Lee with investigator Chris Serino.

The lead Sanford Police investigator who sought manslaughter charges against George Zimmerman told the FBI that a sergeant and two others officers tried to pressure him into making an arrest in the controversial case — even though he didn’t think there was enough evidence.


At the time, despite the media generally ignoring it, the Miami Herald did report on the FBI finding:
(MiamiHerald)…Sanford Police Officer Chris Serino first made headlines when evidence released in the case showed he sought manslaughter charges against Zimmerman even while his Chief publicly said there was no probable cause to arrest him. But a document released late Thursday casts doubt on Serino’s prior sworn affidavit seeking criminal charges, and raises questions about the credibility of the star law-enforcement witness in the murder case against Zimmerman for the shooting death of a black teenager, Miami Gardens high school junior Trayvon Martin..
Telling the FBI that he was concerned that people inside the police department were leaking information, Serino cited Sgt. Arthur Barnes, officers Rebecca Villalona and Trekelle Perkins “as all pressuring him to file charges against Zimmerman after the incident,” an FBI report said. “Serino did not believe he had enough evidence at the time to file charges.”
The summary of Serino’s statement does not mention the race of the officers who allegedly pressured him, but sources told The Miami Herald that Barnes and Perkins are black, and Villalona is married to an African-American man. All three, the source said, had been called in by their supervisor and questioned about leaking information in the case.
A request Thursday evening to the Sanford Police Department for comment about Serino’s statement went unanswered.
“Our position has always been that there’s something going on in the Sanford Police Department,” said Benjamin Crump, an attorney for Trayvon’s family. “All of this is window dressing. What’s important is George Zimmerman’s statements, which are inconsistent and factually impossible.”
Serino, a 15-year veteran of the department who was a major-crimes investigator, was demoted last month to overnight patrol. Tapes of his interviews with Zimmerman show him poking holes in the former neighborhood watch volunteer’s account of what happened the night he killed Trayvon. Serino told the FBI that Zimmerman had a “little hero complex” and sounded “scripted.” However, he said he believed Zimmerman targeted Trayvon because of his attire, the circumstances and recent burglaries in the area, not the color of the teen’s skin.
In his FBI interview, Serino accused Sgt. Barnes of being “friendly” with Tracy Martin, Trayvon’s father. He said Tracy Martin at first understood why no charges were filed, but later changed course and accused Zimmerman of racial profiling.
Crump denied that Tracy Martin ever changed postures. Martin, he said, sought legal counsel the very day Serino told him no charges would be filed.
Records released Thursday show that Sgt. Barnes, a 25-year veteran of the department, told the FBI that he believed the black community would be “in an uproar” if Zimmerman was not charged. “The community will be satisfied if an arrest takes place,” the FBI quoted him saying. Barnes “felt the shooting was not racially motivated, but it was a man shooting an unarmed kid.” (Read more…)

Share