Journalist Interviews Chair After 'Legal Adviser' for Man Who Shot Trayvon Martin Leaves Studio
A lawyer for the man who shot Trayvon Martin left MSNBC studios before an interviewer was able to ask him for evidence supporting his claims.
Craig Sonner, a lawyer from Altamonte Springs, Fla., has identified himself as a legal adviser for George Zimmerman, the neighborhood watch volunteer who shot 17-year-old Martin last month. Sonner has spoken out in media interviews, saying Zimmerman was acting in self-defense after Martin beat him so badly he suffered a broken nose, the Washington Post reports. Martin’s parents stress that the youth was unarmed, and he was shot after leaving his home to buy some Skittles.
But Sonner disappeared before he could be interviewed Monday evening by Lawrence O’Donnell of MSNBC. The Hollywood Reporter and the Atlantic Wire are among the publications with stories.
“This is a lawyer who has said on television, ‘I haven’t even asked my client what happened.’ Then, on television, he has said, ‘This is what happened.’ This lawyer is getting away with the craziest stuff,” O’Donnell declared.
In an interview with an empty chair, O’Donnell asked who is paying Sonner’s fees and who hired him. He asked if Sonner represented Zimmerman when he was arrested based on allegations of assaulting a police officer in 2005. And he asked for evidence that Zimmerman’s nose was broken.
Related coverage:
MSNBC.com: “Zimmerman accused of domestic violence, fighting with a police officer”
