Teen’s body showed no signs of fight
MIAMI— The funeral director who oversaw slain U.S. teenager Trayvon Martin’s burial says he saw no signs of a fight on the body.
Richard Kurtz says he prepared the body for interment and saw no marks on Martin’s hands, face or body other than the gunshot wound that killed him.
The 17-year-old Martin was killed Feb. 26 by neighbourhood watch volunteer George Zimmerman in the Florida city of Sanford, where Martin was visiting. Zimmerman has claimed self-defence and says Martin attacked and beat him.
Zimmerman’s brother told CNN that Martin broke his brother’s nose and medical records will prove that Zimmerman was attacked before he fatally shot the teen.
“We’re confident the medical records are going to explain all of George’s medical history,” Robert Zimmerman Jr. said.
Zimmerman’s father has also said that Martin threatened to kill Zimmerman, broke his nose and beat him so badly that Zimmerman was forced to shoot the teen, according to CNN. Robert Zimmerman Jr. told the same story on Friday.
The results of an autopsy have not been released while the death remains under investigation by state and federal authorities. Zimmerman has not been charged, leading to racially tinged protests around the country. Martin was black; Zimmerman’s father is white and his mother Hispanic.