Attorneys brought forth new evidence in the Trayvon Martin case on Thursday, including text message conversations about drug use and photos of handguns and marijuana plants.
Lawyers of the neighborhood watch volunteer who has been accused of killing 17-year-old Martin with no justification say these new documentations could change public opinions of Martin, who has largely been portrayed by family and supporters as a harmless teen.
Alleged killer George Zimmerman's main defense attorney Mark O'Mara claims he will use the new pieces of evidence if the prosecution tries to mar Zimmerman's reputation, which already has been dashed by his second-degree murder charges.
According to CNN, O'Mara filed a motion requesting sanctions against the state for withholding evidence, and another asking that Zimmerman's trial be delayed.
Martin's cell phone revealed a host of incriminating evidence, including photos of a semiautomatic handgun, ammunition, and a small marijuana plant growing in a pot.
There are also photos of Martin smoking, making questionable gesticulations in self-portraits, as well as with friends.
In his text messages from November 2011, he writes to a friend that his mother threw him out of the household after "da police caught me outta skool."
"So you just turning into a lil hoodlum," the friend replies.
"Naw, I'm a gangsta," Martin replied.
In another set of texts, Martin appears to discuss guns with a comrade.
"U wanna share a .380 w/ (blacked out)," one text read.
Multiple messages are marijuana-related.
One read: "I got weed nd I get money Friday."
Are these pieces of evidence enough to paint Martin as a cold-blooded, weed-smoking gangster? Martin's family attorney, Benjamin Crump, says no way. He claims the evidence is "irrelevant," and thought it was so extraneous that it would not be used at the trial.
"Is the defense trying to prove Trayvon deserved to be killed by George Zimmerman because of the way he looked?" Crump wrote in a statement released Thursday. "If so, this stereotypical and closed-minded thinking is the same mindset that caused George Zimmerman to get out of his car and pursue Trayvon, an unarmed kid who he didn't know."
Martin's case is scheduled to resume trial next month.
See the photos from Martin's phone here.
