George Zimmerman Trial Update: Defense Denied Use Of Animation, Trayvon Martin's Texts As Evidence

On Wednesday, Florida Judge Debra Nelson rejected the defense's request to use an animation depicting the fatal fight between Trayvon Martin and George Zimmerman, along with text messages from Martin's phone as evidence in the George Zimmerman second-degree murder trial. Instead, she ruled that the animation could only be used demonstratively in closing arguments, reports NBC News.

Zimmerman, 29, is facing life in prison for second-degree murder after he fatally shot Martin, an unarmed 17-year-old, in central Florida back in February 2012. Zimmerman has pleaded not guilty, arguing that he acted in self-defense after he got into a confrontation with the African-American teen. As part of his defense, Zimmerman claims that Martin reached for his firearm during their scuffle, which prompted him to shoot Martin in order to save his own life.

Judge Nelson's ruling on the animation and texts came after a daylong hearing took place on both subjects on Tuesday. Prosecutors argued that the animation, which once showed Martin punching Zimmerman, but now excludes the punches, would mislead the jury. However, the defense pushed for it to be shown, and brought in the crime scene and accident recreation animation graphic artist to explain how he recreates events. Jurors were not present in the courtroom during the hearing on Tuesday.

Prosecutors filed a motion last Friday to block the animation, arguing that it "artificially depicts lighting conditions" on the rainy night Zimmerman and Martin tussled, and "relies in part upon statements in police reports, some of which were in fact contrary to testimony repeated by the same witness in court." They also objected to the animation because it wasn't presented at any pretrial hearings.

Judge Nelson also ruled Wednesday that Martin's text messages could not be submitted as evidence. Zimmerman defense attorney Don West asked to introduce photographic evidence on Martin's phone of a hand holding a gun and texts that West says indicated Martin may have wanted to buy a gun shortly before coming to Sanford. However, prosecutors objected, arguing the content and context of the text messages was pure speculation.

Also on Wednesday, Zimmerman's defense team argued that the neighborhood watch volunteer was not physically fit enough to fight against Martin in an altercation. Zimmerman's legal team continued to depict the overweight defendant as physically inept compared to Martin.

Dennis Root, a former law enforcement officer who testified as an expert on defensive use of force, said Martin was in superior physical condition, and that Zimmerman was not a competent fighter.

"Mr. Martin was a physically active and capable person," said Root, who probed both Martin's and Zimmerman's physical conditioning and fighting prowess on behalf of the defense team. "Mr. Zimmerman is an individual who is by no stretch of the imagination an athlete, and ... he would find himself lacking when compared to Mr. Martin," reports Fox News.

Root's testimony bolstered a prior defense witnesses who testified that the neighborhood watch volunteer was in poor shape and not good with his fists. On Monday, Adam Pollock, owner of a kickboxing gym where Zimmerman trained prior to the incident, said Zimmerman was "grossly obese" and not athletic at all.