Friend says she heard Trayvon Martin trying to get away

Testifies that teenager told her he was going to try to lose him referring to George Zimmerman.

Witness Jane Surdyka gives her testimony during George Zimmerman's trial in Seminole circuit court in Sanford Fla. Wednesday June 26 2013. Zimmerman has been charged with second degree murder for the 2012 shooting death of Trayvon Martin.(AP Photo/Orlando Sentinel Jacob Langston Pool) ORG XMIT FLJR214(Photo Jacob Langston AP)

SANFORD Fla. A Florida jury deciding the fate of a neighborhood watch volunteer charged with killing Trayvon Martin will hear more stirring testimony Thursday from a 19 year old woman who heard the last moments of the boy's life.

Rachel Jeantel 19 says she was on the phone with Trayvon right before he was killed and that George Zimmerman stared at and then came after the young man who tried several times to run away. She was one of three state witnesses Wednesday who painted Zimmerman as the aggressor in the deadly confrontation that later sparked racial controversy and protests around the country.

A man was watching him Jeantel said. He (Trayvon) told me he was going to try to lose him.

Zimmerman 29 says he acted in self defense when he shot and killed Trayvon in a gated community minutes after calling police to report that he was following a suspicious person. The prosecution says Zimmerman whose father is white and mother is Peruvian profiled and murdered the black teen. If convicted of second degree murder Zimmerman could be sentenced to life in prison.

Defense attorneys plan to question Jeantel on Thursday about possible inconsistencies in her story. Jeantel admitted during testimony that she had lied twice to authorities She said she told Trayvon's family she was 16 when she was 18. She also said she lied about going to a hospital instead of Trayvon's funeral because she didn't want to see his body.

Jeantel who exchanged hundreds of calls and text messages with Trayvon during their friendship said the teen called her as he was walking back from 7 Eleven on the night of the Feb. 26 2012 killing. During their conversation Trayvon said a creepy man was staring at him and wanted to get away Jeantel said.

Later the man began following Trayvon so the teen ran through the gated community to try to get away Jeantel said.

Trayvon was out of breath when he told Jeantel he had lost the man. Shortly after Trayvon told Jeantel the man was back and behind him she said.

I told him 'You better run ' Jeantel said.

Within moments she heard two voices. Jeantel recalled Trayvon saying Why are you following me

She continued Then I heard a hard breathing man say 'What are you doing around here '

Jeantel then heard a bump and heard Trayvon saying Get off. Get off she said. Seconds later the phone disconnected and when she called back she got no answer.

Three days later Jeantel said she learned Trayvon was dead.

In Tuesday's court proceedings during the George Zimmerman trial lawyers showed photos of Trayvon Martin's dead body which prompted his father to walk out of the courtoom.

I had thought he was close by his daddy's house so someone would come help him she said visibly upset.

In the next few weeks she was contacted by Trayvon's family and their attorney who convinced her to talk about the conversation. Jeantel said she didn't think her role would be significant because she heard Zimmerman had been arrested.

Jurors the judge and courtroom onlookers all leaned in closely through Jeantel's testimony. At times the court reporter and jurors struggled to hear her.

Several residents who lived near the scene of the shooting testified Wednesday that they believe Trayvon was yelling for help and being beaten by Zimmerman before he died.

The witnesses former neighbors of Zimmerman's in the Retreat at Twin Lakes gated community described trying to make out what was going on outside their windows on the rainy night of the shooting.

Jayne Surdyka testified that she believes she heard Trayvon screaming for help shortly before being shot.

Surdyka was in an upstairs bedroom when the sound of loud voices caught her attention. Startled Surdyka minutes later opened a window she said and heard a dominant aggressive voice and a lighter voice from a boy.

She said it was dark and raining so she couldn't see clearly who the people were.

I could see two people on the ground one on top of each other Surdyka said. They were wrestling or shuffling.

Then she said she heard two cries for help. They were excruciating she said. I felt like it was the boy's voice.

Prosecutors later played Surdyka's 911 call. In it the woman is heard crying and describing hearing shots.

Later Surdyka said she was making assumptions when she said the voice was coming from a young man. She also admitted that she went on CNN in disguise to describe what she saw.

Articles Source here