Tracy Martin: ‘I Was Listening to my Son’s Last Cries for Help’

Trayvon Martin's father takes the witness stand in George Zimmerman's murder trial.

By Aura Bogado Jul 08, 2013

There’s been a lot of speculation about whether Trayvon Martin’s father, Tracy, initially denied that his son’s voice was the one screaming for help in the 9-11 call that concluded with George Zimmerman shooting and killing the 17-year-old. Today, he put that idea to rest when he took the stand in Zimmerman’s second-degree murder trial.

First of all, some context: Tracy Martin first heard the audio after his son, who he testified was his "best friend in life," in a detective’s cubicle–which is arguably traumatic in and of itself. When the detective asked whether it was his son’s voice screaming for help, Martin testified that he answered, "I can’t tell."

After hearing the tape several times, however, he recognized his son’s voice. "I was listening to my son’s last cries for help," testified Martin. "I was listening to his life being taken."

Martin said that it remains difficult to come to grips with the reality that his son is gone, and added that he wanted to know why Zimmerman got "out of his car and chase [his] son."

The prosecution rested their case last week; Zimmerman’s defense team started calling witnesses today, including Tracy Martin.