In a 911 call from someone in the neighbourhood where Trayvon Martin was fatally shot, screams for help are heard, albeit indistinctly, and this may be the basis for some more hope in solving the shooting mystery. Technology experts say that this recording may hold the key to solving the case if it can be determined, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that the person screaming for help was in fact Trayvon Martin.
In a statement to the police, George Zimmerman, who shot and killed Martin in what he describes as self-defence, says that the screams were his and that he was defending himself from an attack from the youth when he shot and killed him. This testimony, which cannot be corroborated as there were no witnesses, has put the case in a bit of a jam as investigators try to find some piece of evidence to unlock the deadlock.
Forensic audio technology can, however, be used to take apart the 911 call and isolate the screams . From there, the forensic experts can then take a sample of Zimmerman’s voice as he speaks normally and then measure the unique intonations of the voice to determine if the person in the tape is Zimmerman or Martin. This technology exists and has been used in the past to determine the identity of someone recorded either over the telephone or using some other form of recording device.
If the investigators can be able to determine who it is that is screaming for help, then the issue of who the attacker and the attacked was can be adequately solved. Nevertheless, the big challenge in this case still remains whether or not justice will run its course or whether the historical injustices associated with the town of Sanford will remain unresolved.
