Zimmerman Trial: Trayvon Martin's "Girlfriend," Rachel Jeantel, Testifies

Impact
ByGabriel Grand

On the night of February 26, 2012, as Trayvon Martin walked back to the home of the friends he was staying with in the Twin Lakes housing community in Sandford, Florida, he complained on his mobile phone to Rachel Jeantel that a "creepy-ass cracker" was following him.

"He kept complaining that a man was just watching him," said Jeantel at the trial of George Zimmerman on Wednesday.

Later, she testified that she heard Martin say, "Why are you following me for?' And then I heard a hard breathing man say, 'What are you doing around here.'"

Jeantel then told Florida judge Debra Nelson that she heard a "bump" over the phone, followed by what sounded like "wet grass."

Then she overheard some scuffling sounds and Martin pleading, "Get off! Get off!"

Then the phone went dead.

Rachel Jeantel, 19, identified herself in court as Trayvon Martin's "friend," although various media sources have reported her to be his girlfriend.

Recently, details of Jeantel's personal life have begun to emerge, including various posts on Twitter and other social networks that reference smoking, drinking, and getting high.

Reports The Smoking Gun, "one deleted tweet linked to a sexually suggestive series of photos, while another posting included a link to a photo of liquor bottles and the message 'Wat will happen I mix everything uhmmmm.'"

Images courtesy of The Smoking Gun

This month, Jeantel's tweets appeared to reflect her growing apprehensions over the trial of George Zimmerman, who stands accused of murdering Martin. "I’m going need a lot of drinks for dis summer oh lord," read one tweet fron June 16.

Rachel Jeantel, who was previously only identified as "Witness #8," is one of the prosecution's main witnesses in the trial.

For more live updates on the trial of George Zimmerman, follow Gabe Grand on Twitter: @gabethegrand