Judge bars hearsay testimony in Zimmerman murder case

Posted on July 17, 2017

 

By Greg Halbleib

Kirk Zimmerman and Pamela Zimmerman
Kirk Zimmerman is accused of killing his wife in 2014. (Photos courtesy Bloomington Police)

 

By Greg Halbleib

BLOOMINGTON – A McLean County judge has barred many of the statements that prosecutors sought to introduce as evidence in the murder trial of Kirk Zimmerman, who is accused of killing his ex-wife Pamela Zimmerman in November 2014.

Judge Scott Drazewski ruled the jury will not be allowed to hear statements from witnesses about Pamela Zimmerman’s opinions concerning her ex-husband’s anger or state of mind. The state asked that the hearsay statements be admitted under a legal exception, which the judge mostly denied.

Prosecutors will be allowed to introduce testimony from Pamela’s attorney regarding her request for child support, and from another acquaintance that Kirk was frustrated that the child support payments would prevent him from retiring.

Judge Drazewski ruled those statements are admissible because they involve other pending legal action, and Pamela Zimmerman cannot testify about those because a preponderance of the evidence shows Kirk Zimmerman killed her at her office on Bloomington’s east side. To convict Kirk of murder, the jury must use a higher standard of finding him guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

Prosecutors asked to have 40 statements from at least 16 witnesses admitted, along with approximately 20 pages of written materials.

Greg Halbleib can be reached at [email protected]

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