By Howard Packowitz
BLOOMINGTON – Hearsay testimony continues to be a big issue leading up to Kirk Zimmerman’s McLean County murder trial.
The judge Thursday refused to reconsider his earlier rulings prohibiting hearsay accounts from certain witnesses who say murder victim Pamela Zimmerman feared her ex-husband.
Judge Scott Drazewski said recollections from the various witnesses involved only paraphrases or summaries of their conversations with Mrs. Zimmerman. The judge said those witnesses are not providing actual verbatim accounts of their conversations with her.
Assistant State’s Attorney Adam Ghrist would not say if he plans to ask an appeals court to overturn the judge’s rulings, a process which could conceivably delay the trial.
Zimmerman is accuses of shooting his former wife multiple times in her E. Washington St. office in November 2014.
The judge also said the state has a “high bar to clear” in convincing him to allow evidence about several “bad acts” Kirk Zimmerman allegedly committed, including that he had marijuana in his car when police arrested him for his ex-wife’s murder.
Grist said it can be assumed Zimmerman intended to get rid of the marijuana, just as he did with the murder weapon. Police have yet to find the gun.
Next pretrial hearing is set for October 24, and lawyers have been meeting privately to schedule what’s expected to be a lengthy trial.
Howard Packowitz can be reached at [email protected]
