Can't fully empty trash

I received an error for my Time Machine saying that there wasn't enough room to complete a backup. So, I opened the TM folder and moved several folders of backups from 2012 to the trash. When I attempt to empty the trash I get this message: The operation can’t be completed because an unexpected error occurred (error code -8003). After checking this forum I did try Onyx and it deleted everything else in the trash but the TM files. It looks like I did something wrong by dragging those files to the trash bin, but can somebody please explain to me what I should do now? Thank you....

The problem here was caused by the manual deletion of TM backups. TM is designed to flush out old backups when the disk gets full.

If you're absolutely positive that you can delete these backups and everything else in the Trash, open up Terminal (/Applications/Utilities/) and enter the following: You will be prompted for a password. Enter your user password (note that the characters will not appear on the screen but trust me, they are being registered) and press enter. Voila.

In the future, let TM manage old backups and the space on your drive (it'll save you some headaches).

Thanks for the reply. I tried this today and it didn't do anything.Here is the text in the Terminal box after entering the code and hitting return: Last login: Thu Apr 4 08:20:06 on console
Cadcut-Videos-iMac:~ cadcutvideo$ sudo rm -rf ~/.Trash/*
Password:
Cadcut-Videos-iMac:~ cadcutvideo$

The trash bin still shows all the items in it.

Getting nothing printed back is a good sign (command line apps generally only print back messages if something went wrong).

That tool is, for lack of a better metaphor, a blunt tool that should remove everything. However, it's possible that it didn't work if you don't have the drive plugged in. This is because the files, despite appearing in the trash, are still on the device until you empty the trash with the device still plugged in.

I had the drive plugged in but nothing. I copied and pasted the code directly form your original reply so as to ensure that I had the code correct. I'll have to attempt this again later today.