Posted on 03/05/2013 5:41:34 PM PST by 2ndDivisionVet
MIAMI — George Zimmerman, who is charged with second-degree murder in the killing of Trayvon Martin, is all but certain to take his case directly to a jury on June 10 and skip a highly anticipated pretrial self-defense hearing, his lawyer said Tuesday.
At a “Stand Your Ground” hearing, the judge is tasked with weighing whether to grant immunity from prosecution under a Florida law that gives people who believe they are in imminent danger of being killed or seriously hurt the benefit of the doubt to protect themselves. A defendant who claims self-defense in Florida has a right to a pretrial hearing on the evidence if immunity is requested.
Mr. Zimmerman, 29, a neighborhood watch volunteer in Sanford, Fla., said he had shot Mr. Martin, an unarmed 17-year-old, in self-defense after Mr. Martin attacked him on Feb. 26, 2012. Prosecutors said Mr. Zimmerman had pursued Mr. Martin inside the gated community where Mr. Martin was staying with his father’s girlfriend and forced a confrontation, which led to the shooting.
Mark O’Mara, Mr. Zimmerman’s lawyer, did not close the door on an immunity hearing but made it clear that there would be little time to prepare for both a hearing and a trial in June. Mr. O’Mara told Judge Debra S. Nelson in Circuit Court in Sanford on Tuesday that he would not need the time she had reserved in April, when the hearing was expected to take place....
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
Wow, just look at that headline. The slimes really outdid themselves this time, it’s tantamount to a murder attempt.
He’s not an “alleged” killer, why even have a trial? The media’s already done the job.
Just what I found out. I clicked on the story not expecting to read about Zimmerman. He is NOT a killer.
The identity of the killer is a fact not in contest in the trial; the presence or absence of criminal motivation is at contest.
I guess Lizette couldn’t fit “perjury” or “Witness 8” in the headline.
OK here’s a headline you’ll never see in the Times..or probably anywhere else in the MSM either.
Beating Victim on trial for his life.
“pursued” and “forced a confrontation.” These unbiased informers of the public have very short memories, or unreliable fact storage and recovery facilities.
Somebody keep track of anybody associated w the NYT, in case they’re ever caught defending themselves.
The karmic debt these a$$holes are racking up is gonna be off the charts come Judgment Day.
It was a self-defense incident.
If Zimmerman believed he had an opportunity to flee, but decided not to flee and to stand his ground then it would be a "stand your ground" case.
But Zmmerman believes that he was unable to flee and was compelled to use deadly force to survive.
This article is not only biased against Zimmerman, but it deliberately misrepresents Florida law.
Tactically, the defense may prefer hammering the State’s case and witnesses once at trial rather than doing so at a “Stand Your Ground” hearing and thus giving the State a preview of their attack and a chance to do better in front of a jury. I surmise that the defense counsel has a few surprises up his sleeve.
Exactly. On top of that, there’s a lot more money to be made with a jury verdict than a dismissal by a judge prior to trial.
Not many people understand this. I have a feeling that the SYG hearing was a trap of some sort for GZ. Think about it. If we know it is not a SYG incident then every officer of the court knows it. Why were the prosecutors looking forward to it and defense tells the court, 'don't bother'?
This entire charade stinks to high heaven.
I doubt that the size of the attorney’s fee is a consideration. Moreover, Zimmerman might well prefer a trial because a decision by a judge at hearing could be reversed on appeal, while a jury decision in his favor would be definitive due to the bar against double jeopardy.
Correct. SYG doesn’t apply. Zimmerman was on his back enduring a potentially deadly assault by Martin. It was impossible to flee, therefore SYG doesn’t apply.
That this is being prosecuted is absurd, racist and political. It’s also a GOP opportunity to talk self-defense and outreach to the Latino community.
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