Posted on 06/26/2013 5:53:14 PM PDT by SeekAndFind
If you are interested in the George Zimmerman trial, in which testimony is now under way, the place to go is Legal Insurrection, where Andrew Branca, a Massachusetts lawyer who authored The Law of Self Defense, is posting a thorough, witness-by-witness commentary on the evidence, with videos of the actual courtroom scene.
Branca thinks today’s testimony was “an utter debacle for the prosecution.” In Branca’s view, the witnesses called by the state did far more to bolster Zimmerman’s defense than to advance the prosecution. The portrait they painted of Zimmerman was positive, and in a dramatic moment that Branca describes and which you can also see on video, the one witness who purported to have any information about the actual events surrounding the shooting of Trayvon Martin–an “ear witness,” as Branca calls her–was shown to have signed a petition calling for the prosecution of Zimmerman as “the killer of our son Trayvon Martin.” Ouch!
I confess that I find much of the commentary on the Zimmerman case, and even a good bit of the evidence, mystifying. There is no question that Zimmerman shot Martin; he claims self-defense. That defense raises a straightforward question of fact. All of the nonsense about whether Zimmerman was a “wannabe cop,” and whether he “profiled” Martin, and whether he was or was not a “racist,” is utterly beside the point. If, as Zimmerman says (and I assume will testify), Martin initiated the fight, knocked Zimmerman to the ground, jumped on him, punched him repeatedly and smashed his head against the sidewalk, Zimmerman had an absolute right to defend himself. Whether his character is otherwise sterling is immaterial.
The physical facts appear consistent with Zimmerman’s story. I don’t know how he possibly could have sustained these wounds except by having his head pounded into the pavement, as he says:
And we know from the witness statements that have been made public that at least one witness told police he saw Martin sitting on top of Zimmerman and beating him, as Zimmerman shouted for help. So it would seem that Zimmerman’s defense is quite strong.
Of course, there is much evidence yet to come, and the prosecution may yet prove its case. In the meantime, to follow the proceedings, Legal Insurrection is the place to go.
PAUL ADDS: I agree with John’s overall assessment and his view that the photograph corroborates Zimmerman’s claim that Martin pounded his head against the pavement. But how will the “Free Country” label on Zimmerman’s shirt play with the jury (we know how it would play with the IRS)? I mean, is it still okay to express that thought, even if inadvertently?
I know we’re just “having fun” with these posts, but her physical appearance is immaterial to her testimony. If she was testifying for the defense, would it make a difference?
Her appearance has really nothing to do with it. Her brains on the other hand...Reading her twitter posts and seeing how her tongue seems to always be hanging half out of her mouth, I would say she is mentally damaged which would be insane for any side to put her on the stand.
You’ve heard it yourself. From the lips of the chief executive of all community organizers. Trayvon is his son. The statement was “Travon could have beve been my son.” Here Barry made a mistake as that wasn’t proven that Trayvon wasn’t actually his son, but don’t be surprised if Trayvon was actually Obama’s son by a 14-year-old-girl that he had had an affair with and gotten the poor thing pregnant.
You see, that’s the way with negro daddies. They slip in, knock ‘em up and move one. Typically, they never see the mothers of the little bastard they’ve left behind in order to spread the semem to as many welfare gals as possible.
Now that’s what I call community organizing. Before you know it you’ve got an army organized. An Army for Obama to help in the destruction of America. Just look at the job they’ve done in Detroit!
Michelle does’t mind because she’s a transvestite. Barry doesn’t care just as long as she helps him with raising money to perpetuate the Barry Party.
Maybe, if there is a hung jury, it will depend on the breakdown. If there was a majority in favor of conviction, the state could try Zimmerman again if it thought that that would stave off rioting...or just to inflict more suffering on him.
oh! thanks
That’s what I’m thinking as well -
will they just find him guilty out of hand?
or will they show that this should never have come to trial in the first place, but had to because of the threats of civil unrest?
Who forged the letter she could not read? Who coached her, insofar as it was possible, in the lies? Let us fervently hope that at least 2/6 will connect the dots and vote to acquit.
Where be Johnny Cochrane when Team Zimmerman need him?
If the witness be a nitwit
Y'all mus acquit!
Ups their ratings...”If it bleeds, it leads..”
I think I will put pupster in the car and head north for a vacation..ha.
(oh..and put a temporary Obama sticker on the car for safe passage.)
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