Posted on 05/21/2012 10:53:16 AM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet
The release of evidence in George Zimmerman’s murder trial quickly made a mockery of his second-degree murder charges, and threw a further layer of shame upon media and political opportunists who misrepresented a tragic, but fairly straightforward, case of lethal force employed in self-defense.
It is remarkable to take stock of this evidence and realize that it supports every single aspect of Zimmerman’s statement to the police. His injuries are consistent with his account of physical assault by Trayvon Martin. Martin’s gunshot wound occurred at the very short range described by Zimmerman, demolishing fantasies about a racist mall-cop wannabe stalking and murdering an innocent black kid for no reason.
The Smoking Gun highlighted this bit of eyewitness testimony – released to the public by the Sanford police only a few days ago, but known to the prosecution when Zimmerman was charged – tendered to the police only 90 minutes after the shooting occurred, by a resident of Zimmerman’s community who heard the altercation and decided to investigate:
The man recalled seeing “a black male, wearing a dark colored ‘hoodie’ on top of a white or Hispanic male who was yelling for help.” The black male, he added, “was mounted on the white or Hispanic male and throwing punches ‘MMA (mixed martial arts) style.'”
The witness--who was in his living room and about 30 feet away from the confrontation-- said he called out to the two men that he was dialing 911. “He then heard a ‘pop,’” police reported, and saw the black male “laid out on the grass.”
Jim Hoft at Gateway Pundit relates the discovery of video from Trayvon Martin’s YouTube account, removed at some point during the last month, that shows he was actually involved in some sort of underground “fight club.”
Also fatal to the prosecution’s case is the discovery that Martin had THC in his system – he had apparently been smoking pot that night. As related by the local CBS News affiliate:
According to the autopsy report made public record by the Office of the Medial Examiner, the blood from Martin’s chest contained 1.5 ng/ML of THC, a drug commonly found in marijuana. There was about 7.3ng/mL of THC carboxy, the by-product of the body’s metabolism of THC.
Depending on the amount of THC consumed and the frequency in which it is consumed, THC carboxy can stay in a person’s system from somewhere between two weeks to a month, according to WBTV. THC itself can stay in the body for as long as four hours.
This is important because the charging document clearly, and without evidence, accuses Zimmerman of racially “profiling” Martin. On the other hand, Zimmerman told the 911 dispatcher that Martin caught his eye because “this guy looks like he’s up to no good, or he’s on drugs or something… it’s raining and he’s just walking around, looking about.” Only then did the dispatcher specifically ask about Martin’s race, and request a description of his clothing.
Despite the prosecution’s awareness of the autopsy reports and eyewitness testimony, they included none of it in their affidavit against Zimmerman. Criminal lawyer and Harvard Law professor Alan Dershowitz, who has been beside himself ever since the Zimmerman charges were filed, writes in the New York Daily News that it’s time to drop the charges, but doubts State Attorney Angela Corey “will do the right thing,” because “until now, her actions have been anything but ethical, lawful, and professional.”
As Dershowitz points out, the evidence released in this case means Florida’s “Stand Your Ground” law isn’t even a factor in Zimmerman’s defense. Much political hay has been made out of this law, but if Zimmerman was on the ground getting beaten to a pulp, withdrawal from the encounter was physically impossible for him. “A defendant, under Florida law, loses his ‘stand your ground’ defense if he provoked the encounter,” observes Dershowitz, “but he retains traditional self-defense if he reasonably believed his life was in danger and his only recourse was to employ deadly force.”
For that matter, as Dershowitz notes, there is not one shred of evidence to support the prosecutor’s contention that Zimmerman provoked the encounter. Neighborhood Watch patrols are not illegal. There is no evidence that Zimmerman shouted any “fighting words” at Martin.
Dershowitz also mentions a suspicion I’ve harbored since the weird, circus-like press conference at which Corey announced the charges: they’re a political instrument designed to buy time for everyone to cool down, leading to a long trial that dismantles some of the hysteria built up around the Trayvon Martin case. If true, the strategy is understandable… but utterly outrageous. The United States does not do “show trials.” The justice system is not a safety valve for releasing unhealthy levels of political tension. Individual citizens are not pawns to be shoved around in media games by gun-control advocates, race hustlers, or opportunistic politicians. The purpose of law enforcement is to protect the public, not appease certain segments of it.
State attorney Angela Corey responded by saying, “What the general public has to remember, and the media has to remember, is that there is a lot we cannot release by law.” Zimmerman’s lawyer also cautiously conceded that more evidence may be in prosecutorial hands, as yet unreleased to either him or the public.
That doesn’t change the virtually indisputable fact that Corey deliberately suppressed evidence helpful to Zimmerman when her affidavit was written. At best, that’s very sloppy work. ABC News discusses the sort of cards Corey might be holding:
One key to the case is which of the two men instigated the clash that left Martin dead. The prosecution says Zimmerman initiated the altercation when he "profiled" Martin that night, and then got out of his car to follow him. In the newly released documents, lead homicide officer on the case, Chris Serino of the Sanford Police Department, called the shooting "avoidable" had Zimmerman remained in his vehicle.
What has yet to be seen are two main pieces of evidence: Zimmerman's statement on the night of the incident, and his reenactment of the events of that night, which could prove vital when and if the case is heard in court.
It’s difficult to see how any of that might convince a jury to hand down a “guilty” verdict to Murder Two charges. How does that “stay in your car” principle work? Do you have to stay in your car when you see anyone acting suspiciously in your neighborhood, or do the age, sex, and racial background of the subject matter? Does everyone have to stay in their cars, or only members of certain age, sex, and racial groups?
Or is it simpler for the law to assert that beating someone into the ground and administering an MMA-style thrashing is wrong, even if they looked at you funny?
If she was and she really doesn’t want this ball of wax, she could just cede the case. This case, however, has a zombie life now. marching resolutely on while dead.
So the “little boy” was in a fight club? Why am I not surprised?
But here is the latest wrinkle sure to drive the Dimmhoroids bonkers. Travon was homophobic and thought that Zim was a “creepy fag” as he told his girlfriend on the phone. That is why he attacked so violently and without warning.
Yet, in this Mondo Bizarro world of liberalism a ‘gay bashing” self defense would probably work for Zim if he chose to use it. Witness the beating of that white He/She in the McDonalds by two black women that was on U tube a while back. Only after it was revealed that it was “transgendered” were the hate charges filed.
The world is really upside down these days
Corey seems to have taken a personal like to the Martin family. She's biased.
If she's looking at her prospects for election, she's courting the black vote. She may also think that charging Zimmerman somehow counterbalances her charging that juvenile as an adult. I don't see much sense in that, but IMO, Corey is not acting with steely-eyed rationality.
And then she has the governor appointing her when the public is screaming for an arrest. He doesn't have to remind her that the public is screaming for an arrest, but maybe he did.
Some good may come of it all. I read that the Florida legislature is considering passing a law that requires special prosecutors to take cases to a grand jury, even if the case is not a capital case. The point of having a special prosecutor is to avoid the appearance and occurrence of an extraordinary result - not to create one.
Too bad Tray’s pushing up daisies as he would be sport for such a hate crime trial.
But hey, if Mr. Z gets sued by Tray’s folks, I can see the countersuit ready made.
All it takes is the rest of the jury to intimidate that one juror.
Perhaps her thinking, and perhaps what worked in past non-high-profile cases, is figure out what charge makes sense, then increment figuring there would be a plea-bargain down to the appropriate level. If so, this is her undoing, as Z and his lawyers get the charges dropped, as it cannot support Murder-II, and no plea bargain.
Cops don’t like Neighborhood Watch groups.
For many reasons. They can’t control them. They generate calls. They have people putting themselves into situations where the police will not protect them. Etc.
So what was this again, Dee Dee is alleging at the moment of truth/falsehood, forget what went before? That she was told by Tray that Mr. Z was bearing down on him, bent on a brawl?
This is not a good representation of what being “Christian” is. This does not mean buying in to every sob story. It means looking at the reasons for believing what they believe.
Got that right. For the longest time I believed that she HAD to have something more solid than what we were all hearing. If she didn’t she is an absolute friggin’ idiot for bringing this case.
You have to cultivate them right and that takes engagement by the agency involved. Each needs to understand their roles, their limitations, and that the goal is the same.
If you are a white, or a white-hispanic, you must never leave your car unless no blacks are around.
If you are white, you must never leave your car unless there are no hispanics around.
As a general rule of thumb, before exiting your car, look to see if anyone darker than you is there to take offense. If so, stay in your car. You lose the right to self-defense if you are guilty of ‘exiting your car in the presence of a person of darker color’...
Since Mr. Zimmerman is 1/8 black, could he at least roll down his window or stick one foot out?
she believes she has unfettered immunity form any consequences by mere title of office.
She is a PROSECUTOR she can charge anyone with anything regardless of evidence and do it with impunity. Truth is irrelivant. She need only satisfy her prosecutorial whim.
I agree, and one should value the quality of steely-eyed objectivity in a prosecutor.
But Corey made a point of telling the public she prayed with the Martins, and if DeeDee is who I think it is, DeeDee also professes a relationship with Jesus Christ. I have a hunch that reason went out the window.
Not for the same "soul sister" (in a Christian sense, not racial sense) reason, but Bernie de la Rionda's interview with DeeDee is leading as all get out. He talks more than she does, and seems to be approaching the interview from the point of view of a shared, known scenario. He believes he knows what happened, and he 1) believes she heard it go down the same way so all she's doing is filling details and 2) expects her to tell him a story that aligns with the one that he has preconceived as true.
In short, he does not treat her as an objective skeptic would treat a witness.
At least the special prosecutor's office isn't criticizing SPD's investigation, at least not publicly.
Says it all! Great pix.
Nifonged.
The local Orlando rag, the Orlando Sentinel had a fawning article about Angela Corey and how professional she is. It went on and on about how she would do the right thing and get to the bottom of what happened. The Slantinel, as we call it here in O-town, is owned by....wait for it—the Chicago Tribune!
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