Posted on 07/05/2013 8:05:46 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet
Prosecutors in the George Zimmerman second degree murder trial have pushed hard on two points as they seek to make their case against him: that the injuries to Zimmerman on the night Trayvon Martin died were “insignificant” and that he had studied Florida’s “Stand Your Ground” law in a college class in 2010.
To win conviction on second-degree murder, the prosecution has to show that the death was caused by a criminal act “demonstrating a depraved mind without regard for human life.”
That’s why the prosecutor keeps pushing the claim that Zimmerman profiled Martin because he was black. Meanwhile, the lesser charge of manslaughter generally is a crime that's been committed in the heat of passion, where there is no premeditation. The jury would have to believe Zimmerman lost his temper in shooting Martin.
People can use force to protect themselves when they reasonably believe it is “necessary to prevent imminent death or great bodily harm to themselves.” On this score, the testimony of the Jacksonville medical examiner, Valerie Rao, that Zimmerman injuries were “insignificant” is largely irrelevant.
A broken nose, a head being slammed into cement, and punches to the face may not have left Zimmerman incapacitated. The important question is whether such an attack with a man on top of him would leave Zimmerman to “reasonably believe” that there was a threat of “imminent death or great bodily harm to himself.”
Much was also made of the class Zimmerman took class at Seminole State College taught by Professor Alexis Carter. The key supposedly was that Zimmerman really did understand Florida’s “Stand Your Ground” law. Prosecutor Richard Mantei told the court that Zimmerman's legal studies would help jurors understand his "state of mind" and "ambitions and frustrations" before the shooting.....
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
“I think Rick Santorum also called Zimmerman a murderer last year during the primaries.”
I believe that is correct.
Alan West also was very negative about Stand Your Ground (which he did not seem to fully understand) as well as GZ, initially jumping to the conclusion that was the justification for the shooting.
Nobody’s perfect, but I lost some respect for him over the fact he never apologized for condemning GZ like he did.
If both men were white, there would not be trial in the first place!!
I think Zimmerman thought Martin was a suspicious character and he followed him - something he should not have done. He should have called the dispatcher immediately.
I think Martin was not up to no good, just walking through the neighborhood when he realized he was being followed by a strange guy and he also acted imprudently,waylaying him and jumping him.
Two hot heads made a tragedy.
You are so right; I fear the whole jury system is no longer valid, as I distrust the American people to be honest.
He was on the phone most of the time with the non-emergency dispatcher.
You mean they're all registered RAT?
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