George Zimmerman charged with 2nd degree murder of Trayvon Martin **Read Post #142**

[JonJon]

He will never again know a day of peace whether he is found guilty or not. Judging from my Twitter feed, there are many who consider that justice by itself. If he was truly defending himself that night, it might have been better if Trayvon had killed him....in a way, they both lost their lives that night.

True. The real tragedy is that all of this could have been avoided. If the police were allowed to do their job without any outside interference, there is a very strong chance that both Zimmerman and Martin go home that night without incident and that night doesn't even warrant a sincere afterthought.

 

[Manwiththeplan]

if he was truly defending himself that night, it might have been better if Trayvon had killed him....in a way, they both lost their lives that night.

If he believes he would be better off dead, then he would've off'd himself by now.

 

[cajuncocoa]

If he believes he would be better off dead, then he would've off'd himself by now.

I didn't say he believes that; that was my own personal opinion. I wouldn't want to have to walk in his shoes going forward.

 

[cajuncocoa]

True. The real tragedy is that all of this could have been avoided. If the police were allowed to do their job without any outside interference, there is a very strong chance that both Zimmerman and Martin go home that night without incident and that night doesn't even warrant a sincere afterthought.

Yes, I agree.

 

[Manwiththeplan]

I didn't say he believes that; that was my own personal opinion. I wouldn't want to have to walk in his shoes going forward.

me personally, I'd walk in his shoes over Trevon Martin's....

 

[The30YardSlant]

If he believes he would be better off dead, then he would've off'd himself by now.

If he is truly as remorseful and guilt-ridden as he and his friends say he is, I'm sure the idea has crossed his mind. It has to be tough to live with every single day.

 

[The30YardSlant]

me personally, I'd walk in his shoes over Trevon Martin's....

I have to admit that if choosing between dead and spending the rest of your life in fear for your life as a social outcast, it isnt an easy decision.

He may never get a good night's sleep again, and he'll never be able to go anywhere without looking over his shoulder. He won't have much of a life.

 

[Manwiththeplan]

If he is truly as remorseful and guilt-ridden as he and his friends say he is, I'm sure the idea has crossed his mind. It has to be tough to live with every single day.

to me, george zimmerman is a victim of circumstances he created so I don't feel that sorry for him. especially if he can't live with what he did and kills himeself. now if he got convincted and sentenced to like 20 years, I would believe that was too harsh and likely feel sorry for him.

 

[Manwiththeplan]

I have to admit that if choosing between dead and spending the rest of your life in fear for your life as a social outcast, it isnt an easy decision.

He may never get a good night's sleep again, and he'll never be able to go anywhere without looking over his shoulder. He won't have much of a life.

you are really over estimating this. plenty of people support Zimmerman and what he did, he may have to move, but I have no doubt he can still live a good life after this is over.

 

[AbeBeta]

http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation...trayvon-martin-shooting/54216252/1?csp=34news

From USA Today -- a pretty generic outlet

"On 911 tapes, a dispatcher can be heard telling Zimmerman that he didn't need to follow the young man."

That pretty much destroys the "stand your ground" defense.

 

[WoodysGirl]

Snippet from today's arraignment.

Judge Mark E. Herr said he found probable cause to move ahead with the case and that an arraignment would be held on May 29 before another judge.​

The affidavit of probable cause prepared by prosecutors shed some light on why they chose to charge Zimmerman. The Orlando Sentinel said it had obtained a copy before it was expected to be filed with the courthouse.​

The newspaper says that Martin's mother identified screams heard in the background of a 911 call as her son's. There had been some question as to whether Martin or Zimmerman was the one calling for help.​

Prosecutors also interviewed a friend of Martin's who was talking to him just before the shooting. The affidavit says Martin told the witness he was being followed and was scared.​

Martin tried to run home, the affidavit says, but was followed by Zimmerman: "Zimmerman got out of his vehicle and followed Martin."​

The affidavit says that "Zimmerman disregarded the police dispatcher" who told him to stop, and "continued to follow Martin who was trying to return to his home."​

Link: http://www.chron.com/news/article/Zimmerman-makes-court-appearance-in-Fla-shooting-3477781.php

Legal experts said Corey chose a tough route with the murder charge, which could send Zimmerman to prison for life if he's convicted, over manslaughter, which usually carries 15-year prison terms and covers reckless or negligent killings.

The prosecutors must prove Zimmerman's shooting of Martin was rooted in hatred or ill will and counter his claims that he shot Martin to protect himself while patrolling his gated community in the Orlando suburb of Sanford. Zimmerman's lawyers would only have to prove by a preponderance of evidence — a relatively low legal standard — that he acted in self-defense at a pretrial hearing to prevent the case from going to trial.
​

 

[AbeBeta]

The affidavit says that "Zimmerman disregarded the police dispatcher" who told him to stop, and "continued to follow Martin who was trying to return to his home."

Seems a highly important point

 

[casmith07]

http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation...trayvon-martin-shooting/54216252/1?csp=34news

From USA Today -- a pretty generic outlet

"On 911 tapes, a dispatcher can be heard telling Zimmerman that he didn't need to follow the young man."

That pretty much destroys the "stand your ground" defense.

The stand your ground law does not apply if you are not in your vehicle or dwelling-house while an unlawful act is taking place. Even Zimmerman's original defense team admitted as much.

 

[casmith07]

The prosecutors must prove Zimmerman's shooting of Martin was rooted in hatred or ill will

That is incorrect, according to the language of the statute. I hate when the media gets things wrong.

 

[AbeBeta]

The stand your ground law does not apply if you are not in your vehicle or dwelling-house while an unlawful act is taking place. Even Zimmerman's original defense team admitted as much.

This was stated as the original reason for him not being arrested. So the for those saying he was only arrested b/c of public outcry, it would seem that the public had a pretty solid point.

More importantly, being told to back off by a police dispatcher does not bode well for any self-defense type argument.

 

[casmith07]

This was stated as the original reason for him not being arrested. So the for those saying he was only arrested b/c of public outcry, it would seem that the public had a pretty solid point.

More importantly, being told to back off by a police dispatcher does not bode well for any self-defense type argument.

No, and in self-defense you are only authorized by law to meet force with force, per se.

 

[ScipioCowboy]

I've deliberately avoided this thread. Based on my understanding of the case, Zimmerman seems to be guilty of 2nd degree murder.

However, I despise when people are tried and convicted in the court of public opinion before a jury even hears the case. See Simpson, OJ. People decided he was guilty before any arguments were made, and only one verdict was going to placate them.

For the record, I'm not speculating as to OJ's guilt or innocence. It's simply that I prefer to leave those matters to the court system.

 

[AbeBeta]

I've deliberately avoided this thread. Based on my understanding of the case, Zimmerman seems to be guilty of 2nd degree murder.

However, I despise when people are tried and convicted in the court of public opinion before a jury even hears the case. See Simpson, OJ. People decided he was guilty before any arguments were made, and only one verdict was going to placate them.

For the record, I'm not speculating as to OJ's guilt or innocence. It's simply that I prefer to leave those matters up to the courts.

In OJ's case, there was some question as to who the killer was (at least initially).

In this case, it is clear who the killer was.

 

[DFWJC]

Bottom line, I hope they get it right, whatever it is.

 

[dez_for_prez]

The way I see it is that GZ is a neighborhood patrol man that took his job way to far. After he called 911 he should have stayed in his car. He was looking to be a hero and ended up killing a innocent teen. He overstepped his boundaries and had he just stayed in the car watching, his life might not have been completely ruined. Also I believe sterotypes defenitly had a role in this.