17 yo Trayvon Martin Shot to Death by Neighborhood Watch Captain #22

[HiHater]

George Zimmerman covered his head...another act of cowardice, IMO

 

[seattlechiquita]

Watching all the media waiting for Zimmerman at the police station.. Wow this is bad deja vu.. except we were all waiting for someone to walk OUT of the police station {{shudder}}

I was thinking exactly that.

 

[CathyinTexas]

Now that the right thing has been done and charges have been filed and GZ is in custody, I would like to also offer my prayers to GZ and his family. As much as I believe GZ should be held accountable for his crime... I do not believe he went out that night and intended to kill anyone. I do believe he has issues and is a danger to society. I believe he has a severe problem with authority and has a severe problem with thinking he is the law... and above the law.

My prayers are that he gets the help he needs! I pray he can come to terms with the fact that he has unjustifiably taken another human beings life and that he comes out a better person because of his dire mistake in judgement. But with that, he should be held responsible. He needs to be held responsible!

MOO

I have a different view, I believe when GZ ignored the dispatch about following Trayvon, he did intend to use his gun. He may have fantasized many times of killing one of those "a--" as he called Trayvon. Because he was so calm afterward and even had the wherewithal to let them know without being asked that he called for Help but no one helped him, etc, causes me to believe it was a calculated and deliberate act. JMO

 

[Adrienne37]

Why didn't he man up and show his face??? I guess he's only big and bad when he's got a loaded weapon in his hand?


Taaffe accuses Angela Corey of buckling under the pressure.

 

[elementary]

I think GZ chased Trayvon with a preconceived notion that he was "trouble" (obvious from what he said to the 911 operator-saying TM was up to 'no good' and "these *advertiser censored**holes are never caught"), his anger fueling tenfold over the entire chase, he was fed up to HERE, and took matters into his own hands.

In my very strong opinion, GZ is one of those cop wannabe's that thought policing was full of thrills, attention, hype and adrenalin--and he simply got caught up in the moment of chasing a 'bad guy' (in his warped and deluded thinking), and by golly he was going to set this one straight!

He wanted to be a hero (another cop wannabe trait) and catch one of the *advertiser censored**holes that were never caught--to somehow make himself feel more superior and "cop-like".

Don't forget that during his tenure as a self appointed 911 agent, he had never had his 'big break' and therefore hadn't yet reached hero status.

You know the type....I know you do.

Zimmerman is covered by SYG law the way it is written now. If they want to change the law it's their business. But they can not change it and then retroactively apply the changed law to Zimmerman.

You assert a fait accompli. Simply, you can't, now that Zimmerman has been charged with 2nd degree murder.

 

[angeleleven]

That guy is strange. The way FT talks about GZ, it's almost like FT is a groupie and GZ is sorta his idol.....creepy.

agree.....very creepy.....do not like this guy. jmo

 

[jjenny]

You assert a fait accompli. Simply, you can't, now that Zimmerman has been charged with 2nd degree murder.

I hope everybody knows that charged does not equal convicted. I meant Zimmerman can use this law for his defense the way its written now. The law can not be put on trial during Zimmerman's trial. Because the law exists now and Zimmerman is entitled to use it the way its written now.

 

[RANCH]

Actually he's not covered by it until the Judge says that he is. IF his new Attorney feels that SYG is his best Defense then there will be a hearing, and the Judge will determine at that time if the evidence supports his SYG defense.

He can use it as a defense again at trial if needed. From R Hornsby's blog.

Florida Statute 776.032

This statutory enactment created what is known as “criminal prosecution immunity.” And stated that a person who lawfully defended themselves is “immune” from prosecution from arrest, detention, or prosecution.

As the procedure for making the determination of whether a person was “immune” from criminal prosecution was not defined by the legislature, the Florida Supreme Court cleared up the issue in Dennis v. State, 51 So. 3d 456 (Fla. 2010) and ruled:

A defendant may raise the question of statutory immunity [from criminal prosecution prior to trial] and, when such a claim is raised, the trial court must determine whether the defendant has shown by a preponderance of the evidence that the immunity attaches.

The result of this statute and the Florida Supreme Court’s ruling is that a defendant can now raise self defense at two stages in the criminal prosecution.

First, a defendant can file a motion to dismiss asking the court to find that they are entitled to dismissal by using the procedure outlined in by the Florida Supreme Court. If the court denies the motion, the defendant is still allowed to raise the issue with the jury.

http://blog.richardhornsby.com/

 

[Aedrys]

So O'Mara seems competent, thank God, and as long the jury is picked from ANYWHERE but Pinellas county, this trial should be okay!!!! I don't know how I'm going to deal with a normal trial. This will be whole new experience for me!

 

[Sensei]

I hope everybody knows that charged does not equal convicted.

Yes, charged does not equal convicted
and SYG does not equal freedom either.

Both have to be proven in a Court of Law

 

[seattlechiquita]

...I HATE not having cable. Hate it, hate it, hate it.:banghead::banghead::banghead::banghead:

 

[CathyinTexas]

As am I, nurse. A funeral director is not an expert in GSW's, nor is he a medical examiner, coroner or doctor of any kind.
I think it is highly possible that TM was shot in the back and the exit wound came out the front of his chest.

:seeya:

I have thought that is possible also. But wouldn't it be a First Degree charge if he was indeed shot in the back?

 

[deelytful1]

Why didn't he man up and show his face??? I guess he's only big and bad when he's got a loaded weapon in his hand?


Taaffe accuses Angela Corey of buckling under the pressure.

I agree... if I knew in my heart I was innocent.. I would walk holding my head HIGH... Not like people don't know what he looks like!! pics all over HLN every 5 minutes...

 

[deelytful1]

...I HATE not having cable. Hate it, hate it, hate it.:banghead::banghead::banghead::banghead:

I pay WAY too much for cable but would be lost without it!! Although i might have a LIFE without it but I'd be so lost!!! Lmbo :crazy:

 

[elementary]

I have a different view, I believe when GZ ignored the dispatch about following Trayvon, he did intend to use his gun. He may have fantasized many times of killing one of those "a--" as he called Trayvon. Because he was so calm afterward and even had the wherewithal to let them know without being asked that he called for Help but no one helped him, etc, causes me to believe it was a calculated and deliberate act. JMO

I so totally agree! I imagined 1st degree murder; I do believe he fulfilled his fantasy. A young black kid? How perfect. And backed by his family always, cause daddy got him out of scrapes before. It was a prime moment.

Zimmerman has not anguished about it nor shown remorse. Ever. It's all about George.

 

[gitana1]

There ya go. Al says he's happy with Angela.

So do Trayvon's parents.

Angela has been taking care of these people. She's their attorney, she's Trayvon's attorney, representing him in court ... as it should be.

But she also represents the truth. Ethical prosecutors number one job is to ferret out the truth. So, what she said about being there for Zimmerman as well as Trayvon and his family, is supposed to be how it works.

I am still skeptical. In high profile cases especially in Florida, it seems like they tend to overcharge in an attempt to look tough on crime. Such as the CA case. I would rather an achievable conviction than a charge that is unlikely to get a conviction. AC is a Republican appointed by Rick Scott, who has not impressed me in his other actions. With all the cover given to SPD and Rick Wolfinger during AC's PC, much of this is just political damage control. I have my doubts. JMO, IMO.

Manslaughter is usually a lesser included so if they can't get 2nd degree, it's not over. I think the very fact of the governor appointing Cory was damage control but she has reputation for being very thorough and a real bull dog when necessary. I though she was very intelligent and careful with what she said. I agree with those who stated she took the case due to pressure but I don't think heavy charges are due to pressure. From what I have heard about this lady, she has a good reputation. This is not Orlando. And I would hope Florida has learned from that (although I do not believe they overcharged in that case, they just got a crummy jury).

<modsnip>

FT on JVM. He's shocked by the charges. Stunned.

Who the heck is FT?

 

[katydid23]

I agree... if I knew in my heart I was innocent.. I would walk holding my head HIGH... Not like people don't know what he looks like!! pics all over HLN every 5 minutes...

I don't know if that is true that someone who knows they are innocent will always hold their head high in front of cameras. My dad had a client whose stepdaughter accused him of sexual abuse, and he was eventually PROVEN to be innocent of all the charges. But he covered his head in shame because he was so depressed and upset by the cameras and the lies.

 

[suzihawk]

I think GZ chased Trayvon with a preconceived notion that he was "trouble" (obvious from what he said to the 911 operator-saying TM was up to 'no good' and "these *advertiser censored**holes are never caught"), his anger fueling tenfold over the entire chase, he was fed up to HERE, and took matters into his own hands.

In my very strong opinion, GZ is one of those cop wannabe's that thought policing was full of thrills, attention, hype and adrenalin--and he simply got caught up in the moment of chasing a 'bad guy' (in his warped and deluded thinking), and by golly he was going to set this one straight!

He wanted to be a hero (another cop wannabe trait) and catch one of the *advertiser censored**holes that were never caught--to somehow make himself feel more superior and "cop-like".

Don't forget that during his tenure as a self appointed 911 agent, he had never had his 'big break' and therefore hadn't yet reached hero status.

You know the type....I know you do.

I sure do. Ya know... I sometimes wonder if he expected to be congratulated by the SPD once he told his story of heroism. I'm serious.

 

[Sensei]

I have thought that is possible also. But wouldn't it be a First Degree charge if he was indeed shot in the back?

we will have to wait and see what comes, I really feel that the Defense in this case is going to have to look at everything that is available to decide if they are going to even attempt the SYG self defense thing or if they are goingto assert some type of accidental discharge as has been hinted at by the supporters of GZ on several occasions. If and when we get a document dump and can actually see what GZ stated the night it happened then we will have some idea of what they have to work with and what the State has to work with.

 

[HiHater]

I hope everybody knows that charged does not equal convicted. I meant Zimmerman can use this law for his defense the way its written now. The law can not be put on trial during Zimmerman's trial. Because the law exists now and Zimmerman is entitled to use it the way its written now.

I think everyone knows that. But charged is the first step to conviction, and it's on the path to justice!

The fact that Zimmerman was charged with 2nd degree means that his initial story under Stand Your Ground doesn't hold water...IMO