# In which Stoid (The Prosecutor) Cross-examines Bricker (George Zimmerman) **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [April 22, 2012, 5:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-which-stoid-the-prosecutor-cross-examines-bricker-george-zimmerman/619561 "2012-04-22T05:35:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 18
**Author:** ![Stoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stoid/32/272_2.png) [@Stoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stoid)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2012, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-which-stoid-the-prosecutor-cross-examines-bricker-george-zimmerman/619561/341 "2012-05-04T18:38:01Z")
> [@Bricker](#): > > I got to my feet and went over to look at him. I had a little mini flashlight and I shined it on him. His eyes were open but he wasn’t breathing. It seemed wrong that his eyes were open, so I reached down and closed them, just like they do on TV. How were you able to do this when Treyvon was lying face down? Why were you holding him down with both hands on his back, as the witnesses have told us? ---
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2012, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-which-stoid-the-prosecutor-cross-examines-bricker-george-zimmerman/619561/342 "2012-05-04T20:25:51Z")
> [@Stoid](#): > > How were you able to do this when Treyvon was lying face down? “Face down” doesn’t literally mean that a person’s face is pressed into the ground. Treyvon’s head was turned to the side, so that one ear was on the ground and his face was pointed to the side. > [@](#): > > Why were you holding him down with both hands on his back, as the witnesses have told us? That never happened. I leaned over him and I reached out to close his eyes. That’s all. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2012, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-which-stoid-the-prosecutor-cross-examines-bricker-george-zimmerman/619561/343 "2012-05-04T20:46:34Z")
One weird effect of this is that I have to keep reminding myself that this isn’t the real thing, that despite this mock trial, there’s a very good chance that Zimmerman is actually guilty. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2012, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-which-stoid-the-prosecutor-cross-examines-bricker-george-zimmerman/619561/344 "2012-05-04T21:01:30Z")
> [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > One weird effect of this is that I have to keep reminding myself that this isn’t the real thing, that despite this mock trial, there’s a very good chance that Zimmerman is actually guilty. Of what? ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2012, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-which-stoid-the-prosecutor-cross-examines-bricker-george-zimmerman/619561/345 "2012-05-04T21:02:15Z")
> [@hajario](#): > > Of what? Shoplifting. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2012, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-which-stoid-the-prosecutor-cross-examines-bricker-george-zimmerman/619561/346 "2012-05-04T21:12:49Z")
> [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > Shoplifting. Haha. I was being serious. Assault? Manslaughter? First degree Murder? ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2012, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-which-stoid-the-prosecutor-cross-examines-bricker-george-zimmerman/619561/347 "2012-05-04T21:15:49Z")
> [@hajario](#): > > Haha. > > I was being serious. Assault? Manslaughter? First degree Murder? Nothing _that_ serious. Shooting an unarmed black kid, at most. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2012, 4:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-which-stoid-the-prosecutor-cross-examines-bricker-george-zimmerman/619561/348 "2012-05-05T04:45:49Z")
> [@hajario](#): > > I was being serious. Assault? Manslaughter? First degree Murder? What does the prosecutor say? ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2012, 5:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-which-stoid-the-prosecutor-cross-examines-bricker-george-zimmerman/619561/349 "2012-05-05T05:01:56Z")
> [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > What does the prosecutor say? You’re the one who said he was potentially guilty. When you said it, what did you think he was guilty of? ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2012, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-which-stoid-the-prosecutor-cross-examines-bricker-george-zimmerman/619561/350 "2012-05-05T14:22:53Z")
> [@hajario](#): > > You’re the one who said he was potentially guilty. When you said it, what did you think he was guilty of? For pity’s sake. I’m not an attorney, so I don’t know the exact legal description of the crime of killin someone you oughtnt kill, but that’s what he might be guilty of. And your line of questioning is kind of ridiculous, and that’s my last word on this back-and-forth. ---
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2012, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-which-stoid-the-prosecutor-cross-examines-bricker-george-zimmerman/619561/351 "2012-05-05T17:30:07Z")
> [@hajario](#): > > You’re the one who said he was potentially guilty. When you said it, what did you think he was guilty of? \*Not to answer for LHOD, but the state thinks Zimmerman’s guilty of second degree murder; if the state can’t prove the hatred element, then perhaps Zimmerman’s guilty of manslaughter. And I can’t tell you how pleased I am to hear that LHOD reads this thread and then has to remind himself that Zimmerman might actually be guilty.\* ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2012, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-which-stoid-the-prosecutor-cross-examines-bricker-george-zimmerman/619561/352 "2012-05-05T17:36:10Z")
> [@Bricker](#): > > \*Not to answer for LHOD, but the state thinks Zimmerman’s guilty of second degree murder; if the state can’t prove the hatred element, then perhaps Zimmerman’s guilty of manslaughter. > > And I can’t tell you how pleased I am to hear that LHOD reads this thread and then has to remind himself that Zimmerman might actually be guilty.\* It really was a silly statement. There is a huge range of possibilities of different crimes. ---
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2012, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-which-stoid-the-prosecutor-cross-examines-bricker-george-zimmerman/619561/353 "2012-05-06T17:08:34Z")
> [@hajario](#): > > It really was a silly statement. There is a huge range of possibilities of different crimes. - Yes, but what makes his statement silly? He simply observed that reading this exchange put him in a frame of mind where he had to remind himself that Zimmerman was probably guilty. Meaning, as I take it, that his view of Zimmerman’s case in the real world left him believing that Zimmerman was probably guilty of one of those different crimes, but the faux-trial here left him feeling as though Zimmerman was not guilty. \* ---
**Author:** ![brazil84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8491ac/32.png) [@brazil84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brazil84)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2012, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-which-stoid-the-prosecutor-cross-examines-bricker-george-zimmerman/619561/354 "2012-05-08T15:41:34Z")
> [@Stoid](#): > > God of course I will… I couldn’t keep asking questions until the end of time! That’s not what I was asking. Obviously you will eventually stop asking questions. I’m just wondering if you will explicitly say so when you do. i.e. whether you will say something like “I have no further questions.” ---
**Author:** ![brazil84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8491ac/32.png) [@brazil84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brazil84)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2012, 11:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-which-stoid-the-prosecutor-cross-examines-bricker-george-zimmerman/619561/355 "2012-05-09T11:51:46Z")
[![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/M2IiSLD9XLs/hqdefault.jpg "Bueler") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M2IiSLD9XLs&t=0m8s) ---
**Author:** ![Hbns](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/8edcca/32.png) [@Hbns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hbns)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2012, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-which-stoid-the-prosecutor-cross-examines-bricker-george-zimmerman/619561/356 "2012-05-09T21:46:40Z")
Since the prosecution seems to have rested almost a week ago, does the jury have a verdict? ---
**Author:** ![TokyoBayer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tokyobayer/32/13989_2.png) [@TokyoBayer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TokyoBayer)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2012, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-which-stoid-the-prosecutor-cross-examines-bricker-george-zimmerman/619561/357 "2012-05-09T23:21:54Z")
It seems that Stoid is around, just not in this tread. She posted today in Cafe. > [@Worst band of the Seventies?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-band-of-the-seventies/621021/143): > > ALl this Rush talk got me to watch a documentary about the making of their two “Classic Albums” (that’s the name of the series): 2112 and Moving Pictures. I realized that I had always known the name of the band, but I had absolutely zero familiarity with so much as a note of their music. > > And now I know that my life was none the worse for the lack. If the prosecutor walks out mid trial, what happens? ---
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2012, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-which-stoid-the-prosecutor-cross-examines-bricker-george-zimmerman/619561/358 "2012-05-10T00:55:23Z")
> [@TokyoPlayer](#): > > It seems that Stoid is around, just not in this tread. She posted today in Cafe. > > If the prosecutor walks out mid trial, what happens? The defense attorney proves his point-- which was that there is nothing inherently contradictory or incredible about Zimmerman’s story as we know it today. You may not believe it, but it is not flatly proven false by the evidence the public has thus far seen. ---
**Author:** ![brazil84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8491ac/32.png) [@brazil84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brazil84)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2012, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-which-stoid-the-prosecutor-cross-examines-bricker-george-zimmerman/619561/359 "2012-05-10T01:06:13Z")
> [@Bricker](#): > > The defense attorney proves his point-- which was that there is nothing inherently contradictory or incredible about Zimmerman’s story as we know it today. You may not believe it, but it is not flatly proven false by the evidence the public has thus far seen. I agree. Here’s what I said earlier to **Stoid** : > [@](#): > > The only way that Stoid will be able to nail Bricker is if there is a glaring contradiction in Zimmerman’s story. Or some aspect of it which is simply not credible. And her response: > [@](#): > > Umm… yes, that would in fact be the exact point of the whole exercise. Hello and thanks for joining us. I don’t see any glaring contradictions in the story, or aspects of it which are simply not credible. Of course, **Stoid** should be given the opportunity to “sum up,” so to speak. i.e. to present an argument for why the testimony just doesn’t add up. It’s remotely possible that there is a subtle contradiction which is not obvious. But failing that, it would appear that **Bricker** ’s point has been sustained. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2012, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-which-stoid-the-prosecutor-cross-examines-bricker-george-zimmerman/619561/360 "2012-05-10T01:48:24Z")
> [@Hbns](#): > > Since the prosecution seems to have rested almost a week ago, does the jury have a verdict? Your honor, the Jury is hopelessly deadlocked. 3 members have taken the Way of the Dormouse and can’t be wakened. Another 3 have been irritated by the prosecutor and are going to vote “not guilty” just to spite her. Five decided that Z is guilty scum before the trial. The last one appears to be playing Galaga. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-which-stoid-the-prosecutor-cross-examines-bricker-george-zimmerman/619561.md?page=17) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-which-stoid-the-prosecutor-cross-examines-bricker-george-zimmerman/619561.md?page=19)