GZ has not yet opted to request a SYG hearing. This seems to be a self-defense defense.
“GZ is guilty, but the jury will acquit”; Trayvon Martin was a young black man, which is practically a synonym for “demon” in this country. The judge and jury will let GZ off, happy that another of “them” is dead before he could rob and rape and pillage and impregnate white women. Republicans across the country gloat over his death and that his killer got off. That’s what I see happening.
My assumption has been that the prosecution overcharged in an attempt to pressure a settlement, which would avoid having to actually make their rather weak case. That is still possible.
This case has nothing to do with race, no matter how much people try to spin that.
It has everything to do with race, no matter how hard people try to spin otherwise.
Nonsense. That was investigated, and there was no evidence to charge him with hate crimes, despite the protests. Martin was killed because he attacked Zimmerman, no other reason.
Yeah, suuure he did. This was a gun nut who went off looking for a fight and killed someone. And people are trying to excuse it because Guns Are Holy and because the victim was black, and therefore automatically deserved death.
Yes, sure he did. Try looking at the evidence, rather than bringing your absurd self-loathing prejudice into this. You are the one obsessed with race.
Explain why, if he was out hunting niggers, why he called the police before doing so. You can’t, because even in your twisted mind such a thing wouldn’t make sense.
Guns aren’t holy, but they certainly are useful if thugs attack and beat you, as this case amply proves.
Not according to the FBI investigation that looked into civil rights violations. The FBI found no race-related illegal activity.
No less an authority than the State of Florida permitted GZ to carry a concealed firearm within the state of Florida.
You’ll need to contact a (your?) Florida legislator if you wish to change the existing state laws.
Since the OP states that there is no need to debate the merits (how’s that going?) I’ll render my opinion of the verdict. I think there is enough reasonable doubt for a not guilty verdict and I think the jury will not convict.
I predict the jury will acquit in half a day or less.
Better than expected actually. Nothing is going to keep the resident bloviates from their sacred missions, but everyone else is doing well. Just enough chatter to keep the thread from falling completely out of sight so the late-comers and others who want to wait to participate until they’ve picked up some actual information from the trial can find it without much effort.
After listening to DD’s testimony today, there’s no hope for this case. Why any prosecutor would bring murder two charges with witnesses that favor the defense more than the prosecutor is astonishing.
There was a reason why the original prosecutor declined to go forward. But politics guaranteed it.
Agreed. It’s pure political theater.
Does this mean that the prosecution will move for manslaughter if necessary, to try to at least get some conviction; or will they all-or-nothing on 2nd degree murder and if they lose say they tried and it’s all the jury’s fault?
If the prosecution included manslaughter in the original indictment, that’s one thing. Explicitly changing it now and requesting manslaughter now would be an admission of defeat. I really don’t expect them to do that.
On the other hand, I think it likely that the prosecution over-charged with second degree murder, and would be willing to accept a plea bargain to manslaughter at any point. It appears to have been their goal all along.
If I were Zimmerman, I would turn it down in a New York minute - there’s no way the prosecution is going to get second-degree unless they have some bombshell in reserve.
Regards,
Shodan
The defense has all the discovery. They know the physical evidence. They know the witness list. They have the grand jury testimony. I’m not sure what kind of bombshell there could be.