You can only file a federal lawsuit on matters under federal courts’ jurisdiction. I am not sure what that would be in this case.
I can’t think of a federal cause of action that would apply.
There are federal wrongful death actions – 42 USC 1983 allows someone to sue for wrongful death by a state actor under color of law, or in the course of depriving someone of their federal civil rights.
I don’t see that applying here.
A citizen of one state can sue a citizen of another state and force the matter into federal court under certain circumstances, but that’s not in play between two Florida residents.
I am not a civil lawyer, so I welcome correction here, but I don’t see it.
Yes, that’s a reasonable assumption. We don’t know where Martin ran to other than ‘south’; for all we know Martin then cut east on to Retreat View Circle, headed back up towards the T to see if the truck was gone, because he wasn’t keen on leading the creepy guy right to his door step.
It makes at least as much sense as Zimmerman saying he didn’t go back to his truck because he was scared to walk back through the area he just ran from.
Slightly off-topic, here’s George discussing his run-in with the LEO at the bar a few years back:
Same wording - possibly not a coincidence.
Notice that even here, he shifts the blame on to the LEO: I walked up to him, but ‘he grabbed me by the shirt and pushed me’. He ‘hit me in the chin’ but ‘I grabbed him back’. Didn’t punch or push, no sir, just ‘grabbed’.
:rolleyes:
Right. This is a point that some people struggled with in the last year. In fact, when I said that the state needed to disprove self-defense beyond a reasonable doubt… the jury needs to be sure beyond a “reasonable doubt it was NOT Self defense” as you put it – you with the face was incensed at my misinformation.
The closing arguments are over and the judge has issued instructions to the jury.
The jury has the case to deliberate.
My WAG is 4 hours deliberation before not guilty on all counts.
I told my best friend 2 hours before the same verdict. We shall see!
Was there a prosecution rebuttal?
I agree with your assessment. No 1983 claim exists and and there’s no diversity of citizenship. Don’t see a federal case arising from this.
Yes. It was exactly same as the prosecution closing. “Zimmerman profiled… yadda yadda yadda - guilty of murder!”. Prosecution tried (and somewhat succeeded) with all its might to cast reasonable doubt on Zimmerman’s self-defense claim. Too bad that reasonable doubt is not enough.
No I can’t imagine it. But apparently you can. Cite the evidence of a fist fight because all the evidence so far shows an assault. Cite evidence that Zimmerman continued in the direction he states Martin headed before he left the truck. The evidence shows Martin continued in that direction all the way to his house. .
Neither do I and the evidence shows Zimmerman acted accordingly. Martin was already behind the houses when he got out of his truck and there is no evidence he turned south to follow him. Martin on the other hand liked to fight and had a history of making bad decisions. He left the safety of where he was at and moved to where Zimmerman was. Martin changed his voice to a lower tone. Zimmerman made no such attempt while on the NE call. Zimmerman also used a small flashlight which would have made his position visible to Martin in the dark from a distance. He also had the use of all the individual privacy fences that were at each house to hide behind. So Martin had the advantage of stealth and would be able to see and hear Zimmerman at a distance. Instead of using that information to move away from Zimmerman he moves toward him.
Because it’s corroborated by Dee Dee’s testimony. Martin begins the verbal confrontation.
Zimmerman never gives this as a direct quote. Not sure why you keep harping on this.
the only thing mysterious is that you don’t think a person would draw his hands toward a wound which is about the only thing I can think they would do with their hands.
There is no evidence that contradicts Zimmerman’s testimony. Your belief system is a matter of faith and not evidence.
[quote=“Honesty, post:1650, topic:661501”]
because it’s dangerous to confront people suspected of criminal activity. You never know when you’ll be attacked.
And I don’t see where stating he’s in the neighborhood watch would greatly affect Martin’s view that he was being challenged for being in the neighborhood. ou certainly don’t believe anything that Zimmerman says so why should a stranger? The question itself is self explanatory. I’ve been asked the exact question in front of my house and it’s insulting. I also think unless you’ve been asked it you don’t know how insulting it is.
then the appropriate response would be to put distance between you and the suspicious person and call the police. Martin had a phone and he was right by his house and dd the exact opposite. The evidence indicates the fight started where Zimmerman said it started and not by Martin’s house or any hiding place. It started out in the open. If Zimmerman tried to drag Martin from behind a fence I would expect Martin to scream every epithet he ever knew existed starting with “crazy-ass cracker”.
Oh, and one more thing, DeeDee’s admittance that Martin’s use of racial slurs suggests Zimmerman’s version of what was said is FAR more likely than her boyscout version of it.
I missed it this morning. How was the defense’s closing? Good enough for Z to walk? Man, I’m more emotionally invested in this case than I should be. I think it’s a damn shame the dude is even on trial…
The fuckin prosecution’s closing(s) were good enough for Z to walk.
I only heard a snippet on the radio where the state’s attorney said that since Martin didn’t have blood on his hands, that means that Z is lying.
Well, Z did have blood on his face. That’s not in doubt. What is the prosecution suggesting? That Martin didn’t cause the wound? Z fell down the steps? I’m confused about why it is relevant that there was no blood on Martin’s hands.
Yeah, once it was revealed that Martin’s hands hadn’t been bagged to preserve the evidence from the rain and his body being moved, that line of argument went out the window, IMHO.
It was the same, old, same old. Throwing a bunch of stuff at the wall and hoping something would stick. He kept saying “If this…if that…if, if, if.” Told the jury to use their hearts.
You know what he never said? “The evidence proves…”
Yes, this case is a sham.
It’s pure partisan politics, and is “only” receiving national attention because it’s being painted as a race issue when it’s about whether or not Zimmerman was justified in his actions.
Many of the people clamoring about justice for Trayvon don’t care about justice. For them, it’s about some perverted sense of retribution against Whites (even though there is no White person involved in the case), which is why you see a clear racial divide between “guilty” and “not guilty”. It’s maddening, really.
I’m sick and tired of people making everything about race, and it will be a damn shame to throw Zimmerman in jail simply to appease those people who have made this an “us vs. them” issue.
its a claim that Z is not truthful saying that Martin was smothering him - that there should have been blood on Martin’s hands if that were teh case.
The mishandling of the evidence is enough to cast doubt on the veracity of that assumption.
I am white. I don’t think race is an important issue at all, and Zimmerman is guilty.
There was a contention that Martin’s hands were on Zimmerman’s face – where the blood was.