# Why hasn't the Neighborhood Watch shooter been arrested? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 12, 2012, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-hasnt-the-neighborhood-watch-shooter-been-arrested/615504 "2012-03-12T00:53:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 166
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2012, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-hasnt-the-neighborhood-watch-shooter-been-arrested/615504/3301 "2012-04-07T01:46:59Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > First of all, who says Zimmerman had to HIT Martin? According to my WAG, he grabbed Martin, which is criminal battery and which doesn’t require knocking anyone to the ground. This goes back to intent and it’s unlikely that Zimmerman would have risked it knowing the police were nearby. There was also no insult delivered to him which cannot be said of Martin. > [@RickJay](#): > > Fights between ordinary joes are often clumsy, silly affairs. If George Zimmerman doesn’t know how to throw a punch, and most men do not, he could get very little weight behind the punch. the laws of physics don’t care if you’re a professional fighter. It’s the difference between being hit by a Ford Focus or a Crown Vic. And I’ve seen a fair number of ordinary joes fight and they are anything but silly affairs. They’re nothing but brutal beat-downs because there are no rules in bar fights. This takes us back to Zimmerman’s injuries. Maybe the coroner will announce that Martin lost a kidney or some other piece of information will come forward that negates what Zimmerman said in his 5 hr interview. But as it stands now, Zimmerman’s injuries are consistent with his story and what a witness reported. The court can only present evidence that exists. There is testimony by Zimmerman that can either be confirmed or refuted. ---
**Author:** ![SciFiSam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/47e85d/32.png) [@SciFiSam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SciFiSam)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2012, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-hasnt-the-neighborhood-watch-shooter-been-arrested/615504/3302 "2012-04-07T02:08:36Z")
> [@Terr](#): > > Betcha more than half the posters that read my post about it didn’t know it. Even _if_ that’s true, that’d leave a lot of people who do know about it; it only takes one person. I also just Googled and it took a few seconds to not only find out that 911 can be called without unlocking your phone, but found that all you then need to do is call the service provider and ask for a new PUK code and you can unlock the phone. This is maybe ten minutes’ work including being on hold, and it’s really not high-tech. > [@Boyo\_Jim](#): > > [We now have the first media casualty of the Zimmerman/Martin incident.](http://mediadecoder.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/04/06/nbc-fires-producer-of-misleading-zimmerman-tape/) NBC has fired a producer for creating a misleading edit of Zimmerman’s 911 call that aired in the _Today_ show. > > Zimmerman actually said, “This guy looks like he’s up to no good. Or he’s on drugs or something. It’s raining and he’s just walking around, looking about.” When the dispatcher asks him for a description, and asks the suspect’s race, he said, “He looks black.” > > The the tape was edited to portray him saying, “This guy looks like he’s up to no good. He looks black." Good. That really doesn’t sound like the kind of editing that can be dismissed as a mistake. ---
**Author:** ![SciFiSam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/47e85d/32.png) [@SciFiSam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SciFiSam)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2012, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-hasnt-the-neighborhood-watch-shooter-been-arrested/615504/3303 "2012-04-07T02:20:38Z")
> [@Magiver](#): > > This goes back to intent and it’s unlikely that Zimmerman would have risked it knowing the police were nearby. There was also no insult delivered to him which cannot be said of Martin. > the laws of physics don’t care if you’re a professional fighter. It’s the difference between being hit by a Ford Focus or a Crown Vic. And I’ve seen a fair number of ordinary joes fight and they are anything but silly affairs. They’re nothing but brutal beat-downs because there are no rules in bar fights. This takes us back to Zimmerman’s injuries. Maybe the coroner will announce that Martin lost a kidney or some other piece of information will come forward that negates what Zimmerman said in his 5 hr interview. But as it stands now, Zimmerman’s injuries are consistent with his story and what a witness reported. > > The court can only present evidence that exists. There is testimony by Zimmerman that can either be confirmed or refuted. Martin insulted him? I must have missed that - what did he say? I find it more likely that Zimmerman grabbed Martin to stop him from being another one of those people (punks, coons or whatever) who “always get away,” or just as a slightly aggressive way of getting his attention, than that Martin started punching Zimmerman for no reason whatsoever. People don’t generally start punching a complete stranger for no reason, especially not people who are on their own and have record of violence. (No, Ra Rover, I have no cite for this). Why do you think Martin punched Zimmerman for no reason? He was just feeling a bit angry and decided to beat up a stranger? Does that really sound more likely than someone who’s trying to help the police apprehend a possible criminal grabbing hold of said criminal’s arm? Of course, if Zimmerman claims Martin just punched him completely out of the blue then there’s really nothing that can be done to disprove that, no matter how unlikely it is. ---
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2012, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-hasnt-the-neighborhood-watch-shooter-been-arrested/615504/3304 "2012-04-07T02:21:45Z")
> [@PotLuck](#): > > Good. This situation is ugly enough without deliberately muddying the waters. > > Back to Martin’s cell phone, I wonder if the Sanford police thought to check it for pictures, video or texts pertinent to the case. If not, there is indeed a whiff of Mayberry in the air. If it were locked, how could they do that? ---
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2012, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-hasnt-the-neighborhood-watch-shooter-been-arrested/615504/3305 "2012-04-07T02:24:40Z")
> [@SciFiSam](#): > > Martin insulted him? I must have missed that - what did he say? > > I find it more likely that Zimmerman grabbed Martin to stop him from being another one of those people (punks, coons or whatever) who “always get away,” or just as a slightly aggressive way of getting his attention, than that Martin started punching Zimmerman for no reason whatsoever. > > People don’t generally start punching a complete stranger for no reason, especially not people who are on their own and have record of violence. (No, Ra Rover, I have no cite for this). > > Why do you think Martin punched Zimmerman for no reason? He was just feeling a bit angry and decided to beat up a stranger? Does that really sound more likely than someone who’s trying to help the police apprehend a possible criminal grabbing hold of said criminal’s arm? > > Of course, if Zimmerman claims Martin just punched him completely out of the blue then there’s really nothing that can be done to disprove that, no matter how unlikely it is. Martin punched Zimmerman because Zimmerman recognized Martin as the kid that stole all his jewelry a few weeks prior, and threatened to expose Martin’s thievery. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2012, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-hasnt-the-neighborhood-watch-shooter-been-arrested/615504/3306 "2012-04-07T02:26:48Z")
> [@Bricker](#): > > Martin punched Zimmerman because Zimmerman recognized Martin as the kid that stole all his jewelry a few weeks prior, and threatened to expose Martin’s thievery. I see you’ve decided to approach this thread in the spirit of fun! I’m gonna turn you into a regular Doper guy yet! ---
**Author:** ![PotLuck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/bbce88/32.png) [@PotLuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PotLuck)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2012, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-hasnt-the-neighborhood-watch-shooter-been-arrested/615504/3307 "2012-04-07T02:34:49Z")
> [@Bricker](#): > > If it were locked, how could they do that? I presume you simulposted with SciFiSam. I admit that I don’t have a cite for this but I’d wager that locked phone doesn’t carry it’s secrets to the grave and can in fact be accessed, especially by police during the investigation of a shooting death. ---
**Author:** ![Terr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/839c29/32.png) [@Terr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terr)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2012, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-hasnt-the-neighborhood-watch-shooter-been-arrested/615504/3308 "2012-04-07T02:44:51Z")
> [@PotLuck](#): > > I presume you simulposted with SciFiSam. I admit that I don’t have a cite for this but I’d wager that locked phone doesn’t carry it’s secrets to the grave and can in fact be accessed, especially by police during the investigation of a shooting death. Sure. And they probably eventually unlocked it. But it would take more than a few hours, with the paperwork required. Probably days. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2012, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-hasnt-the-neighborhood-watch-shooter-been-arrested/615504/3309 "2012-04-07T02:50:01Z")
I heard a cop comment about the phone a few days ago. Even if they brought it to a phone company, the company would probably need a court order to cover its ass before it would hack into a phone, and a court order often takes several days. ---
**Author:** ![Terr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/839c29/32.png) [@Terr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terr)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2012, 3:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-hasnt-the-neighborhood-watch-shooter-been-arrested/615504/3310 "2012-04-07T03:23:54Z")
> [@Boyo\_Jim](#): > > I heard a cop comment about the phone a few days ago. Even if they brought it to a phone company, the company would probably need a court order to cover its ass before it would hack into a phone, and a court order often takes several days. Silly cop. What does he know. The junior CSI here on this thread know all it takes is one phone call to the service provider. Easy peasy. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2012, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-hasnt-the-neighborhood-watch-shooter-been-arrested/615504/3311 "2012-04-07T03:27:58Z")
> [@Magiver](#): > > But as it stands now, Zimmerman’s injuries are consistent with his story and what a witness reported. You don’t know for sure what, precisely, Zimmerman claimed his injuries were, or for that matter what they ACTUALLY were. So how do you claim there’s consistency between the two? You’re just making stuff up. You’re assuming Zimmerman acted rationally at every point of the incident. You’re assuming that Martin assaulted him. You’re assuming Zimmerman’s story is how his Dad said it was and that it’s supported by actual wounds (that don’t show up on film, I guess.) It’s all wild-ass guesswork. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2012, 3:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-hasnt-the-neighborhood-watch-shooter-been-arrested/615504/3312 "2012-04-07T03:28:05Z")
And there’s a guy in a garage downtown who can hack into anything for fifty bucks and a good word to his parole officer. ---
**Author:** ![BlankSlate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blankslate/32/80_2.png) [@BlankSlate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlankSlate)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2012, 3:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-hasnt-the-neighborhood-watch-shooter-been-arrested/615504/3313 "2012-04-07T03:38:30Z")
Most phone locks can be bypassed using default codes easily obtained by Googling. The swipe codes on Android are a lot harder but I’ve seen it done. You’d think even smug, message board bad-asses would have thought of that. ---
**Author:** ![JoelUpchurch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f05b48/32.png) [@JoelUpchurch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JoelUpchurch)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2012, 3:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-hasnt-the-neighborhood-watch-shooter-been-arrested/615504/3314 "2012-04-07T03:44:53Z")
I read this blog by a criminal defense attorney in Florida and he said that the police will search your self phone and suggested to this clients that they set a password on their cell phone. [http://www.theadvocateforyou.com/Criminal-Defense-Blog/2011/May/Warrantless-Cell-Phone-Search-Florida-Court-Says.aspx](http://www.theadvocateforyou.com/Criminal-Defense-Blog/2011/May/Warrantless-Cell-Phone-Search-Florida-Court-Says.aspx) > [@](#): > > What does this mean for you? If you are arrested, officers can search your phone and look at anything in it - texts, pictures, call log, browsing history, etc. Our suggestion? Password protect your phone and delete anything you would not want the police to see. The information on your phone could be used against you in a variety of ways. Arrested for possession of marijuana? Cops could look through your call log and take down the numbers of potential dealers you had called. Arrested for DUI? You had better believe cops will be checking your text messages for phrases such as “on my way order me a beer.” There are any number of ways the information you exchange with friends and family by phone could be used against you in a court of law. Here is an article about getting you cell phone records from the phone company. They discuss which records the police can access with a court order and what needs a warrant. [http://gizmodo.com/5795861/how-the-police-get-your-phone-records](http://gizmodo.com/5795861/how-the-police-get-your-phone-records) ---
**Author:** ![PotLuck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/bbce88/32.png) [@PotLuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PotLuck)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2012, 4:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-hasnt-the-neighborhood-watch-shooter-been-arrested/615504/3315 "2012-04-07T04:14:52Z")
> [@Boyo\_Jim](#): > > I heard a cop comment about the phone a few days ago. Even if they brought it to a phone company, the company would probably need a court order to cover its ass before it would hack into a phone, and a court order often takes several days. Yes, that all sounds like a sensible way and predictable to go about things. My question is, did it occur to the Sanford police department to do this or is that going to be handled by the Grand Jury, if at all. I’m not suggesting it should have been done illegally or within hours; I’m curious about the workings of a PD that apparently took nearly a week to figure out the telephone’s _number_. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2012, 4:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-hasnt-the-neighborhood-watch-shooter-been-arrested/615504/3316 "2012-04-07T04:25:07Z")
> [@PotLuck](#): > > Yes, that all sounds like a sensible way and predictable to go about things. My question is, did it occur to the Sanford police department to do this or is that going to be handled by the Grand Jury, if at all. I’m not suggesting it should have been done illegally or within hours; I’m curious about the workings of a PD that apparently took nearly a week to figure out the telephone’s _number_. I’m sure if it didn’t happen at the time, it has since. Especially since the girlfriend show up with the claim she was on the phone with him at the time of the incident. They would need to acquire the phone records independently of her to validate claim. I’m not entirely sure what difference getting the phone records a few days sooner or later would mean in any case. ---
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2012, 4:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-hasnt-the-neighborhood-watch-shooter-been-arrested/615504/3317 "2012-04-07T04:42:01Z")
> [@Boyo\_Jim](#): > > I see you’ve decided to approach this thread in the spirit of fun! I’m gonna turn you into a regular Doper guy yet! I’m going to be schizo here, alternating between sober demands for supporting information and joyous forays into unsupported imagination. ---
**Author:** ![PotLuck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/bbce88/32.png) [@PotLuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PotLuck)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2012, 4:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-hasnt-the-neighborhood-watch-shooter-been-arrested/615504/3318 "2012-04-07T04:48:22Z")
> [@Boyo\_Jim](#): > > I’m not entirely sure what difference getting the phone records a few days sooner or later would mean in any case. Neither do I. What I’m curious about is pictures, video or texts. We’ll see, I guess. ---
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2012, 4:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-hasnt-the-neighborhood-watch-shooter-been-arrested/615504/3319 "2012-04-07T04:52:56Z")
> [@BlankSlate](#): > > Most phone locks can be bypassed using default codes easily obtained by Googling. The swipe codes on Android are a lot harder but I’ve seen it done. > > You’d think even smug, message board bad-asses would have thought of that. I don’t agree. I have an iPhone 4. So far as I am aware, there’s no realistic way of breaking the lock while retaining the data. There are older phones that revert to default codes when the battery is removed, but they are very much the exception nowadays and not the rule. What kind of phone did Treyvon have? Was it crackable as you describe? You seem confident that the police should have been able to crack it… how do you know? ---
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2012, 4:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-hasnt-the-neighborhood-watch-shooter-been-arrested/615504/3320 "2012-04-07T04:56:41Z")
> [@PotLuck](#): > > I presume you simulposted with SciFiSam. I admit that I don’t have a cite for this but I’d wager that locked phone doesn’t carry it’s secrets to the grave and can in fact be accessed, especially by police during the investigation of a shooting death. Of course. It’s IMHO. You don’t need a cite. You can just say it, true or not. There are plenty of older phones that are easily crack able. But for most phones younger than a couple of year’s old, no. Calls made can be found via phone records, but not by checking the phone (assuming it was locked). [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-hasnt-the-neighborhood-watch-shooter-been-arrested/615504.md?page=165) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-hasnt-the-neighborhood-watch-shooter-been-arrested/615504.md?page=167)