Trayvon Martin Shooting - George Zimmerman

[American Patriot]

She doesn't have the business of forcing him to testify.

She's trying to put him on the spot to get him on the stand. It's BULLSHIT.

[American Patriot]

Bad things in Zimmerman Trial

Judge Debra Nelson has decided to ALLOW lesser charges to be introduced to the jury now.
This woman tried yesterday to browbeat Zimmerman into testifying yesterday. Once she couldn’t do that, she’s now trying to railroad the guy into jail.
This is utter bullshit. Maybe the “White Hispanics” of Florida ought to start rioting? Just sayin’…..

[American Patriot]

Will He Walk Or Go To Prison? The Key Evidence & Moments In George Zimmerman Trial For Shooting Trayvon Martin

Posted on Jul 11, 2013 @ 6:46AM | By David Perel
Landov

The only thing everyone seems to agree on is that George Zimmerman shot Trayvon Martin on February 26, 2012.
Why he shot him, the circumstances during their battle and what part racial profiling played in the tragedy have all been hotly debated – but that debate is now shifting to the six people who matter the most right now – the jury.
Zimmerman could walk out of a Sanford, Florida courtroom a free man within days, sparking fears of backlash by many who believe Martin is dead largely because of his race.
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As the jury prepares to begin deliberations Friday, here are the key moments from the trial and the case, the moments that will decide Zimmerman’s fate.
1. Prosecutors want the judge to allow the jury to consider lesser charges when they deliberate. Zimmerman is charged with second-degree murder – a charge many consider to be overreaching by prosecutors, especially in a case where Zimmerman was allowed to walk free immediately after the shooting. Now prosecutors want the jury to be able to consider convictions on manslaughter and aggravated assault. Have prosecutors lost faith in their ability to gain a second-degree murder conviction? Many experts believe they have.
2. Defense attorneys want the all-or-nothing second-degree murder charge because they are confident the prosecution did not prove its case. Zimmerman will not testify and his attorney Mark O’Mara said: “Self-defense is self-defense. What happened out there is not a crime.”
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3. Photos and text messages from Martin’s cell phone were not allowed into evidence. A computer animation of the slaying was also kept out as evidence but the judge will allow the defense to show it during closing arguments. Jurors will not be allowed to review it when they deliberate. Martin’s cell phone pics showed marijuana plants and a gun. Messages also featured him talking about being in a fight.
4. The trial featured conflicting testimony about who was on top as Trayvon and George struggled. Perhaps the most credible testimony came from defense gun shot expert Dr. Vincent Di Maio who said the fatal wound evidence indicated Martin’s shirt was hanging away from his body, meaning he was on top of Zimmerman. If Martin had been on the bottom the shirt would have been pressed against his body, leaving a different trail of gunshot evidence. Zimmerman has maintained Martin was on top when he shot him.
5. Dennis Root, a safety and law enforcement instructor, testified for the defense that Zimmerman’s injuries back up his claims there was a fight before the fatal shot. “It’s clear he was struck and his head made contact with the contact,” Root said. Zimmerman has said Martin was banging his head into concrete, forcing him to shoot the teen as he was in fear for his life.
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6. Who screamed for help? A scream is heard on the police call but forensic analysis was unable to definitively say if Zimmerman or Martin was screaming. The key point seems to be a draw as the mothers of both Zimmerman and Martin testified, each claiming the voice belonged to her son.
7. Debate over how long Martin lived after being shot. Experts disagreed and the point is important because the teen’s arms are in a different position than described by Zimmerman. If he did not die instantly, Martin could have moved his arms. If he did die instantly, Zimmerman’s account to police is wrong.
8. Rachel Jeantel was on the phone with Martin moments before he was shot and emerged as a key witness, but her testimony turned into a train wreck. She said Martin told her he was being followed, trying to lose his pursuer and said, “Why are you following me?” The defense got her to admit she lied about her age to Martin’s family and why she couldn’t attend his funeral. She was combative with defense attorneys, at times barely audible in court and not the knockout witness prosecutors hoped she would be, although her testimony still helped the prosecution. “He said the man kept watching him. He kept complaining that a man was just watching him,” she told jurors about her final conversation with Martin.
9. Although Zimmerman did not take the stand, his words were heard by the jury as his interview with police the night of the killing was played in court. He described his confrontation in detail and said: “I tried to defend myself.” Martin, he said, was on top of him, smashing his head into concrete.
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10. Neighbors’ conflicting testimony about shouts and moans during the fight. The jury will have to decide who to believe as different people described hearing different things during the fatal confrontation.
11. Zimerman’s wounds. Zimmerman has wounds on the back of his head, which would support his story of having his head slammed into concrete. But prosecution experts say the wounds aren’t severe enough to support his story. The defense says they are.
12. DNA evidence – or the lack of DNA evidence. Martin’s DNA evidence was not found on Zimmerman’s gun even though he supposedly reached for it. Other DNA evidence on Martin’s clothing was degraded the defense argued because it was wet and put in plastic bags, not paper.

[Malsua]

Holy crap, now they are trying to get a lesser charge introduced as 3rd degree murder via child abuse. Ridiculous.

[American Patriot]

Florida cities on guard for any post-Zimmerman unrest
Posted: 54 mins ago


George Zimmerman, right, with his defense attorneys Mark O'Mara, left, and Don West, center. / AP
Photo

MIAMI (AP) — Police and city leaders in Florida say they have taken precautionary steps for the possibility of mass protests or even civil unrest if George Zimmerman is acquitted in the killing of unarmed teen Trayvon Martin, particularly in African-American neighborhoods where passions run strongest over the case.

For months, officials in Sanford and South Florida have been working with pastors, youth coaches, community activists and summer camp counselors to stress a non-violent approach if Zimmerman walks free. At the same time, police say they have quietly been making plans for dealing with any potential emotional flare-ups that could quickly turn into storefront-smashing, car-burning riots.

"It's all right to be vocal, but we don't want to be violent," said the Rev. Walter T. Richardson, a longtime pastor and chairman of Miami-Dade County's Community Relations Board, which has been holding town hall-style meetings about the case. "We've already lost one soul and we don't want to lose any more."

Martin, from the suburb of Miami Gardens, was 17 when he died. He was in Sanford visiting his father and father's fiancee when Zimmerman, a neighborhood watch volunteer, fatally shot him during a physical confrontation in a gated community in February 2012.

Martin's supporters portrayed the shooting as racially motivated, while Zimmerman, who identifies himself as Hispanic, claimed self-defense. Charged with second-degree murder, Zimmerman is pleading not guilty at the trial unfolding in a Sanford courthouse.

After police initially refused to arrest Zimmerman, there were many large but peaceful protests in both Sanford and the Miami area — as well as in New York and other cities. Those demonstrations included a mass walkout at nearly three dozen South Florida high schools.

Many in Sanford say they doubt the trial's outcome would spark local residents to take to the streets.

"The main focus was to get Zimmerman arrested and have him tried before a jury of his peers in a court of law," said Clayton Turner Jr., president of the Seminole County branch of the NAACP. "That was the main issue, not how we felt about whether he's innocent or guilty."

Not everyone is so certain.

Shantree Hall, 37, a lifelong Sanford resident who is black, said a Zimmerman acquittal might anger many in the African-American community who already feel they are less likely to obtain justice. The protests that led to Zimmerman's arrest taught many people that was the only way to get things done, she added.

"With Trayvon, the noise was too loud for them. That's why they couldn't sweep it under the rug," she said.

Recent Miami-area high school graduate Jude Bruno, 18, said he doesn't sense from friends and peers that there is a powder keg in South Florida waiting to explode should Zimmerman be found innocent. Bruno is chairman of the Miami-Dade County Youth Commission, which has been working with local youth groups to stress a peaceful reaction.

"We want to be the example to the world because the whole world is watching us," Bruno said.

Bruno spoke after a Community Relations Board meeting this week that drew several hundred people to a Miami Gardens library auditorium, some of them wearing "Justice for Trayvon" T-shirts and many asking sharp-edged questions about the trial. Still, the overall theme was peace.

"Please, no violence. We don't want any violence. None," said Miriam Martin, one of Trayvon Martin's aunts.

One potential advantage mentioned by several law enforcement officials: school is out for summer, meaning there is no ready-made rallying point for young people to gather.

Still, authorities are taking no chances, particularly in the Miami area which has had riots in the past connected to racially-charged court cases.

The worst rioting occurred in 1980 in the mostly-black Liberty City and Overtown neighborhoods of Miami, after four white police officers were acquitted in the death of Arthur McDuffie, a black Marine Corps veteran. McDuffie was beaten to death by police trying to stop him for a traffic violation. The three-day riot killed 18 people and did some $100 million in damage.

The Miami-Dade Police Department's intelligence operation, known as the Southeast Florida Fusion Center, has been combing social media to monitor signs of unusual interest in Zimmerman's trial. The center also acts as a platform for South Florida's numerous police agencies to quickly share information.

The department's deputy director, Juan Perez, said law enforcement's goal is to allow for peaceful rallies or protests but be ready in case violence flares. Perez said plans call for establishment of "First Amendment Zones" in certain neighborhoods if crowds do gather, so people can exercise their rights.

"We want to make sure people have the right to protest," Perez said. But if there are problems, he added: "Our job is going to be to minimize those opportunities to rob a store or shoplift."

To the north in Broward County, Sheriff Scott Israel and his staff have organized several meetings with African-American church and community leaders and recently began airing a public service TV ad featuring Miami Heat player James Jones. The ad's theme is "Raise Your Voice, Not Your Hands" and it also stresses a nonviolent approach.

"We don't have information about a specific event that might take place at the conclusion of the trial, but we encourage everyone to keep any protests peaceful," Israel said.

Similarly, in central Florida, religious leaders have been encouraged to attend the trial and discuss it with their congregations. Up to four courtroom seats were reserved for clergy on a rotating basis, and more than a dozen churches have held regular Monday prayer sessions during the trial.

___

Schneider reported from Sanford, Fla.

[American Patriot]

Manslaughter count added to Zimmerman charges

George Zimmerman's defense team rested Wednesday. The jury deliberations are expected to start Friday.
Yamiche Alcindor, USA TODAY 10:15 a.m. EDT July 11, 2013
judge

(Photo: Pool Getty Images)

SANFORD, Fla.-- The judge in the Trayvon Martin murder case agreed Thursday to instruct jurors to consider the lesser charge of manslaughter when they begin deliberations.

George Zimmerman had been charged only with second-degree murder.

Zimmerman's attorneys had objected to adding any lesser charges, and Judge Debra Nelson held a hearing on the issue. The jury still has the option of convicting Zimmerman, 29, of the second-degree murder charge that prosecutors sought when the trial began.

The last-minute maneuvering has been seen by some legal experts as an indication that prosecutors were not confident about their chances for a second-degree murder conviction. Zimmerman, a neighborhood watch volunteer, has been portrayed by prosecutors as a wanna-be cop who shot Trayvon, who is black, after a confrontation in a gated residential community in February 2012.

"They aren't going to go all or nothing," said Jose Baez, a Florida criminal defense attorney, of state prosecutors. "They aren't blind to the fact that they haven't proven second-degree murder." Baez successfully defended Casey Anthony, a Florida mother accused of killing her daughter in a high-profile capital murder case.

Zimmerman says he acted in self-defense after the 17-year-old sucker-punched him and began beating him. Zimmerman, who is Hispanic, says that race did not factor into his actions.

Second-degree murder in Florida carries a possible life sentence. If convicted of manslaughter, Zimmerman could get up to 30 years. Aggravated assault would carry no more than a five-year prison term.

Prosecutors have maintained that Zimmerman profiled Trayvon and assumed the unarmed teen was a threat to his community.

Zimmerman's attorney, Mark O'Mara, said he will argue against the lesser charges being considered.

"Self-defense is self-defense," O'Mara said. "What happened out there was not a crime, so in that context there shouldn't have been" any charges.

The state was scheduled to present closing statements for two hours Thursday at 1 p.m. ET. Zimmerman's attorneys get three hours for their closing Friday. The state will then get one hour to present rebuttal statements.

The jury will likely begin deliberations Friday.

[American Patriot]

Beyond George Zimmerman: where's the outrage about black-on-black crime?

The real tragedy in the African-American community is our own violent neighbourhoods, yet hardly anyone talks about that

• 
  
  • Crystal Wright
    
  • guardian.co.uk, Thursday 11 July 2013 09.50 EDT

George Zimmerman, right, with his defense attorney Don West during Zimmerman's second-degree murder trial on Friday. Photograph: Reuters



As the George Zimmerman murder trial heads towards its conclusion this week, race has taken center stage. Since last year when Zimmerman allegedly killed Trayvon Martin in self-defense, the mainstream media joined by so called black activists injected a racially charged narrative into the case. You know "racist" white man profiles and kills black kid.


Sadly, this trial wouldn't be receiving wall-to-wall national media coverage if Zimmerman was black. That's what we should be talking about.


Startling statistics reveal that between 1980-2008, African-Americans were six times more likely than whites to be victims of gun violence and seven times more likely to kill with guns than whites, according to the Justice Department. African-Americans represent a mere 13% of the US population yet more than 50% of federal prisoners are black. You can claim racial bias in the judicial system, but that doesn't explain all of it.


Why aren't so-called black leaders outraged and marching over the recent shooting rampage in Chicago. During the 4 July holiday weekend, including the Wednesday leading up to it, 62 people were wounded by gun violence in Chicago and 12 others killed. The holiday shooting spree raised Chicago's homicide tally to 200 for the year. Last year about 500 people were killed, and most of those killing and being killed in Chicago are black. According to the Chicago Tribune, "blacks make up about 33% of the city's population, they accounted for nearly 78% of the homicide victims through the first six months of 2012".


With the mainstream media's national attention on the Zimmerman murder trail, I think it's stunning that scant, if any, attention was given to the violence raging in Chicago or other cities across the country. As I've said many times during this case, Americans, especially black Americans, have come to accept blacks killing other blacks as normal.


When a white person is accused of killing a black person, African-Americans seem to care more and cry racism, allowing race baiting voices like Al Sharpton, whose a reverend as much as I'm a Democrat (hint: I'm not), to organize marches and rallies. The same is now true when a non-white like Zimmerman is accused of killing a black 17-year-old like Trayvon Martin. Last year blacks even got the news media to basically convict Zimmerman as a racist murderer in the court of public opinion before the trial even began.


Even President Barack Obama got in on the act, stoking the racist flames before any facts were revealed, "If I had a son he'd look like Trayvon". Yet Obama has been a lot less vocal on the killings in Chicago, the city from which he hales and served as both an Illinois state senator and US senator.


The tragedy is that blacks who are shouting about racism aren't offering real solutions, especially to the violence issue in African-American neighborhoods. Interestingly, Senator Mark Kirk (an Illinois Republican) has a plan to end gun violence in Chicago. Since 15-year old Hadiya Pendleton was murdered in January in Chicago after performing at Obama's 2013 inaugural, Kirk has been pushing the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and federal prosecutors to crack down on gang violence related to drugs, which police believe is driving the gun violence.


Kirk, a Republican, wants the FBI to prosecute these gang related crimes at higher rate given that about 18,000 people belonging to the Gangster Disciple gang, one of the most notorious gangs in Chicago (and beyond). Gangster Disciple stretches into 28 states and amasses more then $100m a year by selling drugs. And that's what we know about.

In a meeting with Chicago Police Superintendent Garry McCarthy in June, the police superintendent told Kirk more than 100,000 gang members live in Chicago. As Kirk tried to tackle gang violence in his home state of Illinois, Representative Bobby Rush, a black Democrat representing the 1st district of Illinois for 20 years, which includes Chicago, railed against Kirk's plan as "upper middle class, elitist, white boy solution". Well, "the white boy" conservative is coming up with solutions while blacks like Rush and Ali stoop to calling conservatives of all colors heinous names when they highlight or offer solutions to the ills disproportionately harming black Americans. I have also been accused of being an "oreo" for merely stating the fact that more blacks are killing and being killed than any other race.

Today the main people holding blacks back as a race and taking them back to the days of Jim Crow are blacks themselves. Self appointed black leaders, advocacy groups like the NAACP and black members of Congress cry racist at every turn. Beyond this battle cry, they have no solutions to offer blacks a way towards greater economic prosperity and less violent lives.

[American Patriot]

This is something on-going now.....

'Stand your ground' claim by Trevor Dooley in fatal park shooting rejected by judge

• John Barry, Times Staff Writer

Monday, May 14, 2012 11:24am


TAMPA — A neighbor who fatally shot a 41-year-old father on a basketball court after they argued over a skateboarder is not entitled to immunity under Florida's "stand your ground" law, a judge has ruled.


When Trevor Dooley, then 69, shot his Valrico neighbor David James in the chest in 2010, "There was no reasonable belief that deadly force was required," Hillsborough Circuit Judge Ashley Moody wrote in her order released Monday.


Although James was younger and bigger than Dooley, the judge said, testimony showed James was trying only to get Dooley's gun away.




"The court finds that Mr. James was justified in grabbing (Dooley) because defendant had reached for and pulled out a gun to confront Mr. James," Moody wrote.


Her ruling means that Dooley will stand trial for manslaughter, unless her order is overturned on appeal. He is still entitled to present a "stand your ground" argument, or any other self-defense argument, to a jury. No trial date has been set. A status hearing will be held Thursday.


Dooley's attorney, Ronald Tulin of Plant City, had no comment on the order.


Other defense attorneys had predicted the judge would rule against immunity. "A jury ain't going to buy this one either," Tampa defense lawyer Rick Terrana said Monday.
The "stand your ground" law is the same law being invoked in the fatal shooting of Trayvon Martin in Sanford by George Zimmerman — a case with many similarities. There, lawyers also dispute which one was actually standing his ground.


Testimony for and against Dooley has been painful, including that of James' daughter, who was 8 years old when she saw her father shot. Danielle James, now 10, said she remembers little about the shooting. She remembers Dooley saying he didn't want to fight. She doesn't remember seeing a gun, or hearing threats. What she remembers most was a gunshot.


In his own testimony in February, Dooley admitted shooting James. He said he had no choice, that James had a hand around his throat. "He was killing me," Dooley testified. "My finger was on the trigger. I shot."


But three witnesses, including the 14-year-old skateboarder Dooley was trying to shoo away, testified that Dooley first flashed a gun at James, then pulled it from his pants when James stepped toward him. They said they didn't see James choke Dooley. They said James tried to wrest the gun away.


In her ruling, Moody accepted only one of Dooley's arguments — that he was legally entitled to be where he was, in a public park.


She said he failed to show that he was in fear for his life. No other witnesses saw James try to hurt him. Paramedics at the scene saw no injuries on him.


Moody also wrote that Dooley broke the law when, according to witnesses, he first flashed the gun. Even though he had a concealed weapons permit, Moody said, the state showed "prima facie evidence of unlawful activity, namely the crimes of improper exhibition of a dangerous weapon, or open carrying of weapons."


Other lawyers say Dooley's best option at this point is to continue to claim he fired in self-defense. He cannot claim the gun went off accidentally because he has already admitted in court to deliberately firing. But he can argue that, in his mind, he believed James would have killed him.


"The best approach is to create the impression in each juror's mind that the victim was an aggressor, that he made some kind of movement," Terrana said. "That's all he can do."


Tampa lawyer Ronald Kurpiers, who lost a "stand your ground" argument with a judge in April, but then won acquittal for his client last week on an attempted murder charge, said the Dooley case will probably turn on whether a jury believes Dooley flashed his gun at James before they fought.


Kurpiers last week defended a teenager who admitted shooting a drug dealer, claiming he thought his life was in danger. Hillsborough Circuit Judge Gregory Holder refused to grant immunity under the "stand your ground" law, partly because the teenager was breaking the law by trying to buy drugs. But a jury refused to call the shooting attempted murder.


Lawyers don't suggest that Moody or Holder was swayed by the Trayvon Martin case, but they do believe the law, which was passed in 2005, has been misapplied in many cases and is now under intense scrutiny.


Said Kurpiers, "Judges are being careful."


John Barry can be reached at (813) 226-3383 or jbarry@tampabay.com.




====


Mr. Dooley is black. Mr. James was white.




David James

[American Patriot]

Florida stand your ground law cases

Victim: David James (killed)
Accused: Trevor Dooley


Killed

David James
White male
Age at time: 41
Weapon: unarmed


Guilty

Trevor Dooley
Black male
Age at time: 69
Weapon: gun

[MinutemanCO]

This trial, if that's what it can be reasonably called at this point, is taking on the characteristics of the Obama election. The judge is bought and paid for. That's becoming pretty clear as the trial draws to a close. There are behind-the-scenes factions from the Obama administration tied into the proceedings. This dirty undercurrent of involvement seems to be influencing and manipulating the outcome. After applying a bit of brain processing to the ordeal, I've concluded two different outcomes.

1. Zimmerman is acquitted. Racial tension hits an all time high. Riots in the streets. People die. The populace of the US is further divided, thus benefitting the Obama regime and the mutated form of government they are implementing at this time.

2. Zimmerman is found guilty. Goes to prison for defending himself with a firearm. Further bolsters opposition to 2nd Amendment. Appeases African American base. Racially divides nation further. Establishes case law against firearms and defending oneself against rising black on white (or any race, orientation, creed) crime.

Either of these I can see Obama Admin implementing. With his early statement regarding his son being like Trayvon, I don't believe for a minute that Obama/Jarrett and their dark cadre aren't involved.

[American Patriot]

Well, I think you hit the nail on the head.

As to the "bought and paid for" Judge, I would honestly like to find out about her background, who she voted for, where her loyalties lie now. She's obviously in the tank for the Prosecution; something she should NOT be.

She's an arbitrator, not the final decision maker. That's up the jury, and they are stacking the deck against Zimmerman all the way around.

[Ryan Ruck]

I really hope the jury is smart enough to see through all of the bullshit that has been put out. Especially now with them being allowed to convict of a lesser charge.

[American Patriot]

Women on the jury, most of which are mothers. They will push the "innocent, unarmed child killed with a handgun" line.

He's gonna fry.

[American Patriot]

BINGO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Fox News JUST PLAYED the rest of the 9-1-1 call!

Assholes!

All these assholes out there...

"The dispatcher told him to stop following and he continued and didn't listen and killed that kid".

Do you know how many fucking times I've heard that out of these ASSHOLES? Hundreds.

They just played the rest of the tape AFTER the dispatcher telling him "We don't need you to do that" and it confirmed what I THOUGHT happened. George said "OK" and they talked about meeting the cop at a mailbox etc. Zimmerman was on his WAY BACK TO THE CAR and MAILBOX when Martin charged him.

NONE OF THAT WAS PLAYED FOR THE JURY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[American Patriot]

Closing arguments start any moment.

[samizdat]

something's missing here. A jury of 6?

[Ryan Ruck]

Yep, 6. A quirk in Florida law.

[American Patriot]

Zimmerman Trial: Defense Closing Remarks

I’ve sat on two juries myself. Seemingly insignificant court cases of “illegally carrying a concealed weapon” and another which was so vague I don’t even remember what the charges were.

In both cases the defendant was found Not-Guilty.

In both cases there was “reasonable doubt” in my mind and the mind of most of the jury.

In the first case there was probably some other mitigating circumstances that might have swayed us against the defendant – but the man was driving with his friend in a truck. The truck was older and had vinyl seats. This became important for a couple of reasons later in the trial. It was something most overlooked until we tested the defense claim that the circumstances of being pulled over put the individuals into a bad position.

Apparently there was an altercation on the street. The driver was concerned when people approached his vehicle in a fit of apparent road rage. He pulled a weapon from a glove compartment and essentially “brandished” the weapon (which also is against the law) but stopped the attack without firing a shot.

A few moments later, after the would-be attackers ran off, they called the police on the person. He had placed his weapon on the seat. It was cold outside. He AND his partner had been wearing heavy ski jackets… made of nylon, and filled with down. So if you know the type of jacket you will realize they are slippery against a vinyl car seat. They had placed their jackets against the back of the seat, behind them.

When pulled over, the cops surrounded the vehicles, and made them place their arms out the windows showing both hands. In so doing they both had to lean forward, their jackets sliding from behind them and down over the weapon.

Now… what has any of this to do with Martin and Zimmerman?

The JURY…. has to have ONLY a reasonable doubt to find George Zimmerman not guilty.

In the case above, with the concealed weapons charge it turns out Colorado has a law that clearly states you have a right to have a hand gun in your vehicle, and be armed to protect yourself, and it is NOT considered concealed if it is sitting on your seat, under your seat, etc. The prosecution was attempting to hide the fact that this law was in place first of all. The judge never gave us rules on it, but as jury foreman I personally asked for a copy of Colorado Statutes in regard to guns. This was refused to me, because “it isn’t relevant and not in the jury instructions”.

Interesting….

So we tried another tactic, by pretending to be the “bad guys” with the seat, the coats and weapon. Those were all “states’ evidence” against the guy, so we actually sat in the seat, put out hands up and out the imaginary windows and lo and behold, the coats did precisely what we thought.


This was enough to put “reasonable doubt” into the minds of 5 of the jurors. The sixth, a young college woman, about 21 years old “felt he was guilty”. I asked her several times, “what makes you FEEL that way?”


It took four hours for the five of us to get to the bottom of the problem. She HATED guns. Guns were wrong, illegal (even if they were legal as his was) and dangerous.

Anyone who owned a gun had to have evil intent, and planned to shoot someone. The man HAD to be, she FELT, a dangerous, evil criminal who was intent on harming people that night.

Interestingly, once I explained that I owned guns the others all said they owned guns as well. She voted with us finally, but it was touch and go for awhile.

Reasonable Doubt is the only thing that the Defense MUST get into the heads of the jury and if the jury is HONEST (and usually juries are honest with themselves) they WILL find Zimmerman not guilty.

George Zimmerman in my mind, is innocent having sat and listened to the Prosecution and Defense, seeing many of the pieces of evidence and hearing a good portion of the witnesses. Were I sitting on that jury, he’d be found Not Guilty or we’d have a hung jury.

[American Patriot]

Zimmerman lawyers begin closing arguments in murder case

Jury in Florida trial into fatal shooting of teen Trayvon Martin to begin deliberations later today

The Associated Press

Posted: Jul 12, 2013 7:32 AM ET

Last Updated: Jul 12, 2013 9:11 AM ET

Video Content


Zimmerman

Zimmerman jury allowed to consider manslaughter conviction

George Zimmerman trial's key players in pictures

Miami teenager Trayvon Martin was visiting his dad in Sanford, Fla., when he was fatally shot by neighbourhood watch volunteer George Zimmerman in February 2012. Protests followed after it took 44 days for police to arrest Zimmerman, now on trial for second-degree murder. (Associated Press)

George Zimmerman's defence attorney has begun his last effort to convince six jurors that former neighbourhood watch volunteer George Zimmerman acted in self-defence when he fatally shot 17-year-old Trayvon Martin last year in a Sanford, Fla., housing complex.


Mark O'Mara asked jurors to leave their first impressions behind when they enter the jury deliberation room. The six jurors could begin deliberating later in the day.
"You can't help but have a first impression," O'Mara said. "What you have to do is be vigilant, diligent in deciding this case."

• See the Zimmerman trial players in pictures

A day earlier, prosecutors made the case that Zimmerman assumed Martin was a criminal up to no good when he confronted him in his neighbourhood. A scuffle followed, and Zimmerman fired his gun.


"A teenager is dead. He is dead through no fault of his own," prosecutor Bernie de la Rionda told the jurors during closing arguments. "He is dead because a man made assumptions. ... Unfortunately because his assumptions were wrong, Trayvon Benjamin Martin no longer walks this Earth."


Jurors in the racially charged murder second-degree murder trial in Sanford, Fla., will be able to consider a lesser charge of manslaughter in the death of the unarmed 17-year-old. But because of the way Florida law imposes sentences for crimes committed with a gun, the lesser charge could also carry a life sentence.


Judge Debra Nelson's ruling to allow consideration of the manslaughter charge came despite the objections of Zimmerman's lawyers. The six jurors will have three options for their verdict: guilty of second-degree murder, guilty of manslaughter and not guilty.


Zimmerman attorney Don West had argued an all-or-nothing strategy, saying the only charge that should be put before the jury is second-degree murder.


"The state has charged him with second-degree murder. They should be required to prove it," West said. "If they had wanted to charge him with manslaughter ... they could do that."


To win a second-degree murder conviction, prosecutors must prove Zimmerman showed ill will, hatred or spite -- a burden the defense has argued the state failed to meet. To get a manslaughter conviction, prosecutors must show only that Zimmerman killed without lawful justification.
Prosecution seen as covering all bases

Allowing the jurors to consider manslaughter could give those who aren't convinced the shooting amounted to murder a way to hold Zimmerman responsible for the death of the unarmed teen, said David Hill, an Orlando defence attorney with no connection to the case.

• 

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"From the jury's point of view, if they don't like the second-degree murder — and I can see why they don't like it — he doesn't want to give them any options to convict on lesser charges," Hill said of the defence attorney.


Under Florida's laws related to gun crimes, manslaughter could end up carrying a penalty as heavy as the one for second-degree murder: life in prison.
It is standard for prosecutors in Florida murder cases to ask that the jury be allowed to consider lesser charges that were not actually brought against the defendant. And it is not unusual for judges to grant such requests.


Prosecutor Richard Mantei also asked that the jury be allowed to consider third-degree murder, on the premise that Zimmerman committed child abuse when he shot the underage Martin. Zimmerman's lawyer called that "bizarre" and "outrageous," and the judge sided with the defence.


As the nation awaits a verdict in the trial, police and city leaders in Sanford and South Florida say they have taken precautionary steps for the possibility of mass protests or even civil unrest if Zimmerman, who identifies himself as Hispanic, is acquitted, particularly in African-American neighbourhoods where passions run strongest over the case.


Zimmerman, 29, got into a scuffle with Martin after spotting the teen while driving through his gated townhouse complex on a rainy night in February 2012. Zimmerman has claimed he fired in self-defense after Martin sucker-punched him and began slamming his head into the pavement. Prosecutors have disputed his account and portrayed him as the aggressor.


During closing arguments, de la Rionda argued that Zimmerman showed ill will and hatred when he whispered profanities to a police dispatcher over his cellphone while following Martin through the neighbourhood. He said Zimmerman "profiled" the teenager as a criminal.


"He assumed Trayvon Martin was a criminal," de la Rionda said. "That is why we are here."
Some jurors turn away from Martin photo

The prosecutor told the jury that Zimmerman wanted to be a police officer and that's why he followed Martin. But "the law doesn't allow people to take the law into their own hands," de la Rionda said.


De la Rionda's two-hour presentation also included moments when he seemed to appeal to jurors' emotions by showing a head shot from Martin's autopsy and a face-up crime scene photo of Martin. Several jurors looked away.


The prosecutor also repeatedly asked why Zimmerman left his truck the night of the shooting
.
Former neighbourhood watch volunteer George Zimmerman could be found not guilty, or guilty of either manslaughter or second-degree murder after jurors go into deliberations, expected Friday. (Orlando Sentinel, Gary W. Green, Pool/Associated Press)



"Why does this defendant get out of his car if he thought Trayvon Martin is a threat to him?" de la Rionda asked. "Why? Because he had a gun."


Later, when he straddled a foam mannequin to dispute Zimmerman's account of how the struggle unfolded, the entire back row of jurors stood. One juror even stepped down to get a better view.


De la Rionda implored jurors to believe the account of Martin's friend Rachel Jeantel, who was on the phone with him moments before the shooting and said she heard him yelling, "Get off!" The prosecutor asked jurors to discount her "colorful language," and he put a twist on a quote by the Rev. Martin Luther King to persuade them.


"She should be judged not by the colour of her personality but by the content of her testimony," de la Rionda said.

[American Patriot]

Oh REALLY???? Assholes!

Here's the bitch:




** FILE ** Nancy Grace, host of a news-talk show on cable's HLN, made it clear that she thought the defendant was guilty as charged.



George Zimmerman’s friend has mic cut on national TV

By Cheryl K. Chumley
-
The Washington Times
Friday, July 12, 2013




A friend of George Zimmerman — the Florida suspect facing murder charges for the February shooting of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin — was trying to argue on a nationally televised show that his buddy didn’t break any laws by carrying a weapon and that the prosecution was presenting unfair arguments. But his microphone was cut.


HLN’s Nancy Grace abruptly ended the discussion, sending Frank Taaffe packing.


The two were discussing the lead-up to the shooting that killed Martin, and Mr. Taaffe said that Mr. Zimmerman had a “legal right to carry” his gun. He was walking the community and saw a “suspicious” person, he said, The Blaze reported.


“He was a legal, concealed-weapons-permit carrier,” Mr. Taaffe said.


Ms. Grace said: “A legal, concealed-weapons carrier. Did you just say that?”


Mr. Taaffe said again that Mr. Zimmerman wasn’t breaking the law by walking with a gun. And Ms. Grace said: “I don’t care. Jeffrey Dahmer had a legal right to have knives and a boiling pot. That doesn’t mean it’s OK.”


They then had a heated exchange about the characterization of Mr. Zimmerman “just sauntering around with a gun, looking to gun down a young black male,” with Ms. Grace claiming: “That’s exactly — he was sauntering around with a gun.”


An obviously angry Mr. Taaffe then fired back into the camera that his friend Mr. Zimmerman claimed that Martin was “on drugs. And they found THC in his system, did they not?”


Ms. Grace ordered his microphone cut.


On her HLN broadcast website, Ms. Grace said the heated exchange focused on whether the prosecution was unfair to Mr. Zimmerman, as Mr. Taaffe claimed. She said if the races were reversed — if a black man had shot a white boy — the prosecution “would be done and over with.”

Read more: http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/...#ixzz2Ypy255OM
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