His opinion won’t convince the racial racketeers and mob vigilantes, but there’s no refuting he’s right.
Now there is much more extensive medical evidence that would tend to support Zimmerman’s version of events. This version, if true, would establish self-defense even if Zimmerman had improperly followed, harassed and provoked Martin.
A defendant, under Florida law, loses his “stand your ground” defense if he provoked the encounter — but he retains traditional self-defense if he reasonably believed his life was in danger and his only recourse was to employ deadly force.
Thus, if Zimmerman verbally provoked Martin, but Martin then got on top of Zimmerman and banged his head into the ground, broke his nose, bloodied his eyes and persisted in attacking Zimmerman — and if Zimmerman couldn’t protect himself from further attack except by shooting Martin — he would have the right to do that. (The prosecution has already admitted that it has no evidence that Zimmerman started the actual fight.)
This is a fact-specific case, in which much turns on what the jury believes beyond a reasonable doubt. It must resolve all such doubts in favor of the defendant, because our system of justice insists that it is better for 10 guilty defendants to go free than for even one innocent to be wrongfully convicted.
You wouldn’t know that from listening to Corey, who announced that her jobs was “to do justice for Trayvon Martin” — not for George Zimmerman.
As many see it, her additional job is to prevent riots of the sort that followed the acquittal of the policemen who beat Rodney King.
Indeed, Mansfield Frazier, a columnist for the Daily Beast, has suggested that it is the responsibility of the legal system to “avert a large scale racial calamity.” He has urged Zimmerman’s defense lawyer to become a “savior” by brokering a deal to plead his client guilty to a crime that “has him back on the streets within this decade.”
3rd party witness testimony and the coroner’s report also support Zimmerman’s version of events. I cannot see how they get to 2nd degree murder on this.
Arguably if Zimmerman was pursuing Martin and provoked the actual fight in some reckless manner…maybe. But that is a big if. Even if Zimmerman followed him (which he had the right to do) and then went back to his car, if Martin then provoked the fight there should be no crime (on Zimmerman’s part).
“It also seems rather patronizing of Frazier to assume blacks would riot if they don’t get their way.”
want to bet on the likelyhood of riots if Zimmerman is aquited ?
Trayvon already got his justice, hope George gets his too by getting to walk. If he does though, there will be looting and pillaging (sorry, what they do is not rioting) by the very people responsible for half the violent crime in this country.
Remember when a career criminal was beaten in L.A. way back when? All his fellow criminals looted and pillaged for days. Gots ta stick togethah.
It would be nice if Dershowitz put his money where his mouth is and take Zimmerman’s case pro bono.
The prosecutor must be loving this. She lied her ass off for the cameras, and presented charges that had no merit. She dodged the grand jury, where a negative outcome would have reflected badly on her alone. Now, she gets to stand back and let the judge and the defense attorney take the blame for “turning him loose”. Pity she “never got the chance to bring him to trial”. And the FBI has stuck its nose in. If they do recommend charges, everyone forgets about her. If they don’t, then she got farther than they did.
As to the lack of riots, or the non-lack thereof, it all depends on how you define riot. By last count, I believe that some fifteen people have already been assaultsd by attackers claiming revenge in the name of Trayvon Martin.
Lack of reporting, does not equate to a lack of violence.