George Zimmerman found innocent

[rayword45]

SANFORD, Fla.--George Zimmerman, the man accused of murdering Trayvon Martin, was found not guilty of second-degree murder and manslaughter on Saturday.

The verdict is the culmination of a case that captured the nation's attention and will undoubtedly be imprinted in America's history. The not guilty verdict means the jury of six women found that Zimmerman justifiably used deadly force and reasonably believed that such force was "necessary to prevent imminent death or great bodily harm" to himself — Florida's definition of self-defense.

Zimmerman showed no emotion as the verdict was read. After the verdict was read, he smiled slightly and shook hands with one of his lawyers.

The jurors decided Zimmerman didn't "intentionally commit an act or acts that caused death" or demonstrate a "depraved mind without regard for human life" --Florida's definitions of manslaughter and second degree murder, respectively.

In a press conference after the verdict, Zimmerman attorney Mark O'Mara said his client will now need to get on with his life.

"I think he's going to be great. I think he is still worried. Hopefully everyone will respect the jury's verdict," O'Mara said.

He offered his sympathies to Trayvon's parents for the loss of their son. But he said despite the national protests that erupted after the shooting, the case had nothing to do with civil rights.

For all the euphoria on Zimmerman's team, prosecutors faced a huge letdown.

Lead prosecutor Bernie De la Rionda said, "I am disappointed in the verdict but I respect it. We accept the jury's verdict."

State Attorney Angela Corey said the case was a challenge. But she said, "That scream stops when the shot was fired and we always believed it wasTrayvon Martin."

Outside the courtroom, demonstrators who supported Trayvon stood outside in stunned silence. But legal analysts say they were not surprised because the prosecution did not prove its case.

"The prosecution had no clear narrative, witnesses that appeared poorly prepared, and at the end of the day, this is more of a loss by the prosecution than a win by the defense," said criminal attorney Darren Kavinoky.

Susan Constantine, a jury consultant and body language expert who attended Zimmerman's trial regularly, said the verdict meant there was reasonable doubt. "They just could not put the pieces together," she said.

The case has gripped the nation since the shooting happened on Feb. 26, 2012. Police initially did not charge Zimmerman with a crime, citing Florida's "stand-your-ground" law, which allows someone who believes they are in imminent danger to take whatever steps are necessary to protect themselves.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/n...uilty/2514163/

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"He offered his sympathies to Trayvon's parents for the loss of their son."

would be so awkward and very tense

[DotKritic]

Second high profile case in Florida since the Casey Anthony case in 2008.

[DarknessXoXLight]

[Bluearrowll]

I'm a little confused - before the past 20 minutes when suddenly everyone is talking about this guy, I had no idea who this Zimmerman was. What's so significant about this case rather than any other case that runs in the courts? Normal cases generally aren't over glorified like this one seems to be.

[mi40]

have you guys even read the details

it seems pretty fucking obvious that zimmerman was attacked first by trayvon martin

wish people would stop blatantly saying "the justice system today has failed boo fucking hoo"

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2...al.html?ref=us




yes the kid was stupid as shit for assaulting somebody and he was unlucky enough that the person he was assaulting had a gun
but our law states that it is ok to defend yourself if there happens to be a case where your life may be in danger, and the trayvon/zimmerman case was exactly that

now im not saying zimmerman should get off scott free, this could have turned into a case for involuntary manslaughter (or something) instead but yeah, wish people would look at the facts first

[GuidoHunter]

Things we don't know: whether he gunned down Trayvon in cold blood or was legitimately defending himself

Things we think we know: that Zimmerman's a racist, murdering bastard, that Trayvon's a thug

Things we know for SHIT SURE: there wasn't NEARLY enough evidence to convict this guy of murder

Was there another trial going on that I didn't see? I don't understand why people are upset with the Florida jury.

--Guido

[rayword45]

Originally Posted by mi40

have you guys even read the details

it seems pretty fucking obvious that zimmerman was attacked first by trayvon martin

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2...al.html?ref=us

It seems pretty fucking obvious that Zimmerman called the police, was told not to follow and did so anyways.

It also seems pretty fucking obvious that Zimmerman's "stand your ground" argument makes no fucking sense since he stalked a young boy rather then be smart and stay in his car.

[mi40]

Originally Posted by rayword45

It seems pretty fucking obvious that Zimmerman called the police, was told not to follow and did so anyways.

It also seems pretty fucking obvious that Zimmerman's "stand your ground" argument makes no fucking sense since he stalked a young boy rather then be smart and stay in his car.

if you're not understanding the fact that, even if somebody is following you, and you get into an altercation with him

you will be the one charged, not the person who's following

the right move is to call the police, not to attack your follower

trayvon's fault for attacking somebody who's older than him and potentially has a weapon, rayword45 i advise you to never attack somebody who's following you

it seems to me that a lot of people are being sensational about this whole thing when it's just a case of somebody overstepping his bounds (both zimmerman and trayvon) going bad

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jus sayin but...

if some creepy fucker is following me with the hate of a thousand suns i'm going to fight back

[mi40]

and if that guy shoots you in self defense he will not be charged based on evidence

'However, there were stains on the knees of Mr. Martin's pants, and a police officer testified that Mr. Zimmerman's back was wet and had grass on it.'


you guys need to get real, lmfao

if you think attacking somebody first is okay in any circumstance then well, good fucking luck to you

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also wait a minute, you started attacking people when nobody had even given an argument in the first place. calm down yo

plus i don't really care about this case, i don't know anything about it and i thought it was silly to be all over the media like it was

[mi40]

no im not attacking people, i just wish people would stop sensationalizing this whole thing

my fb feed is full of people crying foul



it's like, the media made sure to milk the trayvon/zimmerman story by turning it into some race related thing
and then when the verdict comes out, somebody who's been deemed innocent by the law is still called a cold-blooded murderer etc
everyone let's ignore the fact that trayvon attacked zimmerman first (despite zimmerman being a creepy stalker)

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ah i see, yeah that's pretty silly i agree. people just care way too much sometimes or don't think it through logically

[rayword45]

Originally Posted by mi40

if you're not understanding the fact that, even if somebody is following you, and you get into an altercation with him

you will be the one charged, not the person who's following

the right move is to call the police, not to attack your follower

trayvon's fault for attacking somebody who's older than him and potentially has a weapon, rayword45 i advise you to never attack somebody who's following you

it seems to me that a lot of people are being sensational about this whole thing when it's just a case of somebody overstepping his bounds (both zimmerman and trayvon) going bad

Why don't we invoke the exact same "Stand your Ground" law the defense used?

Because I'm pretty sure being stalked by a mysterious man is qualified as "taking measures when your life may be in danger"

That, and there's still the failure to comply with the police.

[mi40]

being stalked and being attacked are two completely different things

being stalked is not as concrete a reason for self defense AND it's hard to prove
being attacked is a concrete reason for self defense AND it's easy to prove

simple as that, and the evidence won through

in addition, the map shows that trayvon was stalked for a WHOLE STREET wow!! that's some serious stalking before you attack somebody

[DotKritic]

Originally Posted by GuidoHunter

Was there another trial going on that I didn't see? I don't understand why people are upset with the Florida jury.

--Guido

5 years prior with the Casey Anthony case.

Originally Posted by rayword45

It seems pretty fucking obvious that Zimmerman called the police, was told not to follow and did so anyways.

It also seems pretty fucking obvious that Zimmerman's "stand your ground" argument makes no fucking sense since he stalked a young boy rather then be smart and stay in his car.

And that kid would likely still be alive.

[rayword45]

Originally Posted by mi40

being stalked and being attacked are two completely different things

being stalked is not as concrete a reason for self defense AND it's hard to prove
being attacked is a concrete reason for self defense AND it's easy to prove

simple as that, and the evidence won through

in addition, the map shows that trayvon was stalked for a WHOLE STREET wow!! that's some serious stalking before you attack somebody

My point is the stand-your-ground law that Zimmerman's lawyers invoked.

I'll agree there is evidence that he attacked first. With Florida's so-called "Stand Your Ground" laws and any criminal stalking laws, I don't think a scot-free result is fair.

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maybe it's a little too far to just outright shoot somebody as well...i mean damn

[Reincarnate]

not surprised at this verdict at all, and honestly I would call it a win for the legal system even though it's sad all-around. nobody needed to die