This is the most sound judgement that I have heard in some time.
Is George Zimmerman guilty of murdering Trayvon Martin?
The correct answer is “I don’t know.”
If you do know now, then you are ‘taking sides’ and not looking at the facts since the facts have yet to be established. That is what trials are for — to put forth the facts and have them tested via cross examination. Cross examination is important to testing the facts and how much weight and credibility should be assigned to any piece of information. ’Taking sides’ is just plain wrong. We can’t afford the injustice of people taking sides and not looking at evidence.
You may think you know the facts now since you have heard or read some of the reports, but news reports don’t include everything — not all witness statements (including the cross examination since that has not happened and cross examination tests statments and other evidence), not forensic reports etc.
So do me a favor….if you have an opinion now about guilty or not guilty, drop that opinion. Step back, and stop ‘taking sides.’ It is wrong. I want all of us to be better than that.
Be fair to both Mr. Zimmerman and Mr. Martin — and be fair to the jury. The jury will be sitting through ALL the testimony (and none of the rest of us will be able to claim that) and they will collectively reach a verdict. I have no idea what the jury will decide — but I do know they will have been selected to do the job and will do their best to be fair…and they will have heard ALL the evidence unlike those of us in the so called peanut gallery.
Put yourself in the shoes of the jury.
Bob Kealing on today’s hearing
(There is some graphic language (asides) in the following and sound quality is poor)
Zimmerman 5/28 Pt. 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5
Part 6
Part 7
Part 8
Part 9
mainstreamfair 
Great post !!! As I’ve said prior to this, I am not going to follow this trial. I am so against the knee-jerk Stand your Ground law that it upsets me. I don’t believe when there is a shooting, especially when one party dies, that it can be decided quickly by law enforcement that it falls under that law. And, the other issue is the permit to carry…..another losey goosey law in Florida. Neither of these laws was thought out enough or regulations to them written to make sure they are prudent. imo
My goodness, what happened??? My print is double dark….lol.
My fault, I missed closing off a bold tag in my post.~~SS
OK, Newbie! I read ya! 😆
Good comments at Greta’s blog (Source). This is a case where I can agree with both sides on their opinions but, like the Anthony case, I’m not going to be able to be unbiased with all of the info I’ve seen so far. Its like telling me not to think of pink elephants! 😮
Sherry~~you can voice whatever is on your mind…you will never get any backlash from me and I will not permit others to do it to you either. I am going to do my best to be middle of the road and look at both sides. As of this very moment, I would not want to be a juror as I still do not know the truth. I know what should not have taken place that night but there may have been more than one incident.
Tonight at 9: Both lawyers from the Trayvon Martin case, the “Bee” adds vocab., and Ben Ferguson on “The Grill”
Mark O’Mara, Zimmerman’s attorney, and Benjamin Crump, the attorney for Trayvon Martin’s family, will each return to “Piers Morgan Live” for one-on-one interviews, while legal experts and decorated courtroom veterans Gloria Allred and Alan Dershowitz will supply all the relevant insight and context as part of Tuesday evening’s “Law and Disorder” segment.
http://piersmorgan.blogs.cnn.com/2013/05/28/tonight-at-9-both-lawyers-from-the-trayvon-martin-case-the-bee-adds-vocab-and-ben-ferguson-on-the-grill/?hpt=pm_mid
I guess I’ll just have to watch this one unfold from the peanut gallery, since I have already formed an opinion. 🙂
Several things I do know for a fact, the defense and prosecution have opposing opinions of how the facts should be interpreted, as do people following this tragedy. Additionally, her honor is limiting he evidence to the events that occurred on the evening of the shooting.
We shall see how adept the prosecution is at keeping any testimony from opening he door to the defense entering evidence regarding Trayvon’s activities prior to that date.
Vicky~ ~I will be eating more peanuts than offering opinions. I am observing this case from a place with strict gun controls, no concealed & carry weapons and racism almost non-existent so it is hard for me to fathom how this case is being used by some with an agenda.
Picking an unbiased jury will be a feat in itself. It is the verdict, regardless of what it is, that worries me. This may be the year for hung juries.
Snoops, I have no idea what rhe outcome of this case will be, but I do not believe a verdict in Zimmerman’s favor will result in riots in the streets of America as some have predicted.
It is interesting how our two countries can be so close, yet so far apart when it comes to race relations. I have had many interesting conversations with my niece regarding the level racism in various parts of the U.S. since she came to live with us. She truly can’t understand how someone’s race could enter into whether or not a person might be considered suspicious or dangerous.
Vicky~ ~why would ‘some’ predict that if the verdict were in Zimmerman’s favor that there would be riots? How about riots if the verdict is not in Z’s favor?
I asked those questions to show how sensitive this whole case is. I watched Piers Morgan tonight. He had O’Mara and Crump on his show. It is almost next to impossible to have a discussion about the facts of this case without race entering the picture. That seemed to be quite evident tonight on Pier’s show.
Scroll over and stop the video at 6:13min and see if you can recognize any one or two.
Oh, Dave, so nice to see you in the courtroom again!!!
I’m not interested in following this case as I already have an opinion as to this man’s guilt. His lying from the start about what happened did it for me. His and his wife lied about the money they took in,paying bills that had resulted from their living well beyond their means was the icing on the cake.
To my mind there is simply no excuse for a child,two weeks past his 17th birthday to be murdered. A child is dead that’s the bottom line.
Yes, it is good to see Dave again… looking well, too. I will pop in and out on this one; trying to maintain my ‘undecided’ position even though swaying in one direction.Thanks for the spot to chat, though!
Zimmerman should never have gotten out of his vehicle. Case closed.
lol
http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/05/28/18556018-judge-denies-delay-bars-evidence-in-george-zimmerman-trial-for-now?lite
Check this out???
ORLANDO, Florida — A court employee who retrieved photos and deleted text messages from Trayvon Martin’s cellphone has been placed on administrative leave after an attorney testified that prosecutors didn’t properly turn over the evidence to the defense, an attorney said Wednesday.
Former prosecutor Wesley White said he was ethically obligated to reveal that Fourth Judicial Circuit Information Technology Director Ben Kruidbos retrieved the data that weren’t turned over.
Kruidbos was placed on leave shortly after White testified during a hearing in George Zimmerman’s second-degree murder case on Tuesday. White said Kruidbos was interviewed by state attorney investigators twice before the action was taken.
More here…
http://www.therepublic.com/view/story/7f810777322940b696f37841455fbac3/FL–Neighborhood-Watch-Evidence-1st-Ld-Writethru
Withholding evidence in order to win a case is very serious… if this is true, then the prosecution may not have as strong a case as they want either the judge or the defense to believe… and this might end up being settled…
George Zimmerman’s attorneys apologize for mischaracterizing evidence
http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/06/02/18702011-george-zimmermans-attorneys-apologize-for-mischaracterizing-evidence?lite
The Court of Appeals granted the defendant’s petition for a writ of certiorari.
Click to access dca5_opinion.pdf
Tricias true crime shw on blog talk radio had an interesting dicussion about the Zimmerman case Sunday night. Sheryl Mc Cullem was her guest. They filled in some holes for me but then they opened up more. Does anyone know if Zimmerman’s vehicle was identified as neighbor hood watch vehicle. One of their questions were , why Trayvon did not go straight home as he had plenty of time to do so before Zimmerman saw him.
Margaret~~are you asking if Zimmerman’s vehicle had a Neighborhood Watch sign on it? To my knowledge, it was just his own private car so Trayvon would not know Z was a neighborhood watch. Many people wonder why Trayvon didn’t go straight home to his father’s girlfriend’s apartment. Some think Z cornered Trayvon somehow. I really don’t know so would just be guessing like all the others.
George Zimmerman’s Lawyer Tears Up Talking About Trayvon Martin During BET Interview [VIDEO] –
See more at: http://hiphopwired.com/2013/06/04/george-zimmermans-lawyer-tears-up-talking-about-trayvon-martin-during-bet-interview-video/#sthash.izpdq1Xn.dpuf
Florida braces for Zimmerman trial
http://www.news-press.com/viewart/20130604/NEWS01/130604026/Florida-braces-Zimmerman-trial
George Zimmerman’s Lawyer Wants to Ban Words Like “Vigilante” at Trial
http://abcnews.go.com/ABC_Univision/lawyer-trayvon-martins-shooter-ban-words-vigilante-profiled/story?id=19330338#.Ua-9v0Bay8A
George Zimmerman on Trial for Trayvon Martin Death: Live Stream Coverage from ABC News
http://abcnews.go.com/US/video/george-zimmerman-trial-trayvon-martin-death-live-stream-coverage-19331255
Small turnout for tickets to day one of Zimmerman trial
http://www.wftv.com/news/news/local/small-turnout-tickets-day-one-zimmerman-trial/nYFpz/
George Zimmerman: Frye hearing continued, court will resume Monday
http://www.baynews9.com/content/news/baynews9/news/article.html/content/news/articles/cfn/2013/6/8/george_zimmerman_fry.html
George Zimmerman Trial to Begin Monday
http://fox8.com/2013/06/08/george-zimmerman-trial-to-begin-monday/
All eyes on Central Florida as George Zimmerman murder trial begins
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/trayvon-martin/os-george-zimmerman-trial-preview-20130608,0,2586772.story
WFTV live stream
http://www.wftv.com/s/zimmerman-livestream/
Video shot by Trayvon shows homeless men fighting over bicycle
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/trayvon-martin/os-george-zimmerman-trial-bike-fight-20130609,0,3392608.story?track=rss
Are we all burnt out from the JA trial? OR too afraid to approach the trial of State vs. Zimmerman?
Me? I’m too tired to argue about Zimmerman. It’s an all out tragedy what happened to Trayvon Martin in this day and age.
Like so many other trials; I’m just waiting to see if Zimmerman takes some kind of ownership in what happened. By him saying, “I’m sorry for the loss of your son” doesn’t cut it for me. That statement doesn’t “own” it. He seems to distance himself from what actually happened.
And like CA, Zimmerman has quite the circus family to add to his ills. The brother needs to zip it and zip it tight. I saw just a teeny tiny clip today of him and it sounded like he has been bathed in lawyerisms. (Is that a word?) I think his brother loves to hear and see himself on T.V.
It’ll be interesting to see if O’Mara has a leprechaun in his lineage.
I’m kinda distancing myself, too… but I’ll get into it next week. Thanks for being here and giving me the opportunity to vent or comment, and I’ll be back.
I have been watching some of the jury selection. I am a bit ‘gun’ shy about voicing my opinion of what I really think about this Zimmerman case.
For example….I keep hearing Trayvon was unarmed. Fists can be lethal weapons. I also predict Zimmerman will be found guilty or it will be a hung jury. Second-degree murder is an over charge.
Snoopy, I can see where one might see 2nd degree as an overcharge. Howevr, it would be much easier for me to embrace that idea were GZ and Trayvon the same age, if GZ had known TM to be a local thug or if GZ had not followed him into the cut through. For instance, had he exited his car and confronted TM in front of the clubhouse instead of creeping him. IMO, GZ’s behavior lead to the confrontation. I also think my opposition to conceal carry laws influences my mindset. Yes, hands can be lethal, but both GZ and TM had hands. GZ had a distinct advantage, he was also armed with a gun. He made the mistake of underestimating the young man he antagonized. In the past, the individuals he suspected of wrong doing ran away, most likely because they were up to no good. TM was doing nothing wrong and did not flee the area. When they came face to face, TM was pissed off that some strange man was following him. GZ was pissed off because the assholes always managed to get away. TM was prepared to do battle with his fists, GZ was prepared to do battle with a gun. He had practiced lethal defense with a gun, and knew in advance that his choice to use it could result in death (key element of 2nd degree). My struggle is whether or not someone should be able to create a volatile situation, shoot someone because things don’t go according to plan and then claim self defense. IMO, GZ should ask for a plea to a lesser charge and accept responsibility for his role in this tragedy. Instead, he wants society to pat him on the back and tell him he did nothing wrong. I just can’t do that. I think the jury will arrive at a compromise verdict of manslaughter.
Vicky: Well said.
I need to research and find out what the punishments are for 2nd degree vs manslaughter in FL. It’s been so long that I have forgotten.
Any updates on the JA case? I think I heard something about a hearing coming up and people are taking bets to see if JA will, (what’s the word I’m looking for) drag this out even more.
Thanks to Snoops, I’ve calmed down quite a bit over JA’s punishment. Like she said, either way, Arias isn’t going anywhere for a long time.
Manslaughter when a gun is used can give 30 years….I think the minimum is around 15…. I stand to be corrected.
Snoopy, I think the minimum sentence for manslaughter in Florida is 91/2 years allowing the judge to impose a sentence of up to 15 years. I recall reading this on Richard Hornsby’s website ages ago when looking for the possible time GZ could serve if convicted. If convicted of 2nd degree murder, the sentence would be 25 years since a gun was used.
Vicky~~I believe when a gun is employed, manslaughter carries a much stiffer sentence.
Jerry Counelis gave long, rambling answers about his impartiality when asked basic questions by attorneys. When Circuit Judge Debra Nelson asked the panelist hopeful if he posted something to the Facebook page of pro-Martin group Coffee Party Progressives, he said ‘yes.’
Trayvon Martin justice group member tries to get onto George Zimmerman jury
Snoopy, here is the link to R.H.’s website. He explains the penalties for manslaughter and 2nd degree murder. The mandatory minimum if a gun is used in a 2nd degree murder conviction is 25 years. A judge can impose a 25 year to life sentence.
http://www.richardhornsby.com/crimes/homicide/second-degree-murder.html
It seems the attorneys are doing an excellent job of investigating potential jurors to do everything possible to seat a fair and impartial jury. I for one hope they are successful, since the verdict needs to be based upon facts and not personal agendas. Shame on anyone who would lie about bias to be on any jury.
George Zimmerman attorney: ‘Stealth Juror’ could have been ‘devastating’
http://www.clickorlando.com/news/george-zimmerman-attorney-stealth-juror-could-have-been-devastating/-/1637132/20577604/-/11ubo4/-/index.html
The Most Ridiculous Things Potential Jurors Said During George Zimmerman’s Trial This Week
His dad actually wrote an e-book? Check this article out.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/06/15/george-zimmerman-father-african-americans-racist_n_3447025.html?icid=maing-grid7|main5|dl23|sec1_lnk3%26pLid%3D329925
I have a question maybe someone here has an answer. If Zimmerman isn’t found guilty can the Martin’s bring a wrongful death suit against him, as was done in OJ’s case?
Tommy’s Mom~~yes, the Martin family can file a wrongful death suit and would probably win. If Zimmerman had gone for a self-defense immunity trial before the judge and won, no one could file civil suits against him for T’s killing. After the state presents all their case, there is still the possibility O’Mara may file a motion for immunity. Zimmerman waived his PRE-TRIAL immunity. I hope this makes sense.
Off topic…
FYI~Jodi Arias will be back in court tomorrow for the status hearing!!
George Zimmerman Gets All-Female Jury
http://abcnews.go.com/US/george-zimmerman-female-jury/story?id=19437833#.UcPVf_lay8A
George Zimmerman Judge Denies Use of State Audio Experts’ Testimony
http://abcnews.go.com/US/george-zimmerman-judge-denies-state-audio-experts-testimony/story?id=19463576#.UcY9wjRay8A