17 Year Old Male Shot and Killed By Neighborhood Watch

[PlayTheGame]

I found a really great article that depicts this whole ordeal quite perfectly, everyone should check it out:

http://monoblogue.us/2012/03/26/trayvon-martin-is-dead-did-a-colorblind-society-die-with-him/

I totally agree with the author. I think he makes some great points about the case, and I fully support his final conclusions. But instead of getting into it too much, I'll let you read it.

I really do find it funny that this crime is being called a "hate crime" by a white man on a black kid. When, in reality, Zimmerman, clearly a Peruvian man, is just as ethnic as Martin was. But instead, these facts are easily ignored and swept under the rug so people like Jesse Jackson can scream out from their pulpits about the horrors of hate crimes and racism. Sure, they exist, but it really dilutes your argument if you label anything remotely close to it as such, which is what is being done with this case. It makes Jackson look bad (although that's nothing new, he's pretty much lost all credibility) and makes it harder for people to believe and listen to his views... at least, sane people that is. There's plenty of his followers out there that blindly go along with whatever he's screaming about.

 

[GI Cake]

Ladies and gents, their has been a huge development in the Martin shooting case. The man who shot Martin, George Zimmerman has been arrested and is being charged with second degree murder. Zimmerman plans to stay firm on his position and say that he shot Martin in self-defense. Now Second Degree Murder is a huge felony. Zimmerman could be facing a life sentence in Prison, the minimum is 25 years for using a firearm in the shooting.

Now personally, I was a firm believer that Zimmerman should be tried in court and go through the system accordingly. And that Zimmerman will go through all the legal channels before being convicted or being acquitted. But Second Degree murder seems way too steep to charge Zimmerman. Zimmerman wasn't driving out at night looking for a fight or Martin, he went out to get groceries. As a neighborhood watch captain, Zimmerman made close to 50 calls to the police reporting suspicious behavior. This is clearly a man who is either intent on protecting his neighborhood, or has some paranoia about kids wandering around at night. That is why I believe Zimmerman should be charged with Voluntary Manslaughter instead of Second Degree Murder.

http://www.boston.com/news/nation/a...erman_makes_court_appearance_in_fla_shooting/


Latest questions for you all.

Do you think Zimmer should be charged with Second Degree Murder, or something less steep?

If you were in power, what would you charge Zimmerman?

With all current evidence, how do you think Zimmerman stands in his trial? Will he be convicted, proved not guilty, or acquitted?

 

[Davi323]

Do you think Zimmer should be charged with Second Degree Murder, or something less steep?

Given what we do know about the case, 2nd degree murder seems appropriate. I am sure that his attorneys will try to plea the charges down to manslaughter, but the 2nd degree charge seems to be the one that fits best.

If you were in power, what would you charge Zimmerman?

2nd Degree murder. It's a month too late, but it's the right charge, given the circumstances, I think.

With all current evidence, how do you think Zimmerman stands in his trial? Will he be convicted, proved not guilty, or acquitted?

This is a tough question. It is going to depend on how successful his attorneys can try to argue about the Stand Your Ground/Castle laws. I have stated before that given the circumstances, I don't believe it applies, but his attorneys are certainly going to claim it does. That's really their only defense here.

Will they convince a jury to buy their argument? If so, then he gets acquitted. (riots will ensue, no doubt encouraged by a certain race baiting asshole with bad hair who always seems to wear tracksuits).

If they are unsuccessful in convincing the jury that Florida's Stand Your Ground/Castle laws apply, its a crapshoot. They could find him guilty of 2nd degree murder, or they might still find him innocent due to other extenuating circumstances. I really have no idea what is going to happen in the courtroom. Juries sometimes are hard to predict.

 

[LSN80]

Do you think Zimmer should be charged with Second Degree Murder, or something less steep?

As you said earlier, he may have been intent on protecting the neighborhood. He also may have had paranoia regarding past incidents in his neighborhood, which there are documented to have been found.

The problem here though is simple. From all the facts that have been presented thusfar, Martin did nothing to provoke him. As much as Zimmerman wasn't out looking for a fight, the facts that have been presented thusfar show that that Martin wasn't out looking for a fight either. Yet he wound up dead, and Zimmerman unscathed.

I don't know how any other charge, steeper or more leniant, would have been more appropriate.

If you were in power, what would you charge Zimmerman?

With second degree murder. Zimmerman may have thought he was doing his due dillegence, but doing one's due dilligence doesn't always jive with what society, appropriately so in this case, says is right and wrong. Zimmerman had reportedly been told by the coordinator of the particular neighborhood watch program to observe the goings on if he saw criminal activity, and call the police. He chose to ignore those warnings, and a kid was fatally shot. Even if Martin was in the process of breaking the law, Zimmerman was wrong to confront him. His 911 call even indicated that the kid ran away.

How much more clear cut can you get? This is textbook second degree murder.

With all current evidence, how do you think Zimmerman stands in his trial? Will he be convicted, proved not guilty, or acquitted? [/QUOTE]

I don't think this will go to trial, to be honest. I think Zimmerman's attorney's will plead down to a manslaughter charge, and he'll do 5-10 instead of the possible 25 to life that the 2nd degree manslaughter charge carries. If it did go to trial, with the evidence that's on the table currently, he stands no chance of being acquitted whatsoever.

I know I repeated it several times here, but its truly the most important thing. Given what we do know. Zimmerman saw suspicious activity. He did call the police, but pursued Martin who was running away. A confrontation ensued, initiated by Zimmerman, and Martin was killed. This may not have actually been the case, I wasn't there, and Im not here to pass judgment. But the evidence that has been made known to the public shows Zimmerman had choices, could have called the police and stayed away from Martin, and chose not to. The boy's death is on his hands, and he should be punished accordingly. I see no evidence of this being a "Stand Your Ground" case, and I agree with the state attorney's decision.

Zimmerman should take a deal if its offered him, because otherwise, he's going away for life.