Defense has their closing argument in the morning

7/11/2013 4:40:08 PM

Quote :

"Defend? The trial is over. Now they get to pick the sentence."

What news do you watch!?!? The State made its closing statement today, and the Defense makes their's tomorrow. The Jury isn't even "out" yet.

7/11/2013 8:24:32 PM

Are you familiar with user smc?

7/11/2013 8:36:16 PM

Only in name.... not content

7/11/2013 8:44:41 PM

My content is magnificent.

He's guilty of something. It's the job of the jury to decide what, and if they fail to do their duty and convict then we'll just have another trial and try again.

7/11/2013 9:51:45 PM

7/11/2013 11:23:58 PM

^^If he gets acquitted, they can't appeal or have a new trial: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Double_jeopardy#United_States

[Edited on July 12, 2013 at 4:52 AM. Reason : also an unfavorable verdict does not a mistrial make

7/12/2013 4:51:55 AM

I predict Hung Jury > Hung Jury > Conviction Murder 1.

Justice for Trayvon by 2018.

7/12/2013 6:02:05 AM

LOL that gif is priceless

7/12/2013 9:13:23 AM

Me thinking he walks. Self Defense.

7/12/2013 11:13:16 AM

if true justice prevails, the jury goes out, turns around, comes back in, not guilty

but because of this kangaroo court and fear over riots and other such nonsense, he'll get railroaded into manslaughter

the prosecution was able to prove NOTHING, there is no way a guilty verdict can be reached except through fear and prejudice

7/12/2013 11:26:30 AM

http://gawker.com/this-courtesy-of-msnbc-is-trayvon-martins-dead-body-753370712

7/12/2013 11:38:13 AM

^^ Agree

Is it possible for them to decide today or will they start Monday?

[Edited on July 12, 2013 at 11:43 AM. Reason : ^]

7/12/2013 11:39:02 AM

Trayvon Martin already got justice.

7/12/2013 11:42:57 AM

as far as i know deliberations are scheduled to start this afternoon so we could (hopefully) get a verdict today.

7/12/2013 11:43:03 AM

What I understand the jury will deliberate through the weekend. I may be wrong.

7/12/2013 11:43:12 AM

^^^^I know not to be shocked but they could have least put the picture in the link not on the front page.

7/12/2013 11:48:05 AM

Gawker doesn't play any games...but yeah a shit load of the commenters agree with you


Their founder/head posted this on FB with the link:

Quote :

"Glad Gawker can run pieces as strong as this:"

[Edited on July 12, 2013 at 11:59 AM. Reason : Its posting is probably a knee-jerk emotional reaction]

7/12/2013 11:51:39 AM

web media posting tasteless content to cash in on the attention??? SHOCKING!

7/12/2013 12:03:07 PM

I don't see a problem with it. American's need to quit being such pussies.

7/12/2013 12:24:29 PM

I didn't think people actually died with there eyes open. I remember this as movie fiction.

7/12/2013 12:30:35 PM

Hopefully he finishes up soon. This Guy is annoying me.

Apparently Zimmerman chose the weather that night and chose the time that Martin came through the neighborhood



[Edited on July 12, 2013 at 12:52 PM. Reason : .]

7/12/2013 12:36:42 PM

http://www.theatlanticwire.com/national/2013/07/zimmerman-jury-can-judge-his-fate-much-better-you/67126/

this

a million times this

7/12/2013 2:02:54 PM

http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2013/07/10/trayvon-martin-testimony-wouldnt-have-changed-anything-in-zimmerman-trial/

7/12/2013 2:07:20 PM

is this shit over yet? i'm ready to riot!

7/12/2013 2:08:59 PM

here we go!

7/12/2013 2:41:41 PM

Moreso than rioting by people who care about justice, if Zimmerman's acquitted I'm more worried about white men across the nation taking it as a cue that they can finally start hunting all those pesky black children stepping on their lawns.

[Edited on July 12, 2013 at 2:59 PM. Reason : .]

7/12/2013 2:58:51 PM

"Riot for justice", a.k.a. time to get a new flat screen TV.

7/12/2013 3:21:49 PM

I bet you think Mookie did the wrong thing at the end of DTRT

[Edited on July 12, 2013 at 3:45 PM. Reason : .]

7/12/2013 3:45:35 PM

I haven't been following the details of this case all that close, and I don't want to open up a huge internet argument that has been carried out a million times, but I have a question. Is this case a question of what happened? or a question of what should be the consequences of what happened? I'm not trying to make a point, i'm really asking. Because from just reading the headlines and stuff it seems like the cases are essentially:

Prosecution - If Zimmerman didn't strap up and go out looking for trouble (because he's a wanna be tough guy) and start stalking Travon (because he's a racist douchebag) THEN a teenager wouldn't be dead.

Defense - If Travon hadn't initiated some sort of physical altercation, (regardless of the merits of Zimmermann following him) and just kept on walking home, then he would not have been shot.

Obviously see you can attack both of those arguments a thousand ways and I'm sure some of the details of exactly what happened are in dispute, but is that essentially what the jury has to decide?

7/12/2013 4:12:00 PM

Quote :

"Moreso than rioting by people who care about justice, if Zimmerman's acquitted I'm more worried about white men across the nation taking it as a cue that they can finally start hunting all those pesky black children stepping on their lawns."

Ah yes, the classic "blood in the streets" claim. Because of course that's exactly what happened in this case as masterfully proven by the prosecution, what with half their witnesses backing up what Zimmerman said happened and the other half changing their stories faster than elected politicians change positions.

7/12/2013 4:34:33 PM

Quote :

"Is this case a question of what happened? or a question of what should be the consequences of what happened?"

This is a good question!

7/12/2013 4:53:34 PM

^^^ Yes, that's pretty much the way it's being frame. The law is pretty clear that the prosecution argument doesn't make Zimmerman guilty, but there's no guarantee that the jury will go by what the law demands.

7/12/2013 9:25:59 PM

I am thinking manslaughter conviction

7/12/2013 9:53:15 PM

I want a manslaughter conviction, but I don't think the prosecution came close to proving even that. The prosecution just blew it, but I think they were handed a losing case from the get-go

7/12/2013 10:14:29 PM

Fuck no, they didn't come even remotely close to proving that beyond a reasonable doubt. I don't think they even proved manslaughter to the preponderance of the evidence standard.

It is possible, and maybe even likely, that Zimmerman exhibited some poor judgment, though he had every right to follow Martin down public streets in his neighborhood to see what he was doing. I think that Martin had every right to be irritated that he was being followed, and even to confront Zimmerman for following him.

What really matters is who initiated (or initially threatened) physical attack. That could have been Zimmerman, I suppose, based on the nature of exactly how he was following Martin. My feeling, though, is that it was Martin, due to being pissed probably rightfully feeling harassed. I think that Martin likely exercised poor judgment in that regard, and got shot for it. At any rate, there is no fucking way that the prosecution proved legal fault of Zimmerman beyond a reasonable doubt.

7/12/2013 11:01:19 PM

Things that are totally irrelevant:

-The extent of Zimmerman's injuries. You don't have to be injured at all to be justified in killing someone in self-defense.

-That Zimmerman was told that he didn't need to follow Martin. He can follow whomever the fuck he wants walking down a public street, regardless of what any 911 operator (or police officer, for that matter) tells him.



Also, this idea that it's a travesty if you shoot an unarmed person and don't get arrested is insane. You get arrested based on probable cause of commission of a crime. There are plenty of cases where you could kill someone in self-defense, even if the other person was unarmed (and for that matter, even if the other person was a teenager), and there would be no probable cause of commission of a crime and therefore reason to arrest.

7/12/2013 11:07:35 PM

Quote :

"Fuck no, they didn't come even remotely close to proving that beyond a reasonable doubt."

does that really matter nowadays? the though of a jury of my peers scares me to death.

7/12/2013 11:08:05 PM

exactly.

7/12/2013 11:21:35 PM

The more I read and the more I think about...
Travon Martin is dead and it's George Zimmermans faul. That doesn't make George Zimmerman guilty of murder. We live Ina society of consequences and he should have consequences to his bad decisions.

7/12/2013 11:39:55 PM

We also live in a society that respects the rule of law, and there is no fucking way that he should be convicted of either murder or manslaughter.

Now, should he face consequences? Maybe; that's at least a reasonable argument. Of course, I think he has already and will for many years continue to face consequences as a result of that night.


* and I think it was both of their faults. How much fault to each, I don't know. It depends on things that we'll never know. It could be that Zimmerman did very little wrong, or it could be that Martin did very little wrong. We'll probably never know.

[Edited on July 12, 2013 at 11:51 PM. Reason : ]

7/12/2013 11:50:16 PM

sad thing is so many people are convinced it's one or the other with zero real proof

[Edited on July 13, 2013 at 12:01 AM. Reason : ]

7/13/2013 12:00:08 AM

Quote :

"Now, should he face consequences?"

Trayvon certainly faced consequences for his actions. He's fucking dead.

7/13/2013 12:01:18 AM

^ That has nothing to do with anything in terms of whether he should be convicted.

^^ Yes, but in criminal court, that isn't what matters. The defense doesn't have to prove shit.

7/13/2013 12:15:52 AM

Ho. Lee. Shit.

There was just a judge on Piers Morgan's show who suggested that Zimmerman should have just pulled his gun on Martin and demanded that he wait there until the cops showed up.

I don't even know where to begin with that. In fairness, she immediately conceded that she was wrong when another lawyer on the show immediately pointed out that such an action would be illegal.

...but fuck, that might be worse than the Vice President suggesting that people buy double-barrel shotguns and fire warning shots from the balcony.

[Edited on July 13, 2013 at 12:27 AM. Reason : Jesus fuck. Shoulder thing that goes up in full effect.]

7/13/2013 12:26:51 AM

Zimmerman will pay for this with years of civil suits and eventually his broke ass will wind up in jail over a merchandise robbery. but, unlike OJ, he should be acquitted from the criminal case

7/13/2013 12:33:04 AM

Quote :

"That has nothing to do with anything in terms of whether he should be convicted."

You're claiming he's "already facing consequences," as if the consequences of the encounter for him are in any way comparable to the consequences faced by the other party involved.

7/13/2013 1:03:57 AM

am i late to the white hispanic guilt party?

7/13/2013 1:09:35 AM

Remember the fear of white folks rioting in the streets when OJ was aquitted?

Oh wait...

7/13/2013 1:34:21 AM

Quote :

"^^ Yes, but in criminal court, that isn't what matters. The defense doesn't have to prove shit"

i agree, fwiw, especially in terms of law and court

7/13/2013 1:38:57 AM