l****z
发帖数: 29846 | 1 by Rick aka Mr. Brutally Honest
MSNBC:
Legal experts expressed surprise that a Florida state prosecutor is
seeking a second-degree murder charge against George Zimmerman, the block
watch volunteer who fatally shot 17-year-old Trayvon Martin during a scuffle
, given that he wasn't arrested or charged the night of the fateful
altercation.
AngelaCoreyZimmerman’s legal team is expected to invoke the
controversial “Stand Your Ground” provision of Florida law as a key
strategy in defending him against the charge, which was announced Wednesday
evening by Special Prosecutor Angela Corey.
...
Zimmerman's attorney Mark O'Mara said his client would plead not guilty
to the charges. He asked people not to jump to conclusions about his client'
s guilt.
Zimmerman is likely to be tried before a jury in Sanford, Fla., where
the killing took place Feb. 26, though defense attorneys may argue that the
trial should be moved to another jurisdiction, according to NBC News. Two
attorneys who earlier worked with Zimmerman quit the case on Tuesday.
"It seems like an enormous swing to be able go from not feeling you have
enough evidence to arrest him, to charging him with essentially as high as
you can charge him in second-degree murder," Richard Hornsby, a criminal
defense attorney in Orlando, Fla., told msnbc.com. "Second-degree murder
requires him to have engaged in an intentional act with ill will, hatred or
spite. It means he basically went and was looking to shoot Trayvon Martin."
Other legal experts have pointed out that no one has had access to all
the evidence in the case, which the prosecutor has seen. Plus, a jury could
decide to convict Zimmerman of the lesser charge of manslaughter.
NBC News legal analyst Kendall Coffey, a former federal prosecutor,
called the charges "aggressive," and Corey's presentation of seeking justice
in the case "masterful" for emphasizing that she was following the law.
Shortly before the charge was announced, Coffey said prosecutors likely face
a difficult time at trial.
The difficulty from my perspective will be for Zimmerman to receive a fair
trial and for this entire episode not to descend into a circus given the
number of clowns involved in it all:
Attorney General Eric Holder said Wednesday that the Justice Department
will take appropriate action in the killing of Trayvon Martin if it finds
evidence that a federal criminal civil rights crime has been committed.
The attorney general made the comment in an appearance before a civil
rights organization founded by the Rev. Al Sharpton.
What's not covered in that particular piece is what Holder had to say about
Sharpton:
At the opening of NAN’s 14th annual convention in Washington, D.C., the
attorney general first thanked MSNBC’s Rev. Sharpton “for your
partnership, your friendship, and your tireless efforts to speak out for the
voiceless, to stand up for the powerless, and to shine a light on the
problems we must solve, and the promises we must fulfill.”
To believe that the outcome of Zimmerman's trial will not be impacted by
those pursuing a particular political agenda and furthering their ideology
is to believe in unicorns, fairy dust and the veracity of Tawana Brawley.
May God's justice prevail in it all. |
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