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Today's Poll!Murder charge brought in Trayvon Martin case
Mark O'Mara, attorney for George Zimmerman, addresses reporters outside his offices in Orlando, Fla., on Wednesday. Photo by The Associated Press.
Wednesday, April 11, 2012
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) — The neighborhood watch volunteer who shot 17-year-old Trayvon Martin was arrested and charged with second-degree murder Wednesday after weeks of mounting tensions and protests across the country.
George Zimmerman, 28, could get up to life in prison if convicted in the slaying of the unarmed black teenager.
Special prosecutor Angela Corey announced the charges but would not discuss how she arrived at them or disclose other details of her investigation, saying: “That’s why we try cases in a courtroom.”
Second-degree murder is typically brought in cases when there is a fight or other confrontation that results in death but involves no premeditation to kill. It carries a mandatory minimum of 25 years behind bars when a gun is used.
Martin’s parents expressed relief over the decision to prosecute their son’s killer.
“The question I would really like to ask him is, if he could look into Trayvon’s eyes and see how innocent he was, would he have then pulled the trigger? Or would he have just let him go on home?” said his father, Tracy Martin.
Corey would not disclose Zimmerman’s whereabouts for his safety but said that he will be in court within 24 hours, at which point he can request bail. He turned himself in in Florida.
Zimmerman’s new attorney, Mark O’Mara, said Zimmerman will plead not guilty. The lawyer asked that people not jump to conclusions about his client’s guilt and said he is “hoping that the community will calm down” now that charges have been filed. “I’m expecting a lot of work and hopefully justice in the end,” he said.
On Tuesday, Zimmerman’s former lawyers portrayed him as erratic and in precarious mental condition. But O’Mara said Zimmerman was OK: “I’m not concerned about his mental well-being.”
Zimmerman, whose father is white and whose mother is Hispanic, has asserted since the Feb. 26 killing in Sanford that he shot in self-defense after the teenager attacked him. Martin’s family argued Zimmerman was the aggressor.
The shooting brought demands from black leaders for his arrest, touched off protests in which people wore hooded sweatshirts like the one the teenager had on, and set off a furious debate over race and self-defense that reached all the way to the White House, where President Barack Obama observed: “If I had a son, he’d look like Trayvon.”
Separately, the U.S. Justice Department’s civil rights division is conducting its own investigation.
Corey said the decision to bring charges was based on the facts and the law, declaring: “We do not prosecute by public pressure or by petition.”
One of the biggest hurdles to Zimmerman’s arrest over the past month was Florida’s “stand your ground” law, which gives people wide leeway to use deadly force without having to retreat in the face of danger.
Second-degree murder means a killing that was not premeditated but resulted instead from an “imminently dangerous act” that showed a “depraved” lack of regard for human life.
Some legal experts had predicted the prosecutor would instead bring a charge of manslaughter, which carries up to 15 years behind bars. It is defined as a death that results from a reckless but not a depraved act.
Corey repeatedly declined to answer questions about details in the case.
“So much information got released on this case that never should have been released. We have to protect this prosecution and this investigation for Trayvon, for George Zimmerman,” she said.
Legal experts said Corey must have compelling evidence against Zimmerman if she chose to charge him with second-degree murder.
Tensions have risen in recent days in Sanford, a town of 50,000 outside Orlando. Someone shot up an unoccupied police car Tuesday as it sat outside the neighborhood where Martin was killed. And a demonstration by college students closed the town’s police station Monday.
But as the hour of the prosecutor’s announcement neared, the Martin family and their lawyer pleaded for calm.
Outside Sanford City Hall, Stacy Davis, a black woman, said she was glad to see arrested Zimmerman under arrest. “It’s not a black or white thing for me. It’s a right or wrong thing. He needed to be arrested,” she said. “I’m happy because maybe that boy can get some rest.”
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Comments
spelchek 1 year, 1 month ago
"Zimmerman, whose father is white and whose mother is Hispanic,"-- is why I don't take the AP seriously. Completey irrelevant and an attempt to keep the Obama race wars going until November. Don't be fooled by the administrations sleight of hand. It is sad that anyone would take Jesse and Al seriously after the Duke lacrosse fiasco.......id10ts.
spelchek 1 year, 1 month ago
First, why are you watching FOX? Second, why is race even an issue? Third, because I like dead kids...id10t. Fourth, His excellency Obama said "if I had a son, he'd look like Trayvon", apparently you didn't catch that while watching FOX. Fifth, murdered? You got proof? Or are you reacting with emotion rather than logic like most progressives? You are one of the sad ones I mentioned above about trusting the credibility of Messrs Sharpton and Jackson.
TraceyT 1 year, 1 month ago
m-w. com (Merriam Webster) Murdered: to kill (a human being) unlawfully and with premeditated malice.
Dead and murdered are two completely different words. Until the trial is over, and a verdict is presented, using the word "murdered" is speculation and borders on slander or libel. If Zimmerman is found guilty, I will be happy to start using the word murdered. In the mean time, the correct term for what happened is "killed", anyone who chooses to use the word "murdered" is doing so either due to ignorance of the word meanings, or malicious intent to slander a fellow citizen.
TraceyT 1 year, 1 month ago
No, I haven't seen the young man alive. I also don't have the ability to see into the future and read the official ruling for the trial that hasn't started yet. Since the ruling in the trial is what will determine whether the killing was lawful or unlawful, and beause that ruling isn't available yet, you will have to be patient with the rest of us that can't see into the future.
Sequoia 1 year, 1 month ago
Isn't the AP's explanation meant to counter the (early) assumption that GZ was white?
spelchek 1 year, 1 month ago
What news agency assumed information and published as news? I'm guessing NBC since they doctored the 911 tapes.
Sequoia 1 year, 1 month ago
I didn't say the assumption was published in the media. I don't know if it was. When I first heard the name "George Zimmerman," I assumed he was white.
Sequoia 1 year, 1 month ago
Also, FOX also feels the need to report Zimmerman and Martin's race. Just google any story about them.
Do you think FOX is also part of the Obama-media race war conspiracy? HMMMMMMMM????????
I swear, dude.
spelchek 1 year, 1 month ago
You said "Isn't the AP's explanation meant to counter the (early) assumption that GZ was white?" Then you said, "I didn't say the assumption was published in the media." So you must mean the AP highlighted Zimmerman's race to satisfy your personal early assumption of him being white. This makes no sense. BTW - I read my news from various sources, I despise how talking heads lead a tragic story into another about some whimsical cat that water skis; it's disingenuous.
asb 1 year, 1 month ago
A waterskiing cat, still alive, would be news after the second coming!
JMO 1 year, 1 month ago
The worst part of this case is so well illustrated here. No one knows what happened here other than an unarmed 17 year old was shot to death by a 28 year old. The court is the proper place for this, not the media. Obama didn't hold a press conference to stir up racial tension you know. He was asked a question and answered it, very poorly I admit...but at no time did he say Zimmerman was guilty. All he said was it was tragic and should be investigated. Should he have said, "No comment"? Of course, but hindsight is 20/20. It's done. Sharpton and Jackson are donkey holes, end of story there. But it never should have gotten that far. If someone armed kills someone unarmed, there should be a thorough investigation and usually charges. Self-defense should be proven, not assumed based upon the word of the last man standing.
tonto_goldberg 1 year, 1 month ago
Sorry, but the last man standing is the one that stays alive to tell the story he wants to tell. The dead guy is the only other one who was there and he can't tell his story at all. It's why we have courts. The prosecutor can do her job, and the defense lawyer/lawyers can do their job, and a judge and jury will make a decision. That's how we do it in this country.
JMO 1 year, 1 month ago
I'm confused. Why do you think I disagree with you? "The prosecutor can do her job, and the defense lawyer/lawyers can do their job, and a judge and jury will make a decision. That's how we do it..."
Isn't that what I said? "If someone armed kills someone unarmed, there should be a thorough investigation and usually charges. Self-defense should be proven, not assumed based upon the word of the last man standing."
tonto_goldberg 1 year, 1 month ago
I am not arguing with you, but I am frustrated because I don't think we will ever hear the truth on this matter.
John 1 year, 1 month ago
Why? If I was protecting or simply surveiling my neighborhood, why do you think it a crime if I continue to follow someone who I feel is acting suspiciously?
tonto_goldberg 1 year, 1 month ago
I'd like for Zimmerman to be innocent, but the facts we know so far don't help him. Are you imagining that Zimmerman tried to make some kind of citizen's arrest or that he got out of his car to "teach this skinny punk kid a lesson" and then "had to shoot" when he failed to prevail? Bringing a gun to a fistfight, as it were?
We will have autopsy results soon. If the kid was shot in the back, that's bad for Zimmerman's self defense claim. If the kid was shot at point-blank range, with powder burns on his shirt and/or skin, that's also bad for Zimmerman.
sickandtired 1 year, 1 month ago
actually tonto the evidence can swing either way. as a neighborhood watch member your job is to follow and let people you are suspicious of know that you are following them so they have second guesses about doing something wrong.Now my thought process says that 1)yes the police did tell him that he did not need to follow him, but did not order a stand down, and as most people know the police are not the fastest to arrive sometimes. 2) If Martin did jump Zimmerman and Z pulled out his gun while having the back of his head slammed against the road-that would explain any gun powder residue and burn marks on the skin.
tonto_goldberg 1 year, 1 month ago
The 911 tapes tell a lot of the story, and none of it supports Zimmerman's story. This was not a military or police operation, and Zimmerman was told not to pursue the kid. The kid probably didn't want to be guest of honor at a lynching, you know. Sanford, FLA is down south where they have those quaint old traditions.
You have too many "if's" in your assumptions, and they would all have to go Zimmerman's way for his story to work.
tonto_goldberg 1 year, 1 month ago
"Martin got mad because he was being followed, he overreacted, confronted Zimmerman and started hitting him." I agree that's plausible. It's also plausible that wannabe cop Zimmerman tried to detain Martin and was physically unable to do so without the weapon.
asb 1 year, 1 month ago
If the evidence is unequivocal, his conviction or aquittal will be accepted by all but a few, in either case. Unfortunately, uniquivocal evidence is in short supply.
TraceyT 1 year, 1 month ago
asb, Some people (on both sides of this and other issues) believe what they believe, not because of evidence, but because it is what they want or choose to believe. For those people, unequivocal evidence won't make any difference.
Here is an interesting thought that is similar to Grace's assumption, though. If the prosecutor fails to get a conviction after doing an extensive re-investigation, and Zimmerman is acquitted, that very result should reasonably be accepted as proof that the original prosecutor was right and made the correct choice in not prosecuting. On the other hand, if Zimmerman is convicted, the conviction would justify an investigation into the prosecutor's choice and the reasons behind it.
tonto_goldberg 1 year, 1 month ago
Nope. The prosecutor gets to make that choice, and the other officials get to make their choices based on the facts they have at the time. Second guessing a decision is not worthwhile. However, an investigation would be in order if the prosecutor suppressed or ignored evidence that was made available at the time a decision was made.
TraceyT 1 year, 1 month ago
"Second guessing a decision" is the only reason that there even is a second prosecutor. If the case is unwinnable with the "full" evidence that the second prosecutor's investigators produced, then there was not enough evidence available for the first prosecutor to win either. If a case is known to be unwinnable, the decision to prosecute would be no less than a waste of taxpayer's money, and society and justice is better served by allocating that limited resource to cases that the state has a chance of winning. Also, I agree that if there is reason to believe that suppression happened, an investigation should be done to look into it.
tonto_goldberg 1 year, 1 month ago
In Missouri, it is relatively common for a local prosecutor to request the state Attorney General to appoint a special prosecutor from the AG's staff. It's considered a smart move in a volatile situation.
The local prosecutor in Florida made his decision and is stuck with it, but he only has a problem if his decision was professionally improper. The current situation there is more like the state over-ruling the local prosecutor's decision. I don't know how common that is but they have more authority. The state of Florida had to save face, and needed to limit any potential damage from the federal Justice Department investigation. The special prosecutor appointment does not change underlying facts, but it means there will be a trial unless Zimmerman makes a plea deal.
Whether evidence was suppressed is something the state of Florida will review after the case is concluded. That's a common problem everywhere.
spelchek 1 year, 1 month ago
This story is a prime example of drive by media.
Sequoia 1 year, 1 month ago
Then you have no idea what "story" means. This story has it all. It is fascinating. The compelling nature of the events drives the interest, and any reporter would be crazy to miss an opportunity to tell this story for his readers.
spelchek 1 year, 1 month ago
Like the Duke lacrosse story? How a black victim, turned liar, turned boyfriend stabber, deliberately tried to ruin innocent lives? Guess who helped her "cause"? Sorry. A story is man landing on the moon or the great war is over, you're confusing story with smut. This story is smut because it does not reflect the nation as a whole and inacurracies have dominated the news cycle since it was released a month after the actual crime happened. Confused you, didn't it?
tonto_goldberg 1 year, 1 month ago
The stories are not related in anyone else's mind. Perhaps you should stick with your comforting Fox Radio News.
Sequoia 1 year, 1 month ago
Like the Duke Lacrosse story? You're still talking about it, aren't you? It must be a good story.
Man guns down unarmed teenage boy and walks. That's a story dude, just because it doesn't have a "message" that you don't like doesn't make the story any less compelling.
A story must "reflect the nation as a whole"? Now THAT's confusing. What, exactly, IS "the nation as a whole"? Sounds like State Media to me!
PatsyDecline 1 year, 1 month ago
I highly doubt the kid deserved to die....but the 2nd degree murder charge is bogus.
I smell a ruse....wouldn't be surprised to see Zimmerman walk without even going to trial.
And more bodies as a result....
That's what the media and guys like Sharpton want right?? Hate sells.
tonto_goldberg 1 year, 1 month ago
Manslaughter is appropriate for for an unintended death. Would you rather the prosecutor had decided on first degree murder? The best information we have is that he hunted the kid down, and then got out of his vehicle. We do not know why he got out, but when you pursue someone and get out of your vehicle with a weapon, you are the aggressor. You are not defending yourself.
Whether the prosecutor can get a conviction or not is a separate problem.
tonto_goldberg 1 year, 1 month ago
The series of 911 calls tells us that he tracked the kid down. No speculation about it.
sickandtired 1 year, 1 month ago
actually the 911 calls tell us he followed a person he felt to be acting in a suspicious manner( what that supsicious manner was none of us know.)
tonto_goldberg 1 year, 1 month ago
He was well known to the police. He had a history of falsely reporting people acting in a suspicious manner, which is probably why the 911 dispatcher told him not to follow that person.
spelchek 1 year, 1 month ago
Proof please.
tonto_goldberg 1 year, 1 month ago
Forty-seven pages of it.
h t t p s://s3.amazonaws.com/s3.documentcloud.org/documents/327330/george-zimmerrman-911-call-history.pdf
tonto_goldberg 1 year, 1 month ago
If you delete the spaces between the first five letters the link works. There have been summaries elsewhere, but that's the raw information.
dokeus6 1 year, 1 month ago
And this is based on your expert opinion in what?
TraceyT 1 year, 1 month ago
are you familiar with the term "suspicious"? Two unrecognized males with a slim jim sounds like it could be suspicious to me. A call about a car driving slowly and looking at the cars in the neighborhood; that sounds a bit suspicious. Two other calls regarding neighbors that left their garage doors open aren't suspicious, but that would be basic "keep an eye on the neighborhood" aka "neighborhood watch" type of calls. I admit that I only read the first 6 or 8 pages, but that was enough to see that it is a pretty big stretch to categorize this as 47 pages of proof of "falsly reporting" suspicious behaviour.
tonto_goldberg 1 year, 1 month ago
You might want to read a little farther than six pages, or find another link and use someone else's count of the number of times that Zimmerman reported "suspicious" looking or acting black persons.
TraceyT 1 year, 1 month ago
If I was doing a full statistical analysis I would have read the entire 47 pages. If you are suggesting that I not trust "someone else's count" (yours), you may have a valid point. Maybe Zimmerman didn't get the memo that race is (according to you) a factor in whether people using a slim jim, qualifies as "suspicious behavior". Besides, most people would agree that all suspiciuos behavior is not necessarily illegitimate, and that it is the police's job to investigate to find out. Unless, of course, you are suggesting that rather than making the prior calls he should have "investigated" the suspicious behavior himself...
PatsyDecline 1 year, 1 month ago
This is FL we're talking about here. GOP Governor. GOP AG. Some of the most pro-gun/self defense state laws on the books.
The over charge allows the State to tell the hate speech mongers to cool their jets.The seemingly inevitable dismissal due to lack of evidence will let Gov/AG off their political hook.
Political Win-Win....and that's really all that matters in the end.
Do you really believe that any FL prosecutor gives two hoots about another dead black kid....especially considering these circumstances?
You don't still believe the US legal system is actually based on "justice" do you?
spelchek 1 year, 1 month ago
If you truly believed what was reported then there would be a very serious problem with Hispanic-Caucasian-American on African-American crime. I'm glad the HCA on AA epidemic hasn't hit here yet.
Sequoia 1 year, 1 month ago
And look, it's not just the lurid details that make this a story. Stand Your Ground is a real issue. The manner in which young black kids die in this country is a real issue.
Stop being so offended just because some media go overboard. That's what media do. But the fact that this is a story is better than if it weren't.
spelchek 1 year, 1 month ago
93% of blacks murdered by blacks is a real issue. One isolated, over sensationalized race baiting story about SYG is not. The courts need to sort this out, not JJ, RAS, public opinion, Obama, etc...
Sequoia 1 year, 1 month ago
Right, but the issue is that the courts almost DIDN'T get to sort this out. That's what's crazy.
As far as black-on-black crime, no one is saying that's not an issue. For a lot of people, it has been, for a long time.
I mean, people like you, right?
spelchek 1 year, 1 month ago
Not an issue for me, yet it's still an issue in many communities outside of our shell here in JC. The difference between you and I in regards to race is obviously stark. I choose to look at behavior and character and this has lent me many friends and acquaintances of many races, religions, etc. I never needed diversity training to make me aware of this. You seem to focus on race first and make it prominent in discussion. How did you react during the Tawana Brawley / Duke Lacrosse incident? Did you think those boys were guilty? Do you now feel bad for them because their lives were almost ruined over a bunk story the PA jumped on and stayed on because he jumped on the Sharpton/Jackson express? Are you skeptical of the Zimmerman case because of Sharpton's and Jackson's prior mistakes? I am, and I still say let justice be served after a fair trial, just like the Duke Lacrosse players should have deserved. Insanity: doing the same thing over again and expecting different results
Sequoia 1 year, 1 month ago
On the Duke thing, I think I remember thinking that the prosecutor talked too much. I do feel bad for them for what they went through (but not TOO bad... I mean, they're probably doing okay right now). I do think that Sharpton was following the prosecutor, not the other way around.
Let me be clear... I got interested in the GZ case when he DIDN'T GET ARRESTED. I was interested way before Sharpton showed up.
But really, Sharpton doesn't play much role in any of the media I consume. None of the stuff I read quotes him or takes him as anything other than a hype man. That's what he's been known as for years. Most people know this. Most people don't take him seriously.
What is interesting is that it seems like nobody pays MORE attention to Sharpton than the conservative media. I don't hear much about him from anyone except those who clearly consume a lot of "movement conservative" media product. It is pretty clear that the conservative media knows they have a good boogeyman in Sharpton, to get viewers like you riled up and coming back for more. Outside conservative media, nobody really cares about Sharpton.
That's the mark of low-quality media. It exists to rile up, not to inform. You're clearly riled up about Sharpton, but the issue is Stand Your Ground and the local police's failure to arrest. All the rest is, I agree, fluff.
Sequoia 1 year, 1 month ago
Here's what's funny to me, spel. You say you hate the media coverage, and you want GZ to get a fair trial. BUT, he probably wouldn't be getting a trial AT ALL if it weren't for the media attention. He probably never even would have gotten arrested. Interesting, eh?
soxfan 1 year, 1 month ago
i still dont get all the hoopla about this shooting when here in chicago we have 12 -15 shootings with 5-6 killings a weekend and just a little bit of publicity.how come rev al sharpton or jackson are not parading all over the place
don l
Sequoia 1 year, 1 month ago
Don, Seriously, you don't you see the difference?
Here is the difference: There in chicago, people get arrested for those shootings. Zimmerman walked. HE DIDN'T GET ARRESTED. THAT'S WHAT IS DIFFERENT. THAT'S WHY PEOPLE ARE MAKING A HOOPLA.
Man shoots unarmed kid AND DOES NOT GET ARRESTED! That's the difference between a typical shooting, and the reason for the hoopla.
Funny. Some people seem more offended and outraged by the coverage of the shooting, and not the shooting itself. Odd.
soxfan 1 year, 1 month ago
i'm waiting for all of the facts before i make a decision, they make this treyvon as some sort of small kid when in fact he is a big guy compared to zimmerman- don l
Sequoia 1 year, 1 month ago
Right. But, the fact that GZ wasn't arrested and investigated immediately (as police would do in a normal shooting case) means that a lot of the facts in this case have been lost.
asb 1 year, 1 month ago
Zimmerman was by far the largest person involved, by the weight of his weapon. I too await more facts, but there are already enough to have justified an arrest.
tonto_goldberg 1 year, 1 month ago
Eighty pounds lighter, too.
tonto_goldberg 1 year, 1 month ago
The RIGHTWING NEWS website has Martin at 6 foot three and 140 pounds. Other sources have him at 160 or 175, but most sources have him at 140. His nickname was "Slim".
Zimmerman's weight is missing from the arrest record, and all the sources I looked at indicate a serious weight loss from a reported 250 pounds in 2005, silence in the middle, and more serious weight loss since the arrest. His current weight may be around 170 but that's really recent.
So - what weight do you have for Zimmerman and where did you find it?
tonto_goldberg 1 year, 1 month ago
Seriously? The POLICE REPORT says Martin was "about six feet tall" and "about 160 pounds" meaning there was no actual measurement and no effort at precision. It is not very useful to cite the bogus black friend as an authority on anything. He flubbed way too many questions in that interview.
tonto_goldberg 1 year, 1 month ago
Let's go over the question again. The POLICE REPORT did not have a weight listed for Zimmerman. What weight do you have for him and where do you find that?
gofish 1 year, 1 month ago
I predict that Zimmerman will be found be not guilty by reasonable doubt i.e. innocent like OJ was, everyone will gasp for 15 seconds, and life will go on. Then, he will get sued for wrongful death and lose that suit due to the lower standard of proof required in a civil court. The prosecutor charged him with murder instead of manslaughter in hopes of setting up a plea agreement, which isn't going to happen.
A major point that keeps getting misstated in this an other forums is that the police told him not to pursue Trayvon. That is in accurate. In the audiotape of the 911 call, the dispatcher clearly says "uh, we don't need you to do that". He never orders George not to follow the 18 year old man. Leaving the safety of his vehicle was stupid, but not illegal. He committed no crime by going for a closer look. You can't convict people for poor judgement, or else the prisons would be full of politicians, secret service agents, Ted Nugent, and George Zimmerman.
wow 1 year, 1 month ago
Gofish.....I agree manslaughter might be a better charge, especially if the judge doesn't provide the Jury the opportuntity to consider anything other than murder. But Zimmerman is guilty of at least manslaughter...I know it STILL HAS TO BE PROVEN....but he elevated the circumstances, by initially following Travon. Then Zimmerman amped it up further when he exited his vehicle to follow Travon...then add the fact that Zimmerman had a gun on him and he certainly added another level to the situation.....he also initiated the confrontation...so whatever happens after that is a direrct result of what Zimmerman initiated; therefore he is responsible for reclessly causing the death of Travon Martin. As I said if the Judge does not allow the jury to consider anything other than murder...this case could be loss...because I do believe manslaughter is a more appropriate charge.
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