George Zimmerman: stand your ground
The great state of Florida recognizes the stand your ground law (776.013 F.S.) as of 2005 which deals with the proper use of force. Previously, Florida had a "duty to retreat" which stated you could only use force as a last resort after all possible attempts to avail. Some studies [like this one] indicate that stand your ground law decreases both murder and violent crimes.
I am not going to speculate about the details of the case and what happened between George Zimmerman and Trayvon Martin, but I will stipulate to the facts. After doing some research on other self-defense cases and other examples of the stand your ground law, they all had one thing in common; a dead victim. I'm not a lawyer, but it doesn't take a genius to realize your chances of being acquitted are much better when there is only 1 side to the story.
I will say this, and those who don't agree are just being ignorant. This case was tainted long before the trial because it was turned into a race related crime. If George Zimmerman was black, I doubt it would have gone further than the local news. This is Casey Anthony all over again. Had the prosecution gone after Zimmerman with a manslaughter charge, chances of proving him guilty would be much better than proving 2nd degree murder. The emotional outcry of the public did more harm than good for the outcome of the case.
Other stand your ground cases in Florida. Of the cases mentioned in the article, this one is shocking. To me, shooting someone in the back of the head while they are climbing out of the water is straight up murder. However, the shooter was acquitted under the stand your ground law.
Although Zimmerman isn't using stand your ground as his defense, any self defense shooting with only a single living party is hard to investigate. For those readers who feel George Zimmerman should be convicted of murder, remember this; Today we employ a "legal system." Which is quite different from a "justice system." In most cases, those who are charged with a crime have just as many or more rights than the victims.
My prediction is a not guilty verdict. If OJ Simpson and Casey Anthony were not convicted of murder why would Zimmerman?
I am not going to speculate about the details of the case and what happened between George Zimmerman and Trayvon Martin, but I will stipulate to the facts. After doing some research on other self-defense cases and other examples of the stand your ground law, they all had one thing in common; a dead victim. I'm not a lawyer, but it doesn't take a genius to realize your chances of being acquitted are much better when there is only 1 side to the story.
I will say this, and those who don't agree are just being ignorant. This case was tainted long before the trial because it was turned into a race related crime. If George Zimmerman was black, I doubt it would have gone further than the local news. This is Casey Anthony all over again. Had the prosecution gone after Zimmerman with a manslaughter charge, chances of proving him guilty would be much better than proving 2nd degree murder. The emotional outcry of the public did more harm than good for the outcome of the case.
Other stand your ground cases in Florida. Of the cases mentioned in the article, this one is shocking. To me, shooting someone in the back of the head while they are climbing out of the water is straight up murder. However, the shooter was acquitted under the stand your ground law.
Although Zimmerman isn't using stand your ground as his defense, any self defense shooting with only a single living party is hard to investigate. For those readers who feel George Zimmerman should be convicted of murder, remember this; Today we employ a "legal system." Which is quite different from a "justice system." In most cases, those who are charged with a crime have just as many or more rights than the victims.
My prediction is a not guilty verdict. If OJ Simpson and Casey Anthony were not convicted of murder why would Zimmerman?
Categories: Concealed Carry, General Tags: george zimmerman trial, legal system vs. justice system, stand your ground cases, zimmerman stand your ground
06/27/13 11:19:00 pm,
06/27/13 11:19:00 pm,