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Zimmerman Verdict Reached: NOT GUILTY

Zimmerman Verdict Reached: NOT GUILTY

Prof. Jacobson: “Angela Corey should resign”

A verdict has been returned in Florida v. Zimmerman:

NOT GUILTY ON ALL COUNTS

The State prosecutors, including the until recently rarely-seen Angela Corey, are currently providing interviews to the press, essentially re-arguing their catastrophically failed courtroom arguments. From this commentator’s perspective, they are simply in complete denial and/or in full-blown CYA mode, no matter how often they say they respect the decision of the jury.

It is also remarkable how frequently both Angela Corey and Bernie de la Rionda are explicitly re-affirming their support of the Second Amendment and self-defense–perhaps they sense the “seething rage, ill-will, spite, and hatred” they may well have engendered among the community of law-abiding gun-owners and CWL owners in Florida.

Reactions from around the web can be found at this post: includes press conference videos of key people connected to the trial, photos of demonstrators outside the Florida courthouse, tweets/photos/videos related to current and scheduled “Justice for Trayvon” marches, verdict reactions from Twitter and embedded feeds for key Twitter hashtags. It will continue to be updated.

The Prof. will have his post in the morning as he’s stuck at O’Hare Airport now, but quickly adds:

The just verdict was reached. As I have said repeatedly, this was a case that never should have been brought. It’s not too early to demand an inquiry into the prosecution of this case. Angela Corey should resign.

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Andrew F. Branca is an MA lawyer and author of the seminal book “The Law of Self Defense,” now available in its just released 2nd Edition, which shows you how to successfully fight the 20-to-life legal battle everyone faces after defending themselves.I have also instituted a 10% discount coupon for Legal Insurrection followers LOSD2-LI(Coupons works ONLY at www.lawofselfdefense.com.) “The Law of Self Defense, 2nd Edition” is also available at Amazon.com.

You can follow Andrew on Twitter on @LawSelfDefense (or @LawSelfDefense2 if I’m in Twitmo, follow both!) on Facebook, and at his blog, The Law of Self Defense.

Many thanks to Professor Jacobson for the invitation to guest-blog on the Zimmerman trial here on Legal Insurrection!

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Comments


all TM was doing was walking home from the store…selective eff’ing memory, or does she really believe TM was on top of GZ screaming for help, while faking a ground pound to fool Mr. Good. Do they ever take off those special glasses that force them to see everything in racial hues.

    “A black 17-year-old child should be able to walk home from the store & beat to death anyone who looks at him funny.” #TrayvonMartin

    inspectorudy in reply to Jazzizhep. | July 14, 2013 at 1:50 am

    Has anyone realized that if it was sweet little TM screaming for help while beating GZ brains out that when Good walked out and told them to stop and that he was going to call the police it would seem that if TM was truly innocent and scared for his life that he would have jumped up and ran to Mr. Good for protection. Since he neither stopped nor got up what can we consider? That he was a street punk who was whooping a creepy cracker’s ass and he was in a violent rage.

    I suspect that Anfong never looked realistically at the time line.

    I suspect that no one ever questioned whether or not Chad was telling the truth about what he knew and what he saw.

    The idea that the thug was making a purchase for Chad is a bit ridiculous. Chad was old enough to go purchase his own Skittles.

    Timing is everything. When did TM leave Brandi’s place to head to the shops? What did he do in the 20 minutes prior to the time he was spotted by GZ after he left the 7-11?

    Clearly TM was up to something. Maybe he tried to break into some cars in the shopping complex car park.

    Another issue is the telephone plan. It was claimed he was on Tracy Martin’s plan but now it turns out he was on $ybrina Fulton’s plan. Or maybe $ybrina was paying for Rachel Jeantel’s phone?

theduchessofkitty | July 13, 2013 at 11:25 pm

Medgar Evers fought for justice and was killed because of it. Emmett Till was killed because he dared to say something to a white woman.

TM was not a saint, a hero, or an unfortunate victim. He was immersed into the gangsta culture, and he was well on his way to develop a nice, long-page rap sheet with the State of Florida.

His parents knew he was not on the right path: they didn’t care. He was smoking pot: they didn’t care. He was going around with the wrong crowd: they didn’t care.

The one thing that bothers me the most about all this is that his very won mother knew he was taking the wrong path in life, and did NOTHING to stop him from ruining his life or having his life cut short. Now that he’s dead , now she wants everyone to call him a “martyr” and a “civil rights cause” – and make boatloads of money out of it!!! Her greed erases any call of her son being a “martyr.”

Emmett Till was a civil rights cause. The deed done to him was outrageous and unspeakable.

TM was not, nor will he ever be, Emmett Till.

2 unrelated thoughts:

1) Angela & her co-thug made some false and damaging statements about Zimmerman in the post-verdict conference. I know there’s some immunity for gov. officials who talk in this manner about a defendant during pre-trial & trial, but post-acquittal on all counts? It seems to me that defamation immunity must end at this point, as there’s no possible government interest in a legally impossible re-prosecution (at least on the State level.) Just thinking aloud here.

2) One of the Zimmerman attorneys – Mark O’Mara – made a great statement in response to the very last question in the defense attorneys’ press conference, about how two systems failed Zimmerman: The media and government. He said it very eloquently, and I bet it’s racking up views on YouTube as I write.

    O’Mara, and especially West, have filed six ethics complaints already. There will be more. There may be justice one day…

    Scott the Strategerist in reply to Quixotic77. | July 14, 2013 at 12:22 am

    Zimmerman, as I predicted, is already suing NBC. I expect many more suits, or at least settlements under the threat of suit, against more media companies. He may also sue for malicious prosecution. He COULD sue Sabrina Fulton, but I doubt it. It won’t look good in the press and she has no money. If she ever got money, she would just bk out of the verdict anyway, especially living in debtor-friendly Florida. The media would also go nuts: “First he killed an innocent black boy, whose only crime was wanting to beat Evil George to death. Now he’s suing his saintly mother! He has to take her son and her money! WAAAAGGGGHHHHH!!!”

      She’s got plenty of money from the settlement with the gated community (aren’t they feeling like fools now). He should go after her.

      I doubt Zimmerman will sue Fulton at this point in time… but if Fulton and Martin intend suing GZ then maybe there will be a counter lawsuit. George has no money but $ybrina has been on the trashcan tours plus she got the proceeds from that insurance settlement (which she should repay).

For once in a long time…blaming Palin for Giffords, re-electing Obama, legalizing gay marriage…America does something that isn’t fucking insane.

Hey folks. Well, it’s been a hell of a ride, eh?

–Andrew, @LawSelfDefense

    Thanks again, Andrew! Great work!

    Ragspierre in reply to Andrew Branca. | July 13, 2013 at 11:32 pm

    Hellovaride, Andrew. Thank you and Prof. Jacobson.

    As Augustus Call said, “Been a hell of a party…”

    graytonb in reply to Andrew Branca. | July 13, 2013 at 11:32 pm

    Indeed, and thanks for the seat upgrade. Didn’t even have to spend my miles.

    Matt in FL in reply to Andrew Branca. | July 13, 2013 at 11:34 pm

    Great job, Andrew. Thanks for pulling back the curtain for us.

    Thanks so much Andrew for your Tweets, posts, and guidance for legal illiterates like me.
    In the craziness of the net, it was nice to find calm.Thanks to you too, Andrew.

    CrustyB in reply to Andrew Branca. | July 13, 2013 at 11:36 pm

    This site was my #1 source for info on the trial. Thanks for your wonderful coverage.

    Thanks everybody–I just did what any of you would have done, had through accident of fate you’d ended up with the weird combination of knowledge and perspective that I’ve accumulated through life.

    We all saw this horrible injustice unfold. I’m just glad I was able to shine a tiny bit of light on it.

    I’ll tell you one thing, though. I am damned tired. 🙂

    Anyway, not sure how much more often I’ll have the opportunity, so don’t forget–www.lawofselfdefense.com, for “The Law of Self Defense, 2nd Edition.” Also available (at a higher cost) at Amazon.com.

    By the way, the constant support of all you is what my coverage possible. So, tip a glass for yourselves.

    And God bless George Zimmerman–one tough son of a gun.

    –Andrew, @LawSelfDefense

      mgparrish in reply to Andrew Branca. | July 14, 2013 at 2:46 am

      Thank you Andrew for your coverage. For me the deciding factor was the question of:

      1. When the line of criminality was crossed.
      2. When the response to the criminality justified self defense.
      3. Who crossed the line into criminality.

      No credible evidence was presented that Zimmerman actually started a fist fight … threw the first punch. **But armed men usually don’t start fist fights or wrestle.**

      The evidence doesn’t 100% prove that Trayvon ambushed or approached Zimmerman in a stealth manner, or surprised Zimmerman, but doesn’t show he didn’t either. We just know there was a fight and Zimmerman was on the losing end of that fight.But armed men usually don’t start fist fights or try and wrestle someone down to the ground.

      Common sense is that an armed man seeing someone deemed suspicious or threatening approaching would reveal in some manner that he is armed and for the other person not to get too close. That’s what I would have done. What would a plain clothes policeman do in this case? My gun would be out and I would be informing him BACK OFF.

      Most legal gun owners have the weapon as a deterrent or use only as a last resort. Of course Trayvon likely wouldn’t want to wrestle or fight with an armed man either. So the only conclusion (and the evidence highly indicated) is that Zimmerman was caught off guard and Trayvon overpowered him.

      The media and the politically corrects can argue race and “profiling” all day long, neither is criminal. It may even be possible that Zimmerman was pre-disposed to some prejudice and profiled Trayvon because he was a black teenager wearing a hoodie, this is not a crime.

      Bad judgment maybe? On the other hand Trayvon called Zimmerman a “cracker” so both had prejudice beforehand perhaps. Neither is a crime.

      It really all comes down to this. Self control. Someone can call me the nastiest of names, someone can hate cause of my color, someone can even follow me, but I can **choose** not to like that, but reality is that those actions don’t make me mad, it’s my choice.

      If I am attacked then I am made mad, I have no choice. If that attack threatens me where I am in fear of my life or serious body harm then it is my natural, moral, and legal right to self defense.

      The line got crossed when Trayvon had Zimmerman on the ground, he (Trayvon) had a choice, he didn’t have to like Zimmerman, or the fact that he was being followed, or even like “crackers”, but Trayvon made a choice to cross the line. He could have easily just gone home and ignored the situation.

        the strongest evidence about who started the fight was the debris that was closest to the T.

        That debris included the car keys and the torch. Who owned the torch and the car keys?

        Once that question has been answered, then it is obvious about who was the aggressor, and who was surprised.

    Exiliado in reply to Andrew Branca. | July 13, 2013 at 11:42 pm

    Thank you, sir.

    Oldflyer in reply to Andrew Branca. | July 13, 2013 at 11:43 pm

    Thanks for your excellent summary and commentary throughout. You were the “go to” source for information during the trial.

    Karla1953 in reply to Andrew Branca. | July 13, 2013 at 11:46 pm

    Thanks so much for the great commentary and info all through the trial. Was my go to place while at work and then at home…………..You rock

    Twanger in reply to Andrew Branca. | July 13, 2013 at 11:50 pm

    Thanks for the hard work and shrewd analysis Andrew.
    I’m enjoying you book, and thanks for that too!

    Michiguy in reply to Andrew Branca. | July 13, 2013 at 11:57 pm

    Thank you for your sterling work, Andrew (my copy of The Law of Self Defense is on its way), and thanks to Prof. Jacobson as well.

    While I’m at it, I appreciate the helpful and informed commentors (Ragspierre immediately springs to mind, but there are many others as well) who contributed their own helpful information and observations. Thanks everyone, it’s been stressful, but at least a good conclusion.

      Indeed, I was only one of many legal professionals shining the spotlight of truth on this case, Rags prominent among the others.

      And then, of course, there were the trolls, presumably now back under their urine-scented bridges.

      Ah, I just laughed out a hearty laugh recollecting the troll silliness. I made a great effort, mostly successful, to not engage them personally. Thanks to many of you (Rags, again, particularly) for assuming the role of keeping them in check. It’s a thankless job, I know.

      –Andrew, @LawSelfDefense

        OmegaPaladin in reply to Andrew Branca. | July 14, 2013 at 12:43 am

        I learned a lot of about the law and how trials actually work here. Ragspierre was amazing as well. Hopefully I will learn even more when your book arrives! (I was the person asking about non-lethal self defense and websites discussing the burden of proof in self defense)

        Ragspierre in reply to Andrew Branca. | July 14, 2013 at 1:10 am

        Gorsh, fellers… I am humbled. And that takes some doing…

          Well Rags do not let that humility go to your head 🙂

          It is true, you really helped all of us non-lawyer types to understand the system.

          In fact, as an outsider I gained a lot of benefit from your comments, and the comments of the other lawyers who proffered an opinion.

    McCoy2k in reply to Andrew Branca. | July 14, 2013 at 12:03 am

    Thank you Andrew for the insightful reporting and commentator. I’m going to get around to purchasing your book as well!

    NavyMustang in reply to Andrew Branca. | July 14, 2013 at 12:07 am

    Well done, sir! I have been so grateful that there was a place to go to where the commenters were sane (well, at least relatively sane!).

    Andrew you need to start getting busy writing a new book.

    This case needs to be written about because it is one where lots of mistakes were made.

    This case was always about self defense.

    TeacherinTejas in reply to Andrew Branca. | July 14, 2013 at 12:48 am

    Thank you Andrew. I love this blog and your reports, plus the comments from all the lawyers here on the posts, were very educational and enlightening for this layman. Thank you.

    How you Tweeted what had been said in court, even as you were listening to what they were saying in real time simply amazes me, and on top of that, all tweets must be limited to 140 charechters. And you were witty and entertaining as you did it.

    You’ve been my “go to” source since the trial started.. When I wasn’t at the desktop, I was following your twitter feeds on my iPhone or iPad.

    I wasn’t going to watch MSM reporting, so you were my sole source as the trial progressed.

    I’m eager to read your book, which was shipped to my husband’s place of work. I know I’ll leave a glowing recommendation on Amazon.

    best Regards

    Certainly has been Andrew. And you’ve been my “go to” place to go and read some sanity.

    Now, as far as this ride goes, I hope to see this rollercoaster start to gather steam and head downhill.

    Let’s find out about the real Trevon Martin and the unethical tactics the State carried out.

    Again, thank you so much Sir.

    Gremlin1974 in reply to Andrew Branca. | July 14, 2013 at 2:05 am

    Thanks for the play by play. Now, go home and mail me my book, lol.

      Have you been waiting long? We try to get them out so you’ll receive within 2-3 days of order.

      –Andrew, @LawSelfDefense

        Gremlin1974 in reply to Andrew Branca. | July 14, 2013 at 1:06 pm

        No, I haven’t been waiting, was just trying to be humorous, although I am looking forward to getting my book. It should be here Monday or Tuesday.

        Thanks again for all your work here and on the book.

    Thanks Andrew. YOU are brilliant! I am going to miss the ‘Zimmerman’ blog. Great verdict! JUSTICE FOR GEORGE!!! Hooray 🙂

Low Information Voter repeats the narrative! Moron!

She doesn’t understand. It’s the INJUSTICE SYSTEM!

Boo-hoo.

Robert Z being interviewed next by Piers Morgan ,( AKA insufferable asshat). Piers was SO sure it would be manslaughter. This I have to see.

I must be hallucinating. I thought I just saw a shorn buffalo dressed in a back & white checked shirt, red/white/blue striped tie and royal blue jacket. The beast was making unintelligible braying noises that reminded me of Al Sharpton.

Idiots, Idiots, Idiots…some woman on fox said “prosecutor doesn’t have problems convicting young black men”….sticks to the “he got out of his truck, so he’s guilty” meme

    Estragon in reply to Jazzizhep. | July 14, 2013 at 12:13 am

    I heard that, too – but also several others on every channel repeating the baseless “following” charge – as Andrew and others have pointed out, there was never a single shred of evidence supporting the contention GZ continued following TM after the dispatcher told him “we don’t need you to do that, sir” – and as testimony clarified, even that is as much a liability CYA as advice.

    Any number of attorneys (or those credited as such in media, many sound like morons to me) were repeating that and other unfounded memes straight from Race Pimp #1 Crump’s PR effort. What is the point of having a “legal expert” on the show if they can’t be bothered to even familiarize themselves with the facts of a high-profile case?

      inspectorudy in reply to Estragon. | July 14, 2013 at 2:01 am

      What was amazing to me was that most attorneys didn’t seem to realize that GZ could follow TM any time or place he wanted to LEGALLY as long as he made no threatening actions. He could legally ask him where he lived or why he was there. That’s what I would do if I spotted an unidentified person standing in a heavy rain at night in my neighbor’s yard looking around while wearing a hoodie. Good God! Jesse Jackson himself said that if he met a gang of Black teens coming toward him at night he would change to the other side of the street! Imagine if it were raining and they were all wearing black hoodies!

Carol Herman | July 13, 2013 at 11:35 pm

The jurors were smart. The knew it was late Saturday Night. And, this wasn’t SNL. They can go home before the “aggrieved community” does more, ahead, than twist and shout.

WOW. Females passed the intelligence test!

Knock-Knock. Our system works. Just like Omara said in the “opening of his close.”

    amwick in reply to Carol Herman. | July 14, 2013 at 7:16 am

    It worked at the end.. but the beginning was awful.. Justice whipped and prodded and driven by a big vicious machine, bypassing the path she normally takes.. But she was strong.. Justice is strong.. Can’t wait to see what she does next.

Geraldo and Juan get into it!

White Hispanic on Black crime wave!

What are the chances that the (in)justice department will try and file a “denial of civil rights” charge against Zimmerman ?

    Bruce Hayden in reply to plauer. | July 13, 2013 at 11:50 pm

    I know that a lot of people expect this of AG Holder, but I think that even for him, it would be too much. The FBI didn’t find anything, and he has already been caught using federal money to ferment racial unrest. My guess is that if DoJ indicts, he will get called before Congress to explain himself. There frankly isn’t a civil rights case there. GZ isn’t a racist, and that is even more obvious after the trial.

    DriveBy in reply to plauer. | July 13, 2013 at 11:54 pm

    Why do you keep asking the same question on all of the boards? Once again the answer is (still) zero to nil. Do you have your answer yet? Probably not, so I will happily answer you again 3 or 4 more times, again, tomorrow when you post this same question over and over. But hey, great question!!!

    It is one thing for the left to push a narrative, but…

      OmegaPaladin in reply to DriveBy. | July 14, 2013 at 12:53 am

      I am guessing he wants attention from someone he believes to be an expert. (No offense, but I don’t think he’s paying attention to you, DriveBy)

    Scott the Strategerist in reply to plauer. | July 14, 2013 at 12:38 am

    Please correct me if I’m wrong here, but the civil rights statutes are premised on the 13th and 14th alleged amendments (never ratified, but that’s another story) and therefore require state action. After the OJ acquittal, some people were calling for federal civil rights charges. The reason why it didn’t go anywhere there, and can’t go anywhere here, is because there’s no state action. In contradistinction to this, the Rodney King officers could be charged because they were govt employees and hence subject to 28 U.S.C. 241 and 242. If anyone disagrees, again, please cite to where I’m wrong?

      You’re wrong. Federal civil rights charges can be brought against anyone.

        Under what federal statute, exactly?

        The Rodney King officers were federally charged under: 18 U.S.C. § 242 : US Code – Section 242: Deprivation of rights under color of law.

        I’ve looked through US Code Chapter 13 (Civil Rights), and am not seeing a section that would apply. There are:

        1. Section 241 Conspiracy against rights. Actually requires “two or more persons” to deprive someone of rights to qualify. Nope.

        2. Section 242 Deprivation of rights under color of law. The Rodney King cops were charged in this, but Zimmerman wasn’t acting “under color of law”. … Unless the feds want to stretch this to cover a neighborhood watch guy not even “on patrol” at the time, which could be amusing.

        3. Section 243 Exclusion of jurors on account of race or color. Nope.

        4. Section 244 Discrimination against person wearing uniform of armed forces. Nope.

        5. Section 245 Federally protected activities. A big grab-bag, but nothing that would stretch as far as “checking someone out because they look shady” or “wondering what they’re up to”. Zimmerman wasn’t preventing Martin from using a hotel, or acting as a poll watcher, or enrolling in a public college, or.. Well you get the drift.

        6. Section 246 Deprivation of relief benefits. Doubtful.

        7. Section 247 Damage to religious property; obstruction of persons in the free exercise of religious beliefs. Good luck.

        8. Section 248 Freedom of access to clinic entrances. Yeah, no.

        So again, what federal civil rights statute would apply?

    Gremlin1974 in reply to plauer. | July 14, 2013 at 2:11 am

    Not that it would stop Holder, but the FBI already investigated this theory and determined that no civil right violation occurred. They thought they had him on at least manslaughter.

YancyDerringer | July 13, 2013 at 11:37 pm

Sharpton on MSNBC is sweating with some kind of… rage? Lying his head off, saying over and over again that GZ “stopped” TM and then shot him. Melissa Harris-Perry (sp?) making up her own version. Lisa Bloom inventing her own.

Andrew, Thanks. I hope to see your writing again, sometime soon.

    I may be around here a while yet–although of course at nothing like the recent intensity–the Professor and I are talking about it, see if it makes sense.

    –Andrew, @LawSelfDefense

      Iam A. Patriot in reply to Andrew Branca. | July 14, 2013 at 12:10 am

      ^^^^Excellent news^^^^

      Major props to you and Professor Jacobson for the high-performance coverage of this trial.

      IAP

      Estragon in reply to Andrew Branca. | July 14, 2013 at 12:18 am

      The Professor is quietly putting together an All-Star team here (and a Futurity Team at CI) after years of being essentially a one-man show. Your excellent coverage of this trial shows you would be an excellent addition.

      Andrew you have been a wonderful addition to this blog. I am sure there will be other things you can write about 🙂

      Andrew, I could be lured back to LI, if you become a regular poster. I’ll check back.

        Well, whatever contribution I can make here, it’s always going to be Professor Jacobson’s blog. Personally, I think he does a great job with it–I was a fan here long before I was guest-blogging on the Zimmerman case. If you don’t, that’s fine, but I doubt anything I might contribute would substantively change the overall tone of this blog. How?

        –Andrew, @LawSelfDefense

Wow, Robert Zimmerman is kicking Piers Morgan’s tail.

Juan Williams, whom I respect, just stated GZ was not guilty b/c of the legal definition, but it doesn’t consider the heart. WTF JUAN!!! what would like law book look like?

    Estragon in reply to Jazzizhep. | July 14, 2013 at 12:22 am

    Every now and then Juan can’t help himself, he has to fall in the Grievance Line and join in singing the old familiar hymns.

    He shouldn’t play poker, though, he has a tell like semaphore. The worse the lie he’s told, the louder he speaks and the more he interrupts, and he gets a look on his face like a kid caught red-handed who hopes if he just keeps rattling on, no one will notice he’s painted the kitchen floor and the dog lime green.

Gandalf the Black | July 13, 2013 at 11:43 pm

Hey Juan – the cops investigated this to a faretheewell and had to stay quiet because, guess what, the law demands silence of them! How DARE you wail about “seeming” indifference on behalf of SPD and the County. How dare you?!

MSLSD still talking Stand Your Ground!

{{{{{{ I can’t hear you, I can’t hear you! }}}}}}

How is there a federal civil rights case here? The evidence showed self-defense, that TM attacked GZ.

Will our tax dollars be wasted by the DoJ to argue GZ should have let TM kill or cripple him?? They can have a different opinion, but they don’t have any different facts.

I salute the six honest and courageous women of the jury. They stood taller than I expected. I only hope that I would have measured up to their standard in such a situation. I hope that they do not suffer for their actions.

Sursum Corda | July 13, 2013 at 11:49 pm

As a long time reader & recently registered member, I would like to say,”Well done!” to the LI team.

Sursum Corda

First time I’ve seen RZ, Jr. Very impressive person. He’s pwning Piers nicely!

And confirms GZ has his gun back already!!!!

    Uncle Samuel in reply to caambers. | July 13, 2013 at 11:59 pm

    If Obama tries that, the reaction will make his ears wither and his prideful smirk disappear.

      Wilburdog in reply to Uncle Samuel. | July 14, 2013 at 12:20 am

      Uncle
      careful for what you wish for. Obama shrinking ears could make him look better. Looks like Spock now. (I like Spock. tho.)

    randian in reply to caambers. | July 14, 2013 at 12:00 am

    The Feds already considered and ruled out civil rights charges against Zimmerman. If they do bring such charges, the reversal will make the general public see it as a purely political move.

    not_surprised in reply to caambers. | July 14, 2013 at 12:18 am

    If that happens I’ll gladly buy George a ticket to Russia where he can join Snowden in the transit zone until his asylum in South America is granted 😉

Just an observation: it is ironic the verdict came came down on a Saturday night. We don’t need to guess what the Saturday Night Card Game is about!

RZ Jr. is KILLING Piers. Love it, love it, love it!

Oh gawd….Piers is such a troll. He keeps hammering on the ‘he killed a boy’ ‘unarmed….’ how irresponsible is this?

Thank you so much for the tremendous coverage and analysis, Andrew. I’ve appreciated the occasional sprinkles of wry humor as well.

Now I can let my brain relax, read my copy of LOSD, and deliver the second copy to my friend.

Angela Corey should resign immediately due to corruption, gross prosecutorial misconduct and violating George Zimmerman’s civil rights. She hid evidence, made deceptive and misleading public statements and, knowing there was no case, proceeded – for political reasons – to put a private citizen and his family through living hell for 18 months. She has also caused his safety to be at risk for the rest of his life.

SHE NEEDS TO GO NOW before she does this to someone else.

Sadly, as a police officer I ran into many Trayvon Martins and parents who did not give a damn! Some real hard core cases. Real hard core.

Over at The Diplomad I have nominated LI for media outlet of the year. Congratulations to LI for a superb job in covering this trial.

YancyDerringer | July 14, 2013 at 12:06 am

Well, on MSNBC Sharpton GUARANTEED that he and the others WILL be filing civil rights suits against GZ. We’ll see. But I certainly hope the whole TM story starts spreading further, at least before the NO LIMIT N*GGA is canonized.

    txantimedia in reply to YancyDerringer. | July 14, 2013 at 12:11 am

    Sharpton doesn’t have a brain in his head. George is immune from civil suits. Let him try.

    guycocoa in reply to YancyDerringer. | July 14, 2013 at 12:25 am

    Wouldn’t it be great if Sharpton filed suit against GZ and gave MOM and MW discovery. Oh the things they might find.

    since when do blacks file civil rights suits on each other? George is of mixed race and he is as black as the current POTUS, if not blacker.

    What, exactly, would be his standing to sue, hm?

    Last time I checked, random Americans can not sue anyone they disliked over alleged injury to a third party they have no relationship to.

    Hell, if that worked, I’d be suing a large array of people whom I think have damaged someone, somewhere, somehow. For example, I’d start by suing the people who have outrageously damaged and defamed George Zimmerman.

    Yawn . .

    Alfred Sharpton files dozens of law suits. He never follows up on them. All it costs is a modest filing fee.

    When Rudy Giuliani was NYC Mayor, he refused to discuss Sharpton with reporters, etc. …. …. Without the press coverage, Alfred became a non-entity. Disappeared …. …. Now, with his MSLSD show,and sycophant media coverage, he’s back (sort of like herpes).

    caambers in reply to YancyDerringer. | July 14, 2013 at 9:36 am

    What standiing does that hack have to file a civil suit?

ProfessionalSpectator | July 14, 2013 at 12:06 am

Normally, a parent is not vicariously liable for the torts of their children. However, the notable exception is when the parent has knowledge of the child’s aggressive and violent traits and fails to control them. I think it’s going to be very very interesting moving forward because, as the State LOVED to remind us, Trayvon Martin was a minor or “child.” Furthermore, we now know (courtesy of Mr. Martin’s cell phone records) that he had a violent character and that his parents were aware of this. Given these facts, a very plausible negligent suit could be filed on the Martin family for allowing Trayvon to wander the streets unsupervised. Just a thought. I certainly wouldn’t hesitate in filing that lawsuit.

    Well, they do have their share of the $1 million settlement the HOA’s insurance company gave them – but anyone wanting a piece of that better hurry. They didn’t impress me as big savers, and money never lasts very long when Crump and Sharpton are around.

not_surprised | July 14, 2013 at 12:12 am

Thanks to AC and team this is what we’ve learned from this trial:

we need to create a national voice registry, in which each and everyone of us records ourselves screaming for our lives. This way it can be compared to 911 tapes and remove any doubt as to who is attacking who should we shoot someone of a different race in self defense…

not_surprised | July 14, 2013 at 12:13 am

Does the HOA get their settlement money back?

    DriveBy in reply to not_surprised. | July 14, 2013 at 12:16 am

    No. BTW, The reason that they settled for the maximum on the policy is because George admitted to following Treyvon; that is prohibited under the policy.

      Exiliado in reply to DriveBy. | July 14, 2013 at 12:30 am

      How do you know that?

      Do you have access to the policy?

      Can an insurance company restrict citizen’s legal rights?

        Estragon in reply to Exiliado. | July 14, 2013 at 12:34 am

        Since the HOA had no control over Zimmerman or the Neighborhood Watch program, I suspect he just is repeating something he heard on the internet.

    Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahah! Oh, man, you’re funny. 🙂

      DriveBy in reply to Andrew Branca. | July 14, 2013 at 12:23 am

      OK, with too many Ha Ha Ha’s perhaps. So why did/would an insurance company pay out the maximum ($1,000,000.00) on a policy then Andrew?

        Estragon in reply to DriveBy. | July 14, 2013 at 12:32 am

        He was responding to the post about getting their money back, I think.

        But the insurance company settled because they figured defending the case and the eventual settlement would cost that much anyway. It’s just math.

          DriveBy in reply to Estragon. | July 14, 2013 at 12:34 am

          I don’t know you, so certainly no offense intended, allright? But: BULLSHIT!

          rantbot in reply to Estragon. | July 14, 2013 at 4:47 am

          Yes, that’s routine. Insurers don’t fight for principles, they fight for their bottom line. They expect it will cost X dollars to defend, and it will cost Y dollars to just settle. If they expect X to be greater than Y, they settle. It is, of course, a short-sighted strategy, as it encourages frivolous and even ridiculous accusations.

        Estragon is correct on both counts. (Thanks for saving me typing, Estragon.)

        –Andrew, @LawSelfDefense

legacyrepublican | July 14, 2013 at 12:21 am

Thank you Andrew. You have helped us understand the law, the process, and the verdict.

Thank you Professor Jacobson. Your blog is extraordinary and a real blessing.

Thank you Ragspierre. Your comments have been the icing on the cake on more than one occasion when I was digesting the rich cake Andrew was serving.

I am so thrilled with this verdict!

    Rags earns my respect for his comments on this case. His legal opinion at times was necessary.

    Also retiredprosecutor deserves a special mention and for the same reason.

    I noticed that there were many prosecutors and former prosecutors who believed that the charges were nothing more than b.s. and that this case should never have been brought before the courts.

    We were all watching the outcome of the case. I am glad it is over and justice has been seen to be done.

    I find the verdict bittersweet. Many innocent people – Zimmerman, the various employees who were punished for honestly – have been seriously damamged, and many criminals – Sharpton, Crump, the media, the prosecution – have got aways woth their crimes.

    The fact is (and this applies here in Israel too) that the only reason the system works at all is because presecutors do not bring cases unless its almost 100% proven. When the media or politics gets involved, anything could happen, and the innocent can easily be convicted.

Gandalf the Black | July 14, 2013 at 12:21 am

Andrew – Any educated guess as to the damages MOM can recover for this prosecution? What about what he needs to prove in the ethics charges he is pursuing? Maybe this can be a future post?

I guess the jury thought the voice crying for help belonged to George Zimmerman!

(Because it was! Anyone who thought otherwise is a maroon.)

Wow. Just wow.

    DriveBy in reply to Fabi. | July 14, 2013 at 12:59 am

    Fabi it must be your name that allows you to get away with more crap on these boards without getting attacked or even thumbs downed. You get thumbs uped often times when you say stupid thing!? I don’t know!? You must be blessed!

    Maroons, morons, same thing I guess if your name is Fabi!

      Michiguy in reply to DriveBy. | July 14, 2013 at 1:34 am

      Bugs Bunny reference. Not the people. Sheesh.

      mzk in reply to DriveBy. | July 14, 2013 at 1:44 am

      Or maybe he makes more sense than you do?

      Or maybe the rest of us get old pop culture references?

      Milhouse in reply to DriveBy. | July 14, 2013 at 1:59 am

      What a maroon.

      Fabi in reply to DriveBy. | July 14, 2013 at 2:59 am

      Sometimes I’m too clever by half, sometimes I make cultural references that are rather obscure. Most times my ‘stooopid’ comments are quite sarcastic – must be my wise Latina sense of humor…

      And I’ve been thumbs-downed on many occasions, but I don’t keep score. I just go with the flow.

      It’s all good, homie. Peace.

        It was the Bugs Bunny reference that upset Driveby… someone who has not watched a good cartoon….

        …. what a maroon…..

I am extremely glad the jury decided correctly here. There were no facts sufficient to support a conviction. Zimmerman had a rock solid self defense case.

Gandalf the Black | July 14, 2013 at 12:26 am

Holder is gonna bring evidence that there is evidence TM cried out in the courtroom where GZ was acquitted. Dr. Bao will have no opinion on this.

not_surprised | July 14, 2013 at 12:27 am

It sure would be nice if Obama invited GZ over for apology beer to make up for the damaging circus he fostered.

Ben Jealous, President of the NAACP just issued a statement asking the DOJ to pursue a civil rights case against Zimmerman.

    guycocoa in reply to txantimedia. | July 14, 2013 at 12:33 am

    We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.–That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, –That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.

    Estragon in reply to txantimedia. | July 14, 2013 at 12:37 am

    They’ve kept an open investigation at DOJ just in case. The lack of evident outrage at the verdict probably weighs against bringing federal charges, though.

    Now, if Obama thought it would help boost black turnout for the midterms, he still might do it.

    Exiliado in reply to txantimedia. | July 14, 2013 at 12:46 am

    I wonder what could be the reaction of those people at the NAACP if somebody created an organization called NAAWP.

Today’s Gospel at Mass was the story of the Good Samaritan. I saw it as an omen, and then prayed for George and his family.

Has anyone else wondered if TM’s fingerprints showed up in any of the homes that were broken into?I would not put it past this prosecution team to either direct the police not to run his fingerprints or not report it if they did find a match.

    DriveBy in reply to Annie. | July 14, 2013 at 12:51 am

    Annie, Teyvon is dead and buried. George is free. Maybe it is time to move on…

      mzk in reply to DriveBy. | July 14, 2013 at 1:40 am

      As sson as his prarents refund the money, and pay Zimmerman for all of the suffering they caused him.

      rantbot in reply to DriveBy. | July 14, 2013 at 4:56 am

      Probably not quite yet. The case is dead, but it can’t hurt to drive a stake through it. Just to be sure it stays dead.

      Otherwise we may be stuck with another Sacco & Vanzetti.

        mzk in reply to rantbot. | July 14, 2013 at 5:41 am

        The thing about Sacco and Vanzetti is that the last thing their “defenders” wanted was aquittal. Reminds me of the filmaker Obama got jailed – everybody screams at Obama, but no-one tries to get him freed.

          problem is the man violated his parole. It might have been the reason that he was set up in the first place… if he really was set up.

Rumor: After the televised press conference Attorney Don West was approached in the hallway by a reporter who asked him what he really thought of the prosecution team.

His reply was “They are a bunch of f**king a**hole punks.”

Given how the prosecution seemed less than accepting of the decision of the jury how long will it be until each of those jurors has their life turned upside down (as if it hasn’t been already) in an effort by the prosecution to find juror misconduct? Once they find it, and they will, they’ll claim that jeopardy never attached to GZ because the fix was in with the juror and they’ll want to retry him.

    robbi in reply to guycocoa. | July 14, 2013 at 1:42 am

    Enjoy the fact that Zimmerman was found not guilty.
    The jurors can tell anyone who asks to go f themselves. I don’t think any misconduct will be found. The jurors were women, not idiots. They made up their minds based on the lack of evidence put on by the state. The prosecution will be very frustrated if they don’t let this go.

In a perfect owrld, thousands of people would be demonstrating in Florida demanding the jailing of the prosecutors for obstruction of justice and perjury.

NO JUSTICE – NO PEACE!

“West says there “there no monsters here.” ”

Huh? No Monsters?

Sharpton, a man who already has blood on his hands.

Crump. The Media. The Prosecutors.

All monsters.

There is a Judge and there is Justice.

If not in this workld, then in the next.

BannedbytheGuardian | July 14, 2013 at 1:43 am

Way back I followed this on Conservativetreehouse which kept at it like a bulldog. It was becoming rather subversive – not that they were not right – I had to leave the site for security & sanity reasons.

One day I shall go back & read what I missed. They were on the verge of being enemies of the State of Florida. I am certain if the verdict had not come in the peeps there would have been tracked down & persecuted.

    Maybe they can come down to Florida and demonstrate for justice for Zimmeman and the prosecutions of BDLR and company?

      BannedbytheGuardian in reply to mzk. | July 14, 2013 at 2:07 am

      I saw something via another site that Florida was being uber aggressive towards their FOIs.

      CTH just dodged a bullet themselves.
      !

I don’t watch much TV….
When the heck did Heraldo Rivera become the voice of reason???
He is the first guy I have seen on TV that seems to understand the case.

I’m a little puzzled at George’s almost none reaction to hearing “not guilty”. I would have broke down in hysterics with relief and happiness. I wonder if he was sedated beyond his normal medication.
Hope someone brought him some ammo for his protection piece.

    Irony Tag in reply to rekorb. | July 14, 2013 at 9:17 am

    I suspect he was coached on that. Any exuberance would have been viewed as ‘dancing on the grave’ of a child by many.

    MrE in reply to rekorb. | July 14, 2013 at 12:15 pm

    Not unusual for someone under prolonged emotional duress. It takes time to come back up from that kind of pressure, to restore emotional equilibrium. Kudos to George for composure under extreme duress and in the face of institutionalized abuse.

    edbarbar in reply to rekorb. | July 14, 2013 at 2:05 pm

    Did you see the Dad? He had the same expression. I am thinking he was giving himself over to the court system, and stoically awaiting his fate. My read of this is he viewed it as “God’s Will,” whatever happened, and no matter how personally difficult. And let us not forget, this is only one of at least two more battles to come, and he could not be unaware of them. The civil trial, and the DOJ revenge investigation/possible trial. Not to mention, what kind of life can he lead.

    Also, I think there is a bit of humility about him, and don’t think he wanted to be a poor winner.

And THAT is what a sore loser sounds like.

–Andrew, @LawSelfDefense

    rekorb in reply to Andrew Branca. | July 14, 2013 at 4:04 am

    If you’re talking about me, I’m stunned. You could not be more wrong. I’ve am definitely a George supporter. Definitely not a sore loser.
    I was just making an observation about his lack of emotion upon learning he’s a free man at last. Especially considering the alternative.

    And it’s well known(from the testimony) that he takes a downer medication.
    His brother said tonight that they returned his pistol to him as he left the courthouse. One bullet in TM, at least 2 in forensic lab testing, maybe more. Once again, I hope someone brought him some extra ammo. He may not have gotten any of his original ammo back. He needs to be armed at all times, especially in the near term.

    No, definitely not a sore loser. I couldn’t be more happy for him. I feel like a winner.

      I listened to every minute of testimony. Please point me to the bit where it was stated with certainty that GZ was an a “downer” (whatever that means in medical terms) medication., and even if prescribed that he actually had it in his bloodstream the night of events.

      Dooh.

      –Andrew, @LawSelfDefense

        rekorb in reply to Andrew Branca. | July 14, 2013 at 4:24 am

        I read the name of the medication on another blog—-something I didn’t recognize. I’ll try to find it. I got the impression it was for sedation. If I’m wrong, I apologize.
        But he was still more stoic than I could possibly have been, meds or not.

        I’m so happy for him.

        BTW, his brother is very impressive.

          DennisD in reply to rekorb. | July 14, 2013 at 5:06 am

          To me, Zimmerman did seem remarkably stoic after the verdict was read. As to his brother, a more unlikable individual I’ve rarely seen.

          It was Temazepam and most likely it was only ever for short term use for specific sleep issues at the time it was prescribed. There is no evidence that he was taking it on the night he was attacked or even after the attack.

          teapartydoc in reply to rekorb. | July 14, 2013 at 9:16 am

          No one on Xanax would have been able to handle the situation George was in while he was on his back.

          caambers in reply to rekorb. | July 14, 2013 at 9:42 am

          I believe it came out possibly pre-trial that George had been on some sort of anti-anxiety medicine. It was known he had trouble sleeping (prior to this) and that was another reason he was taking the gym classes. Going from memory but that is the gist of it.

      George was prescribed Temazepam to help him with sleep issues when he was staying at the hospital with his grandmother.
      There is no evidence that this was a long term prescription.

      FYI in the past, because of sleep and pain issues I have been prescribed the same medication.

      I add here that George would not have taken that medication on the night of the attack, because he would not have gone out if he had taken it.

      Ditto for hearing the verdict. He would not have taken the medication if he was at the court house.

      In my mind his initial reaction was probably due to the fact that he was:

      a) afraid of the jury verdict
      b) not really sure how to react when he heard “not guilty”

      Immediately after that point he was smiling with Don West and the female lawyer.

[…] William Murray, Lord Mansfield said that……and Saturday night, six very brave women took it to heart and declared George Zimmerman not guilty….. […]

Good to see justice was done, but I find this whole affair sobering.

Thanks again, Andrew, for your time and really fine reporting.

So what about the delayed hearing about prosecutorial misconduct?

iaintnolibtard | July 14, 2013 at 5:26 am

“Had a gun-toting Trayvon Martin stalked an unarmed George Zimmerman, and then shot him to death… DO I EVEN NEED TO COMPLETE THIS SENTENCE?”
— Michael Moore (@MMFlint) July 14,

Michael, i can’t believe you tweeted that you idiot; please allow me to complete the sentence for you…”it never would have received any MSM attention whatsoever as usual”!!!!

Michael, you so far out there to the left that if you turned around and took a step, you’d be right…and you let it affect any critical thinking ability that you may possess!

You’re such a moron even your imaginary friend hates you!

They skipped a Grand Jury? How is that constitutional?

    Fredlike in reply to mzk. | July 14, 2013 at 7:23 am

    The Grand Jury requirement from the Constitution has never been passed to the states. I am a non lawyer but the courts over the years have made lots of mistakes, the first was not applying the parts of the Bill of Rights to the states that were not explicitly applied only to Congress, like the 1st amendment. The second was not applying all the Bill of Rights to the states after the passing of the 14th amendment.

Unfinished business: 1. Angela Corey needs to be indicted for wrongful prosecution and withholding evidence. 2. Gov. Scott needs to be impeached for putting Angela Corey in a position of authority. 3. Zimmerman needs to sue NBC for doctoring the 911 tape. 4. Congress needs to abolish the CRS.

I’m sure others can add to this list…

    DriveBy in reply to snopercod. | July 14, 2013 at 9:16 am

    Good luck with that…

    fogflyer in reply to snopercod. | July 14, 2013 at 11:36 am

    Well, #3 has already happened, and I am pretty sure George will get a rather large settlement for NBC full of non disclosure terms. They don’t want that going to trial.

    As to Corey, I not know what will happen to her, but I suspect she is in for some rocky times ahead. I think it will depend on if the powers above decide to try and cover for her, or decide to throw her to the wolves.

[…] Of course, George Zimmerman was a white Hispanic and the son of a former Virginia magistrate. His dad even wrote a book arguing that blacks are the real racists. In fact, writes Cornell law professor William Jacobson at Legal Insurrection, “this was a case that never should have been brought. It’s not too early to demand an inquiry into ….” […]

Post verdict observations:

Robert Zimmerman Jr. was most impressive vs. the loathsome Piers Morgan. Eloquent and brimming with righteous conviction, as was O’Mara in guaranteeing he will protect GZ against civil harassment.

Rick Scott must pay the price for his craven subversion of the rule of law. The FL GOP is probably the most corrupt state party in the country, so there are few attractive options for a primary, but a challenge would still be desirable.

As long as the Leg stays red, it doesn’t particularly matter who’s the Gov, esp. compared to Scott.

Crump was banking on the female jury and O’Mara was concerned about it, which is why his closing became a hyper-rigorous explication of law and fact, leaving the ladies utterly no possibility of rendering an emotional verdict that would not be immediately exposed as absurd.

Bravo. O’Mara now becomes nothing less than the preeminent criminal defense attorney in the country.

God Bless Kel Tec.

Question to GZ: still a Dem?

[…] One small step for justice in Florida.   George Zimmerman has been found not guilty, as indeed he is, from Andrew Branca, Legal Insurrection: […]

Did anyone else find Angela Corey’s presser a bit unprofessional? She came across as being at a cocktail party complete with incessant smiling, heavy makeup and jewelry….Is she auditioning for something (a promotion now that she “played the game” for the DOJ?)?

[…] Not guilty on all counts. […]

teapartydoc | July 14, 2013 at 9:20 am

I am left with a shimmer of hope for our country.

Oh gawd…Daryl Parks is blathering on TV this am….honestly…where did he get his law license from? He obviously doesn’t understand what self-defense is.

I was glad to hear MOM say that the DA’s office will have to pick up some of his costs for the trial. Too bad it can’t come from their personal pay checks. Bernie is the consummate poor loser, he was a joke during the presser.

[…] sins of the prosecution, I refer you to Anthony Branca's tweets from last night, included in this post at Legal Insurrection. Keep scrolling and loading […]

George Zimmerman ‘s reaction was proper. I’m sure he was relieved that jury acquitted him, but he was also aware that a life was lost. I believe he acted with dignity & sensitivity to the Martin family. Even though they & the race baiters who shamelessly used their sons death did all they could to slander & possibly cause physical harm to him & his family. ( publishing addresses,, etc.) This needs to be a conversation starter about this ” gettho culcha” undoing the real struggles that black people overcame during the civil rights era. Also someone needs to shine a BRIGHT SPOTLIGHT on the FL school system & find out why a 19 yr old high school junior cannot read cursive; and possibly not read at all.
So many minorities have overcome poverty & the generation cycle of welfare with the opportunities America has. They worked hard… too damn hard to let these wannabe “gangstas ” undo the real struggle they faced – INDEPENDENCE – not from slavery, but from a Democratic Party that has a political & financial. Interest in keeping them poor & dependent on the Government.
I attended a parochial school that was at least 30% minority & I can assure you if any of those kids had tried that gangsta crap. Their parents would have “”” all the way to Macy’s window”… These minority parents busted their asses off to give their kids a way out of poverty..opportunity they never had.
TM was failed by a political system that encourages fatherlessness by rewarding women for having unprotected sex & the rewards grow with every fatherless child. Slavery still exists but the racebaiters & democrats have become the
slaveowners …
STOP THE SOCIAL PROMOTION CRAP IN SCHOOLS
PARENTS GET INVOLVED- KNOW WHERE & WHO YOUR CCHILDRRN ARE WITH!
PAY ATTENTION TO YOUR KIDS & PUT YOUR SELFISHNESS ASIDE …
IF YOU HAVE CHILDREN YOU HAVE MADE A COMMITTMENT TO BRING THOSE CHILDREN INTO ADULTHOOD SAFELY & EDUCATED!
ITS A SACRAFICE… BUT THE REWARDS ARE MANY!
In this day & age.. birth control is readily available. If you cant control yourself long enough to be responsible & use birth control if you cannot afford to have children then you are not responsible enough to raise a child.

It’s thrilling that six women would overcome enormous pressure to do the right thing. I didn’t think they could. What a triumph for truth and justice!

Now, let justice really ring out with the disbarment of that corrupt and disgusting special prosecutor. Or better yet, throw her in jail for 30 years.

Interesting how the “profiling” has been from “race baiters”! Just heard the CEO of NAACP on CNN.

leafsfan1967 | July 14, 2013 at 3:37 pm

Hi all. I have read a lot about this case and am left confused about one thing. Is there anyway to know if Zimmerman is not guilty of second degree murder because 1) the state could not prove beyond a reasonable the elements of the crime (eg: acted with a depraved mind) OR 2) the state could not disprove beyond a reasonable doubt self defence? Or is there no way of knowing which is the case? I guess I have the same question around manslaughter as well.

Would appreciate a discussion!

    Mac45 in reply to leafsfan1967. | July 14, 2013 at 5:18 pm

    I have seen no statement from the jury as to the reason for their finding of not guilty. And, there is nothing on the jury form that explains a not guilty verdict. So, all is simply speculation. That being said, I will offer my own opinion.

    If the jury understood the jury instructions as to what constitutes both 2nd degree murder and manslaughter and the legal exception to both inherent in self defense, then some assumptions can be made.

    The first would be that the elements of the crime of 2nd murder were never proven in court.

    The second would be that elements of manslaughter were not proven in court.

    The third would be that the elements of manslaughter were proven in court, but that the defense of use of deadly force in lawful self defense was also proven in court.

    I believe the first assumption to be valid. The elements for the charge of 2nd degree murder were never present, before, during or after the trial.

    I believe that the second is not valid because the defense all but stipulated to facts that are, in themselves, the elements of manslaughter.

    But, the third assumption makes the most sense. The force used, while it resulted in the death of Martin, was justified under the laws of the state of Florida with regard to self defense. This is due largely to the wording of FSS 782.02 and FSS 776.012

    782.02 Justifiable use of deadly force.—The use of deadly force is justifiable when a person is resisting any attempt to murder such person or to commit any felony upon him or her or upon or in any dwelling house in which such person shall be.

    776.012 Use of force in defense of person.—A person is justified in using force, except deadly force, against another when and to the extent that the person reasonably believes that such conduct is necessary to defend himself or herself or another against the other’s imminent use of unlawful force. However, a person is justified in the use of deadly force and does not have a duty to retreat if:
    (1) He or she reasonably believes that such force is necessary to prevent imminent death or great bodily harm to himself or herself or another or to prevent the imminent commission of a forcible felony; or
    (2) Under those circumstances permitted pursuant to s. 776.013.

    It makes the most sense that the exceptions to manslaughter and unlawful use of deadly force were based upon these statutes, the elements of which were soundly proven to be in place by physical and testimonial evidence.

    This was a straight up self defense case with extremely strong evidence to support the use of deadly force in self defense.

    Only my personal opinion, of course. But, i hope that it helps.

I reckon if the jury believed the state proved their charges beyond a reasonable doubt, self-defense would’ve been dismissed by them.

We’re hearing about Martin’s family filing a civil suit, would it be possible for Zimmerman to counter sue?

Also, say Martin’s family files suit, if the suit against NBC is made in a Zimmerman family member’s name would it prevent the Martin family from getting any of it?

[…] Insurrection provides additional insight into the thinking of the […]

Andrew, any valid coupon codes right now for the book? (I’m not a shill, on my word, LOL, I really want to know)

[…] the wake of Saturday’s not guilty verdict in the Zimmerman trial, demonstrations to protest the outcome have erupted all across the country, […]

[…] Insurrection) In the wake of Saturday’s not guilty verdict in the Zimmerman trial, demonstrations to protest the outcome have erupted all across the country, […]

[…] that George Zimmerman has been acquitted in a court of law, it’s reasonable to review how the case progressed. Breitbart provided a useful timeline. […]

[…] now that a verdict of “not guilty” has been rendered unto George Zimmerman by a jury of his peers, it seems that the Federal Justice […]