Delaware Concealed Carry Forum
State News & Gun News => NRA & National Gun News => Topic started by: Law of Self Defense on June 11, 2013, 12:14:39 PM
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Hey folks,
I just wanted to drop a note to let you know I'm covering the George Zimmerman trial down in Florida for one of the internet's largest legal blogs, Legal Insurrection.
Some of you may know me as a lawyer with a practice specializing in the law of self defense, others as that guy who shoots the IDPA matches wearing a suit jacket along with his cargo pants.
In any case, if you're tired of the incredibly biased mainstream media coverage (or should I call it mis-coverage) of the Zimmerman case, consider taking a look at my coverage of the trial and analysis of the legal issues, all from the perspective of a gun guy who has CCW'd every day of his adult life.
It is, of course, all entirely free, and Legal Insurrection doesn't sell anything.
Past coverage (up through last night's daily wrap-up post) can be found here: http://bit.ly/15KXK1a
Today's live coverage will be added to that list when Court goes into session at 9AM.
Thanks for your consideration!
Andrew
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Good to know.
IMHO, Zimmerman had no business following that kid as an armed civilian. Regardless of what happened in the end, he sought out, provoked and prolonged a confrontation -- knowing that violence could result from his actions -- and I have no problem charging him with Murder 2.
We all carry up here. We don't follow people around and confront them, because we're carrying. Zimmerman wanted to shoot someone, and he got his wish.
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This is an opinion one might have, if one only watches MSNBC, CNN, or NBC. Biased liberal reporting is all you will see there. The 911 tapes tells us Zimmerman was following Martin, but returned to his van, when told to do so by the 911 operator. As a community watch person, and being suspicious of Martin's intentions, it was natural for him to keep an eye on Martin. Unless you are clarivoyant, you can not pre- judge Zimmerman. Until the truth comes out in this trial, if it does, only the jury can pass judgement, not us!
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This is an opinion one might have, if one only watches MSNBC, CNN, or NBC. Biased liberal reporting is all you will see there. The 911 tapes tells us Zimmerman was following Martin, but returned to his van, when told to do so by the 911 operator. As a community watch person, and being suspicious of Martin's intentions, it was natural for him to keep an eye on Martin. Unless you are clarivoyant, you can not pre- judge Zimmerman. Until the truth comes out in this trial, if it does, only the jury can pass judgement, not us!
I don't watch any of those channels (nor Fox "News," or any other TV news except the local weather).
As armed civilians, it is our duty to stay out of trouble.
Zimmerman went looking for trouble, and found it.
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Regardless of what happened in the end, he sought out, provoked and prolonged a confrontation.
Well, in that case, you might not enjoy my coverage of the trial. We're all entitled to an opinion, of course.
In covering the trial, however, I stick to fact with some evidentiary basis. No imaginary facts included. :-)
I can't recall the last time I heard about someone who "sought out, provoked and prolonged a confrontation" who called the police for assistance beforehand and throughout. (That call would be an example of a "fact".)
Andrew
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I have been watching this circus from the beginning. The fix is in, Zimmerman is the victim of a modern day politically correct lynching. The New Black Panther party offering a wanted dead or alive bounty on Zimmerman, Sharpton holding a "civil rights" rally then stepping off the platform and right on to the stage of his MSNBC show reporting on his own rally, Obama saying if he had a son he would look like Trayvon, prosecutor misconduct, withholding evidence, their main witness caught lying on her deposition, evidence on Martin's phone of his leading a thug lifestyle not allowed, his THC level not allowed to be mentioned, NBC caught editing the 911 call, the media declaring Zimmerman guilty because the grainy photos from the police station that night did not appear to show injuries (they were pretty much silent when the better high def pictures clearly showed his injuries) the list goes on and on. There is a ton of reasonable doubt that the judge is doing her best to not allow to be heard. They are going to hand his head over to the race hustlers on a platter as if they were offering up a sacrifice in the name of white guilt. If Zimmerman's lawyers pull off a miracle and he is found not guilty then I suspect that the reactions spurred on by these race hustlers will make the Rodney King riots look tame.
So.....I guess you now how I feel about this.
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keep up the good work
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keep up the good work
Sure thing, thanks for the interest.
FYI, my summary of yesterday's Zimmerman trial jury selection can be found here:
http://legalinsurrection.com/2013/06/zimmerman-jury-selection-day-two-wrap-up-2/
Some interesting characters among those prospective jurors, including a woman with a one-winged pet crow, an African-American who refers to O'Reilly and Hannity as "Bill" and "Shaun", and a young woman who gets all here news information--ALL of it--from Facebook, and who wants to make sure sitting on the jury won't interfere with her planned summer trip to Dubai.
My live, all-day coverage of today's (Day 3) Zimmerman jury selection can be found here:
http://legalinsurrection.com/2013/06/zimmerman-trial-live-jury-selection-day-3-all-day-coverage/
Andrew
@LawSelfDefense
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OGG seems to have Zimmerman already convicted of Murder 2 and there hasn't been a trial. For someone that supposedly is a defender of the 2nd Amendment, you don'y seem to follow the other Constitutional rights of being innocent until proven guilty in a court of law, by a jury of your peers, after hearing all evidence presented. Walk a mile in Zimmermans shoes.
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OGG seems to have Zimmerman already convicted of Murder 2 and there hasn't been a trial. For someone that supposedly is a defender of the 2nd Amendment, you don'y seem to follow the other Constitutional rights of being innocent until proven guilty in a court of law, by a jury of your peers, after hearing all evidence presented. Walk a mile in Zimmermans shoes.
If I did walk a mile in anyone's shoes, it wouldn't be following a stranger in the dark... that's all I'm saying.
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If I did walk a mile in anyone's shoes, it wouldn't be following a stranger in the dark... that's all I'm saying.
Speaking of walking in someone's shoes: "A lie will go round the world while truth is pulling its boots on."--Mark Twain
Seems you're flying around the world at speed, oldgraygeek. There was no "following," except that Martin closed with and attacked Zimmerman. But if you didn't get that the first 100 times, I doubt you ever will. Have fun riding your fantasy train, but I think I'll get off here.
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Try reading these comments from the side. oldgraygeek’s conclusion was “-- and I have no problem charging him with Murder 2.” He clearly wants a trial to proceed. We all have a stake in the outcome.
The message is clearly that an armed man may have used different judgment because of the deadly potential he controlled.
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May be, but it sounded to me as though he had Zimmerman convicted before the trial. Just like the left-wing media and press.
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“-- and I have no problem charging him with Murder 2.”
Anybody who has "no problem charging him with Murder 2" is either simply a bitterly partisan against Zimmerman or ignorant of both what Murder 2 requires and the evidence of the case.
Murder 2 requires that Zimmerman have acted with a "depraved mind". There is nothing, not one shred of evidence, that he did so.
Whatever poor judgment anyone might feel Zimmerman used in exiting his vehicle to maintain observation of Martin while talking police int to the scene, there's nothing that even vaguely suggests the "depraved mind" required for Murder 2.
Anyone interested in a detailed and definitive explanation for why this is so, and what constitutes a "depraved mind" under Florida law, can feel free to take a look at my lengthy blog post on the subject, here:
http://legalinsurrection.com/2013/06/getting-to-murder-2-finding-george-zimmermans-depraved-mind/
If that doesn't convince you that the murder 2 charge is nothing more than a despicable case of over-charging by the State, nothing will.
Andrew
@LawSelfDefense
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May be, but it sounded to me as though he had Zimmerman convicted before the trial. Just like the left-wing media and press.
Yeah, well I do care what you think, Frank, so I haven't convicted him of anything.
I'm entirely unconcerned with the opinions, legal or otherwise, of some newbie from Massachusetts trying to plug his self-published book.
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I'm entirely unconcerned with the opinions, legal or otherwise, of some newbie from Massachusetts trying to plug his self-published book.
Don't go way hurt . . .
Incidentally, I don't believe I've plugged my book anywhere in this thread . . . but thanks to you, I guess, for doing so.
Andrew
@LawSelfDefense
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I'm entirely unconcerned with the opinions, legal or otherwise, of some newbie from Massachusetts trying to plug his self-published book.
Don't go way hurt . . .
Incidentally, I don't believe I've plugged my book anywhere in this thread . . . but thanks to you, I guess, for doing so.
Andrew
@LawSelfDefense
Yeah, well, according to Google, you've been spamming concealed-carry blogs all over the country this month. (I left out quite a few other things that Google says about you)...
And I'm not going to "go way" (sic). Unlike you, I've been a part of this forum for some time. It takes a lot more than some self-important "lawyer" to get me to "go way."
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you've been spamming concealed-carry blogs all over the country this month
This is spam? Engaging in dialogue on a blog? So are you spamming right now, too?
Andrew
@LawSelfDefense
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Are we really going to allow our egos to get in the way and have a "pissing" match here on this forum?
I suspect not all of the facts have come out yet. Lets not argue until we see all of the facts, and see what the final outcome turns out to be.
Since we are members of this forum, aren't we all of like minds...at least to some extent?
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Hey folks,
I just posted up my summary of today's voir dire of prospective jurors for the Zimmerman trial, click the link below if you'd like to read it.
http://legalinsurrection.com/2013/06/zimmerman-jury-selection-day-three-wrap-up//#more
In brief, two events today were particularly interesting . . . or, more accurately, shocking.
First was a prospective juror, J39, who told the Court that as far as he was concerned, murder's murder, no matter what. Even if it's self defense. Self-defense doesn't make it right to kill somebody." When asked if he would be biased in this case on the issue of self-defense as murder he responded, "Yes," and that he would not be able to set his opinion aside.
Prospective juror J39 was promptly dismissed by the court.
Far more disturbing, however, was prospective juror E7, who may have attempted to perpetuate a despicable fraud upon the Court in an effort to destroy the integrity of the jury.
While being questioned by the State, E7 made all the right noises about having not yet made up his mind about the case. He said, for example, that if someones within their right to defend themselves, they shouldn't be arrested.
The entire time he was being questioned by the State, however, the defense table was scribbling like crazy. They asked to approach the bench, along with the State, and there was a hurried discussion with Judge Nelson out of everyone's hearing. After a few minutes Judge Nelson addressed E7, held up a printed Facebook page, and asked him if he had made this post on a Facebook page called "Coffee Page Progressives." He said that he had. Judge Nelson then noted for the record that the post in question had been made on March 21, 2012.
I took the liberty at looking at the Facebook postings for "Coffee Party Progressives" on that date. What I found was a hard-core Progressive site that, among other things, advocated for the violent death of George Zimmerman: "I say give the guy some skittles and an iced tea and shoot him in the head," wrote one commenter. Another commenter wrote, ". . . In Sanford . . . & I CAN tell you THIS. "Justice" . . . IS Coming! " and "The Seminole County "Justice" System needs an ENEMA . . . & they just MIGHT GET one!"
Prospective juror E7 was also promptly dismissed by the court.
To see the entire wrap-up of today's third day of voir dire, including screen caps of the "Coffee Party Progressives" posts and comments from March 21, 2012, just click here:
http://legalinsurrection.com/2013/06/zimmerman-jury-selection-day-three-wrap-up//#more
Best,
Andrew
@LawSelfDefense
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Thanks for the zimmerman updates .
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Thanks for the zimmerman updates .
Sure thing.
Our all-day, live coverage will be starting up again today right when Court goes into session, typically shortly after 9AM. Go to the home page of www.legalinsurrection.com if your interested in following along. And, of course, we'll have our daily summary post up this evening, as usual.
Yesterday had some pretty explosive revelations, what with jurors R69 and E7, it will be interesting to see what the Zimmerman trial brings us today.
Andrew
@LawSelfDefense
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It turns out the best line to come out of the Zimmerman trial yesterday might have been delivered after the Court had recessed for the day.
Attorney Benjamin Crump, advisory to the Martin family, announced to the press that, ""The evidence shows there is no blood on Trayvon's hands."
I guess he hasn't seen this picture:
(http://andrewbranca.smugmug.com/Journalism/Zimmerman-Trial/i-FXMgR9m/0/M/zimmerman_scene_photo-M.jpg)
Andrew
@LawSelfDefense
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Just FYI, Day 4 of jury selection has just kicked into gear. Our live, all-day coverage can be found at Legal Insurrection here (http://"http://legalinsurrection.com/2013/06/zimmerman-trial-live-jury-selection-day-4-all-day-coverage/"), if you're interested in following along.
We'll also be doing our usual end-of-day summary of events. I'll drop a brief note when that's up, for folks who are interested.
Andrew
@LawSelfDefense
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Anyone who still promotes the WRONG fact that Trayvon had iced tea is either intentionally misleading or plain just does not know the facts.
The teenager was packing a bag of Skittles and a can of Arizona iced tea.
http://parkscrump.com/trayvon-martins-family-attorney-gains-spotlight/ (http://parkscrump.com/trayvon-martins-family-attorney-gains-spotlight/)
He was walking back to the residence after buying a bag of Skittles candy and a can of iced tea from a nearby convenience store
http://www.thestar.com/news/world/2013/06/09/trayvon_martin_murder_case_goes_to_trial_in_florida.html
What difference does it make if he had iced tea or Arizona Iced Tea brand of watermelon fruit juice? To most people it means little. In the street culture, which the prosecution is trying so hard not to allow to be attached to Trayvon, the difference is significant. There is an intoxicating mixture popular in some street cultures called “lean” or “purple drank.” Its ingredients are Skittles or Jolly Ranchers, fruit juice (not tea) and codeine. If you cannot find codeine, then Robitussin DM will do.
The myth of the iced tea perpetuates the image of the young and innocent Trayvon as seen in the years old picture of him favored by the media.
For what it is worth Crump did make a correct statement saying that Trayvon was not the one on trial. However, the defense must be allowed to show the actions of Trayvon's past (for the lack of a better phrase, his "thug life" persona) to show that it was quite possible that Trayvon was the aggressor in the final confrontation and not Zimmerman.
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Hey folks,
I just posted up the wrap-up for day four of jury selection in the Zimmerman case.
There were two notable events of the day.
The first was Judge Nelson's decision to sequester the jury for the duration of the trial. This decision clearly caught some of the prospective jurors off guard, creating considerable hardship for more than a few. On the other hand, several jurors had expressed concerns about their safety if their anonymity was not preserved, one that she would feel like she had a bulls-eye on her back.
On a practical note, it's unclear to me how they truly expect to remain anonymous. From the national public, sure. But nobody can realistically disappear from family and work for a two to four weeks without explaining what's up. It would seem the fact that they were a juror would inevitably get out--but maybe not until after the burning was over.
The second notable event was the questioning of E81. She looked de la Rionda straight in the eye and said she believed that Zimmerman should just go home, and that he had acted in defense of himself. When asked if he was going to have to perform "magic" to get her to change her mind she essentially told him he'd just have to do his job--work hard to convince her otherwise. (He acknowledged that the burden of proof was, indeed, on the State.)
She knew a great deal about the case. She recalled seeing the picture from Trayvon's phone of the mairjuana, and that he had gotten into trouble a few times. She had seen video of him refereeing a street fight, for sport, and believed that he was training to be a street fighter. She thought he might have been looking for a reason to fight that evening, that Trayvon became aware that he was under observation by Martin and that Trayvon had been the aggressor in the conflict.
A firm believer in gun rights and CCW, E81 said that the more guns there were out there in the hands of law abiding people, the safer it was. SHe believed that everyone who was not a felon or mentally unsound should be allowed to carry a gun.
There's more on this wonderful young woman, but you'll have to click over to the full wrap-up report, right here at Legal Insurrection (http://"http://legalinsurrection.com/2013/06/zimmerman-jury-selection-day-four-wrap-up/"), to read the rest.
Tomorrow we do another full day of live stream, all-day coverage of day two of jury selection. Be sure to join us.
Best,
Andrew
@LawSelfDefense
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Hey folks,
Just FYI, Day 5 of jury selection has just kicked into gear. Our live, all-day coverage can be found at Legal Insurrection here (http://"http://legalinsurrection.com/2013/06/zimmerman-trial-live-jury-selection-day-5-all-day-coverage/"), if you're interested in following along.
We'll also be doing our usual end-of-day summary of events. I'll drop a brief note when that's up, for folks who are interested.
Andrew
@LawSelfDefense
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From the March 3, 2012 FBI report of interview with Sanford Police Department Investigator Chris Serino:
Serino is concerned that many of the leaks in this case are coming from within the Sanford Police Department. He listed Sgt AUTHOR BARNS, REBECCA VILLENOVE (phonetic),and TREKELL PERKINS as all pressuring him to file charges against ZIMMERMAN after the incident. Serino did not believe he had enough evidence at the time to file charges. Serino also stated that Barns is friendly with TRACY MARTIN [Trayvon Martin's father].
Andrew
@LawSelfDefense
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I thought some of you might be interested in taking a look at some actual evidence--as opposed to speculation--from the Zimmerman case, so I've pulled together some "Evidentiary Flashbacks" to look at actual evidence that's been collected over the course of the investigation and discovery preparations for trial.
Below is a snippet from the transcript of the [CORRECTED DATE] February 27, 2012 (the day after the shooting) Sanford Police Department interview of George Zimmerman. In it Zimmerman describes to police investigators in his own words how and why he emerged from his vehicle, the circumstances of he he observed and then lost sight of Martin, and how Martin emerged from bushes in a darkened area of the complex and attacked Zimmerman--punching him in the hose, knocking him to the ground, and hitting his head on the concrete sidewalk.
The whole thing is way too long for a forum post, so I've put the longer version of this up on the Law of Self Defense blog (http://"http://lawofselfdefense.com/zimmerman-trial-evidentiary-flashback-transcript-of-sandford-pd-interview-of-george-zimmerman-51512/"), if you want to read it in greater length.
Here, however, is a particularly interesting segment:
George Zimmerman: I saw him coming at me and I went to grab my phone. I don’t remember if I had time to pull it out or not.
Investigator Singleton: Okay, you attempted to try to recall the –
George Zimmerman: To call the police.
Investigator Singleton: –to call the police, right.
George Zimmerman: 911 this time.
Investigator Singleton: Okay.
George Zimmerman: ‘Cause the first time I called non-emergency.
Investigator Singleton: But you’re not sure if you actually got it out of your pocket or not? Oh, okay and that’s when it was, that’s when he slugged you.
George Zimmerman: He just hit me, yeah.
Investigator Singleton: And what did he say before that? You said, he asked you like something about, I said, you got a problem?
George Zimmerman: He said, “You got a problem, homey?” and I said, “I don’t have a problem.” And he said, “Now you have a problem.”
Investigator Singleton: Okay.
George Zimmerman: And that’s when he hit me.
Investigator Singleton: And that’s he struck you in the nose first.
George Zimmerman: Yes, ma’am.
Investigator Singleton: And that’s what knocked you down?
George Zimmerman: Yes, ma’am.
Investigator Singleton: Okay. And, this is all, this is, you’re saying this is behind the buildings, though?
George Zimmerman: Yes, ma’am.
Investigator Singleton: How, is there, are you sure, is it a patio that he’s hitting ’cause you said he’s hitting your head on a sidewalk.
George Zimmerman: No, no, it’s the, it’s the sidewalk.
Investigator Singleton: There’s a sidewalk behind–
George Zimmerman: Yes ma’am.
Investigator Singleton: --the buildins?
George Zimmerman: It’s a dog walk.
Investigator Singleton: Okay. . . . the dog walk is, is cement.
George Zimmerman: Yes ma’am.
Investigator Singleton: Okay. Okay. Okay, so he’s hitting your head . . .
George Zimmerman: Yes, ma’am. As I went to sit up, then he grabbed me by the, the front of my head and started banging it into the–
Investigator Singleton: And that’s when you could look either to your left or right and you could see this guy? And you were saying help me?
George Zimmerman: I don’t remember. I screamed help me probably 50 times as loud as I could.
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There's more here at the Law of Self Defense blog (http://"http://lawofselfdefense.com/zimmerman-trial-evidentiary-flashback-transcript-of-sandford-pd-interview-of-george-zimmerman-51512/") if you're interested.
It must be mentioned that Zimmerman's testimony could well simply be self-serving. It is, nevertheless, entirely legitimate evidence that the State must overcome, beyond a reasonable doubt, if they are to obtain a conviction.
Andrew
@LawSelfDefense
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I was just reviewing the transcript of Zimmerman's questioning byInvestigator Singleton of the Sanford Police Department on February 27, 2012 (the day after the shooting,) and I was reminded of how absolutely chilling it is.
It's just words on paper, a police transcript, but you can feel the tension building line by line until the deadly climax, and then falling off. Zimmerman's responses start off as one or two words, usually just "Yes, ma'am," and then grow to a few words, longer sentences, then a couple of sentences . . .
. . . and then he describes in harrowing detail the fight for his life:
Zimmerman: I, it was dark. I didn’t even see him getting ready to punch me. As soon as he punched me, I fell backwards, um, into the grass and he grabbed me. He was wailing on my head and I, then, I started yelling help. When I started yelling help, he grabbed my head and he started hitting my head into the– I, I tried to sit up and I, and yell for help and then he grabbed my head and started hitting it into the sidewalk. Um, when he started doing that, I slid into the grass to try and get out from under him and so that he would stop hitting my head into the sidewalk and I’m still yelling for help. And, I could see people looking and some guy yells out, I’m calling 911 and I said, “Help me, help me. He’s killing me.” And he puts his hand on my nose and mouth and he says, “You’re gonna die tonight,” and I don’t remember much after that. I just remember, I couldn’t breath and then he still kept trying to hit my head against the pavement or I don’t know if there was a sign or what it was. So, I just, uh, when I slid, my jacket and my shirt came up and when he said, “You’re gonna die tonight,” I felt his hand go down on my side and I thought he was going for my firearm. So I grabbed it immediately and as he banged my head again, I just pulled out my firearm and shot him.
A few lines later he recalled:
Zimmerman: I didn't know what he was hitting [me with]. It felt like he was hitting me with bricks.
The content before and after this snippet is great stuff, too, but much too long to post here. If you want to see more, it's freely available on the Law of Self Defense blog.
Zimmerman’s own testimony can, of course, be seen as self-serving. Nevertheless, this is entirely legitimate evidence that the State must overcome if it is to prove Zimmerman guilty, beyond a reasonable doubt, of a crime in this case.
Andrew
@LawSelfDefense
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I realize most of my posts today have been rather dire in tone, so let's lighten things up a bit.
Always good for a laugh is the letter orchestrated by Crump & company and written (if not authored) by Witness #8 (since identified as "Dee Dee"). Note that although she was presented as Trayvon's girlfriend, she somehow neglected to learn how to spell his name properly.
March 19, 2012
I was on the phone when Trevon [sic] decided to go to the Cornerstore. It started to rain so he decided to walk through another complex because it was raining too hard. He started walking then noticed someone was following him. Then he decided to find a shortcut cause the man wouldn't follow him. Then he said the man didn't follow him again. Then he looked back and saw the man again. The man started getting closer. Then Trevon [sic] turned around and said, "Why are you following me!! Then I heard him fall, then the phone hung up. I called back, and that no response. In my mind I though it was just a fight. Then I found out this tragic story.
Thank you,
[Redacted]
Finally! The State had its own "ear"-witness who could contest Zimmerman's recounting of events. It was the State's strongest--almost their only--piece of evidence pointing towards Zimmerman's guilt.
Or did they?
In March 2013 the State would be compelled to admit in open court that Witness #8 hd perjured herself in her sworn statement to the prosecutors. Claims that she was a minor and that she was "Trevon's" girlfriend were also proven to be untrue.
The State might still put Dee-Dee on the stand. If they do the cross-examination should be a popcorn-worthy event.
Andrew
@LawSelfDefense
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Dee Dee also had this to say:
Next thing I hear is somebody pushing, and somebody pushed Trayvon because the head set just fell. I called him again, and he didn't answer the phone."
http://abcnews.go.com/US/trayvon-martin-arrest-now-abc-reveals-crucial-phone/story?id=15959017#.UbuWL9hsuBA (http://abcnews.go.com/US/trayvon-martin-arrest-now-abc-reveals-crucial-phone/story?id=15959017#.UbuWL9hsuBA)
It would be interesting to see her on the stand and state how she could tell it was Trayvon being pushed and not Trayvon doing the pushing.
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Hey folks,
I just posted up the end-of-day wrap-up for day five of jury selection in the Zimmerman case, available at Legal Insurrection here (http://legalinsurrection.com/2013/06/zimmerman-jury-selection-day-five-wrap-up/).
There were four notable events of the day, apart from the jury questioning.
Perhaps today’s most interesting news happened outside the court room. Juror E7, since identified by media sources as Jerry P. Counelis, who was dismissed from the jury pool on Wednesday for apparently misleading the court, was back at the court house today. We’ve done a separate write up just on Mr. Counelis, so if you’re interested in more just click the link in the header above. I did a separate post just on this interesting development, which can be seen on Legal Insurrection here. (http://legalinsurrection.com/2013/06/dismissed-zimmerman-juror-escorted-from-courthouse-after-trespassing/)
Another unexpected bit of news today was the release by Robert Zimmerman, George’s father, of an e-book entitled as in the header above, covering the travails of his son through the current crises. I’ve downloaded a copy to my Kindle, and will comment as soon as I’ve had some time to “flip” through it. If you're interested, a copy can be obtained at Amazon here (http://www.amazon.com/Florida-Zimmerman-Uncovering-Prosecution-ebook/dp/B00DE19P3K/ref=sr_1_3?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1371247539&sr=1-3&keywords=Robert+Zimmerman), for $3.99.
The Judge also raised the issue of scheduling the as yet not completed Frye hearing from last week, to determine whether the State's speech "expert" witnesses would be permitted to testify at trial. Nothing was determined within hearing of the cameras, but the court room was left with the impression that the Frye hearing would be wrapped up next week.
Finally, she released a group of 23 prospective jurors who had “survived” to the next round of voir dire. They were told to return to court next Tuesday, and admonished to not discuss or research the case in the meantime, nor access any news about the case. Of the 23, 19 were women, 4 were men, and three of the group were black. Talk around the court house is that both sides want to bring 40 prospective jurors into the next round of voir dire, in anticipation of heavy attrition.
The remainder of the day the court moved through preliminary voir dire of another seven prospective jurors. For all the juicy details, check out the full end-of-day wrap up post at Legal Insurrection (http://legalinsurrection.com/2013/06/zimmerman-jury-selection-day-five-wrap-up/).
Monday we do another full day of live stream, all-day coverage of day two of jury selection. Be sure to join us.
Best,
Andrew
@LawSelfDefense
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George Zimmerman fired the shot that killed Trayvon Martin at 7:17PM, Sunday, February 26, 2012.
Just over four hours later, at 11:36PM, Zimmerman signed his first written statement recounting the events of the shooting to Investigator Singleton of the Sanford Police Department.
If you've ever been interested in seeing that written statement first-hand, instead of just hearing the evidence misinterpreted through a disinformation campaign fully supported by the mainstream media, now's your chance. Ever wonder how much, if at all, Zimmerman's later recounting of events might have changed from his original statement to police? Don't rely on any one else's opinion (not even mine)--come take a look at the evidence yourself.
I've obtained a copy of Zimmerman's original 4-page hand-written statement to the police, and uploaded both a typed transcript (a bit easier to read) and a PDF scan of the original documents to the Law of Self Defense blog (http://www.lawofselfdefense.com).
You can access that blog post directly here: Zimmerman's 1st Written Statement to Police the Night of the Shooting (http://lawofselfdefense.com/zimmerman-trial-evidentiary-flashback-zimmermans-1st-written-statement-to-police-the-night-of-the-shooting/).
Once at the blog you can also, of course, access the many other blog postings on both the Zimmerman case and other self-defense issues from around the country--it's all totally free, of course.
Be sure to register if you'd like to be alerted directly whenever we post up a new self-defense related blog, which usually happens two or three times a week. Although I post here in this forum as much as I can, a lot of longer pieces of legal analysis just isn't well suited to a forum post.
Enjoy.
Andrew
@LawSelfDefense
Facebook: Law of Self Defense (https://www.facebook.com/pages/Law-of-Self-Defense/176397865719110)
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Hey folks,
One of the many untruths in the Zimmerman case that has been vigorously disseminated and ingrained into the public consciousness is that Zimmerman "chased/followed" Martin against police orders, or that he exited his vehicle after being told to stay inside the vehicle, or other variations of this theme.
This narrative has continued, with the full-hearted support of the mainstream media and its hundreds of "investigative reporters" despite the fact that even a cursory review of the evidence clearly shows this narrative to be patently false.
We know this because we have a real-time audio recording of the events in the form of Zimmerman's non-emergency phone call to the Sanford Police Department to report a suspicious person in his neighborhood.
I've prepared an audio clip of the relevant part of that non-emergency call, as well as an annotated transcript of what I hear in that audio clip, and posted them to my Law of Self Defense blog here (http://lawofselfdefense.com/zimmerman-trial-myth-busters-did-zimmerman-chase-martin-against-police-orders/).
When I listen to that audio not only do I NOT hear Zimmerman disobeying the dispatcher's instructions, I hear him exiting the vehicle specifically to answer the dispatcher's explicit question.
Take a listen/look and let me know what YOU think. Personally, I think this myth is . . . BUSTED.
Andrew
@LawSelfDefense
Facebook: Law of Self Defense (https://www.facebook.com/pages/Law-of-Self-Defense/176397865719110)
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Hey folks,
George Zimmerman was arrested, charged, and soon will be tried for murder in the second degree based upon the affidavit for probable cause submitted by investigators from Angela Corey's office. *These two investigators, T.C. O'Steen and K.D. "Dale" Gilbreath, at the time collectively possessing 44 years of law enforcement including decades in homicides, put down on paper and under oath the words contained in this affidavit.
I've obtained an copy of the original affidavit of probable cause (created a transcript for easier reading) and placed them at my blog for public access here: Zimmerman Trial: Evidentiary Flashback: Affidavit for Probable Cause–Count the untruths. (http://lawofselfdefense.com/affidavit_for_probable_cause_count_the_untruths/)
Reading it now, with so much evidence finally revealed through discovery, and so much disinformation and propaganda now having been de-bunked, it is amazing that anyone could have believed the deceptions and untruths contained in this document.
I have my own count, but I'm sure I must have missed some. *How about we play a count the "half-truths/un-truths" game and see how many you folks can identify and list.
Bonus points for whoever can find in this affidavit, even assuming every word in it is true, the elements of murder in the second degree--782.04(2). Murder (http://lawofselfdefense.com/statute/fl-782-04-murder/)--gets bonus points, because I sure can't find them.
Not even if the affidavit is true. *(Which it's not.)
(For a discussion of what Florida law means when it requires that a person have acted with a "depraved mind" to be guilty of murder 2, see: Getting to Murder 2: Finding George Zimmerman’s “Depraved Mind”, over at Legal Insurrection (http://legalinsurrection.com/2013/06/getting-to-murder-2-finding-george-zimmermans-depraved-mind/).)
Anyway, take a look for yourselves and see what you think.
Good hunting.
Andrew
@LawSelfDefense
Facebook: Law of Self Defense (https://www.facebook.com/pages/Law-of-Self-Defense/176397865719110)
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Hey folks,
First a quick reminder that I'll be providing live, all-day coverage of Day 6 of jury selection for the Zimmerman trial over at Legal Insurrection (http://www.legalinsurrection.com). We'll provide live video streaming, a rolling Twitter feed of selected contributors, real-time posts of breaking events, and of course our wildly popular end-of-day wrap up. *I don't have a link for you until we go live, but we'll start coverage as soon as the Court goes into session, usually right at 9AM.
Now, to the meat of this post: Myth Busters: Did Zimmerman really "racially profile" Trayvon Martin, and was that alleged racial motivation the "depraved mind" element that makes this killing qualify as murder in the second degree?
NBC News produced a version of the recording of Zimmerman's non-emergency call to the police in which he appeared to volunteer, unsolicited, the fact that Martin was black. (NBC is currently being sued by Zimmerman for this act of malice. (http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Journalism/2012/12/06/Zimmerman-Sues-NBC-Over-Malicious_edit))
Fortunately, you don't have to rely on anyone else's "opinion" on the matter. In my newest blog post I have placed a copy of both the relevant snippet of that call and a transcript of what was said (for convenience):
Myth Busters: Did Zimmerman really “racially profile” Martin? (http://lawofselfdefense.com/zimmerman-trial-myth-busters-did-zimmerman-really-racially-profile-martin/#prettyPhoto target=_blank)
Take a listen/look and see what you think. Did Zimmerman racially profile Martin? *Based on the facts in evidence, I'd have to say that myth is . . . BUSTED!
Andrew
@LawSelfDefense
Facebook: Law of Self Defense (https://www.facebook.com/pages/Law-of-Self-Defense/176397865719110 target=_blank)
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Hey folks,
Just FYI, Day 6 of jury selection has just kicked into gear. Our live, all-day coverage can be found at Legal Insurrection here (http://legalinsurrection.com/2014/06/zimmerman-trial-live-jury-selection-day-6-all-day-coverage/), if you're interested in following along.
We'll also be doing our usual end-of-day summary of events. I'll drop a brief note when that's up, for folks who are interested.
Andrew
@LawSelfDefense
Facebook: Law of Self Defense (https://www.facebook.com/pages/Law-of-Self-Defense/176397865719110)
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I believe Zimmerman acted completely wrong & as stated before if you go looking for trouble it will find you. He might have acted in self defense, but he provoked it. What he did was not well thought out & he's gonna pay the price I'm afraid. He could have run or a number of other things before he pulled his weapon & killed the kid. This is the worst nightmare we all face & I'm afraid Zimmerman never really gave it much thought before that day.
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He might have acted in self defense, but he provoked it.
Do you care to provide any facts in evidence--even one--that Zimmerman provoked the confrontation with Martin?
Andrew
@LawSelfDefense
Facebook: Law of Self Defense (https://www.facebook.com/pages/Law-of-Self-Defense/176397865719110)
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Yes if someone comes after you run or get in your car & drive away. What are you a nut case ?? It's pretty obvious Zimmerman was acting out of line here. That's what cops are for not CCW holders. I sure didn't put on my application I'm a neighborhood watch captain & I'm looking for bad guys. This Zimmerman stepped over his authority & right or wrong he caused his problem. A weapon is only to be used as a last resort not when it's convenient. I also think you add nothing to this forum other than your one sided view of a incident that has no real good outcome other than lawyers getting rich. Even you are getting on the band wagon I see....
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So, no facts then. Got it. ;D
I think it's probably best if I leave you and your emotive opinions to your own devices.
Andrew
@LawSelfDefense
Facebook: Law of Self Defense (https://www.facebook.com/pages/Law-of-Self-Defense/176397865719110)
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Knotacare: This trial is centered on Florida's "stand your ground" law. So running away is not required, although a prudent move if you can.
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Knotacare: This trial is centered on Florida's "stand your ground" law. So running away is not required, although a prudent move if you can.
This is not and never has been a "Stand Your Ground" case. Stand Your Ground simply means that you don't have to take advantage of a safe avenue of retreat, IF YOU HAVE ONE.
It's clear from the evidence that from the very start of the fight Zimmerman never had ANY opportunity to retreat, much less a save avenue of retreat.
Martin emerged into the darkened area between the buildings from the bushes in which he was fighting, there was a there-sentence exchange between the two men, and Martin launched an immediate and unanticipated attack. Martin knocked Zimmerman to the ground with the first, totally unexpected punch, then straddled him and began his sustained aggravated battery, stopping only when a 115g 9mm JHP round punched through his heart.
That's what the facts in evidence say, without contestation.
If there's no possibility of retreat, you don't need Stand Your Ground to say that you didn't have to take advantage of what didn't exist.
Andrew
@LawSelfDefense
Facebook: Law of Self Defense (https://www.facebook.com/pages/Law-of-Self-Defense/176397865719110)
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The inability of many of our regulars to differentiate between facts and propaganda in this case is.....interesting. ???
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Hey folks,
I just posted up the end-of-day wrap-up for day six of jury selection in the Zimmerman case, available at Legal Insurrection here: Zimmerman Jury Selection -- Day Six Wrap-Up. (http://legalinsurrection.com/2013/06/zimmerman-jury-selection-day-six-wrap-up/)
There were two notable jurors of the day:
H13 seemed to feel that the fact that Zimmerman was armed, even though lawfully, at the time of the incident suggested some wrongdoing on his part. Clearly, his being armed made her uncomfortable. She also recalled having "lived through" other racially-tinged riots, such as the Rodney King riots (albeit it seems she was not physically present at those riots, but knew of them from media reports). The most shocking of her comments, however, was when she noted that her present recollection was that Zimmerman had followed Martin against police orders. Asked if she would be able to reconsider that opinion if she heard evidence in court to the contrary she answers "I don't think I could be open to that." H13 was dismissed by the Court.
(For a thorough debunking of the false "Zimmerman followed Martin against police orders" narrative, click here: Zimmerman Trial: Myth Busters: Did Zimmerman “chase” Martin against police orders? (http://lawofselfdefense.com/zimmerman-trial-myth-busters-did-zimmerman-chase-martin-against-police-orders/))
H27 was well-informed about the case, and could recall hearing the various police recordings and other details. It has been a striking consistency that the prospective jurors who have appeared to learn in favor of Zimmerman have tended to be well-informed about the facts of the case, whereas prospective jurors who have seemed to lean against Zimmerman have professed an almost coma-like ignorance of the facts of the case. During questioning by de la Rionda H27 volunteered that he had contributed $20 to George Zimmerman's legal defense fund, but nevertheless said he could be a fair and impartial juror. H27 was ultimately dismissed by the Court.
For all the juicy details, click here: Zimmerman Jury Selection -- Day Six Wrap-Up. (http://legalinsurrection.com/2013/06/zimmerman-jury-selection-day-six-wrap-up/)
Following the wrap-up of prospective juror voir dire the court recessed, only to return to complete the Frye hearing that had been left unfinished the week prior to the start of jury selection. For more on that, click here:
Zimmerman Trial: Frye Hearing Continues with Prof. James L. Wayman
http://legalinsurrection.com/2013/06/zimmerman-trial-frye-hearing-continues-with-prof-james-l-wayman/
Tomorrow we'll do another full day of live stream, all-day coverage of day seven of jury selection. Be sure to join us.
Best,
Andrew
@LawSelfDefense
Facebook: Law of Self Defense (https://www.facebook.com/pages/Law-of-Self-Defense/176397865719110)
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The more details I learn the more it looks like Martin was really a "fine upstanding citizen".
I am not God and dont pick who lives and dies, but at the end of the day if his parents had him grounded for SMOKING DOPE and being suspended for a bag with resin he would be alive.
I think what he did was brilliant. I would not do what zimmerman did, but there is more about trayvon's skin tone than the facts and that is what I have issue with.
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Hey folks,
Well, we're gearing up for Day 7 of jury selection. It's amazing to think that we've spent all this time with the jurors and we're still only doing the preliminary voir dire, limited to asking questions about pre-trial publicity. If it takes an hour to get through a jury on that basis, and sometimes it has, how long is it going to take when the lawyers are doing an unlimited voir dire?
In any case, I thought it might be useful to take a moment, lift our heads from the weeds of jury selection and specific factual matters, and take a brief 30,000 foot view of the trial.
I've posted at some length about the State's challenges in proving the charge of murder in the second degree (can't be done, in my opinion), or manslaughter.
As to manslaughter, petty much anytime you deliberately use any force against someone and they die it's going to be manslaughter--UNLESS you have some lawful justification.
And that's where Zimmerman's legal defense of self-defense will come into play.
A few days ago I put up a "self-defense backgrounder" post over at Legal Insurrection (http://legalinsurrection.com/2013/06/zimmerman-case-the-five-principles-of-the-law-of-self-defense/), but I don't believe I've mentioned it here so many of you might not have seen it.
The post covers the four main Florida self-defense related statutes I expect to be relevant in this case, and the statutory criminal charges in play (murder and manslaughter).
I also present a conceptual framework, "The Five Principles of the Law of Self-Defense (http://legalinsurrection.com/2013/06/zimmerman-case-the-five-principles-of-the-law-of-self-defense/)," to guide our ongoing assessment of how successfully (or not) the State is making its case to disprove, beyond a reasonable doubt, Zimmerman's claim to have acted in lawful self-defense.
Enjoy!
Andrew
@LawSelfDefense
Facebook: Law of Self Defense (https://www.facebook.com/pages/Law-of-Self-Defense/176397865719110)
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Hey folks,
Just FYI, Day 7 of jury selection has just kicked into gear. Our live, all-day coverage can be found at Legal Insurrection here (http://legalinsurrection.com/2013/06/zimmerman-trial-live-jury-selection-day-7-all-day-coverage/), if you're interested in following along.
We'll also be doing our usual end-of-day summary of events. I'll drop a brief note when that's up, for folks who are interested.
Andrew
@LawSelfDefense
Facebook: Law of Self Defense (https://www.facebook.com/pages/Law-of-Self-Defense/176397865719110)
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Hey folks,
One of the enduring myths of the falsified public narrative promulgated by the State prosecutors and other anti-Zimmerman zealots has been that George Zimmerman “chased down” a frightened Trayvon Martin who was simply attempting to secure the safety of his destination (his father’s girlfriend’s home in at the Retreat at Twin Lakes neighborhood.
Is that what really happened? Or is George Zimmerman’s recounting more credible and consistent with the facts in evidence?
(http://andrewbranca.smugmug.com/Journalism/Zimmerman-Trial/i-G6kfCJ5/0/Th/Screen%20Shot%202013-06-18%20at%2010.20.55%20AM-Th.png) (http://lawofselfdefense.com/zimmerman-trial-myth-busters-did-zimmerman-chase-down-a-fleeing-martin/)
Take a look at my latest fact-based "myth busters" installment, and decide for yourselves: Myth Busters: Did Zimmerman “Chase Down” a Fleeing Martin? (http://lawofselfdefense.com/zimmerman-trial-myth-busters-did-zimmerman-chase-down-a-fleeing-martin/)
Andrew
@LawSelfDefense
Facebook: Law of Self Defense (https://www.facebook.com/pages/Law-of-Self-Defense/176397865719110)
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Hey folks,
I just posted up the end-of-day wrap-up for day 7 of jury selection in the Zimmerman case, available at Legal Insurrection here: Zimmerman Jury Selection -- Day Seven Wrap-Up. (http://legalinsurrection.com/2013/06/zimmerman-jury-selection-day-seven-wrap-up-2/)
The biggest news of the day is that the Court's goal of selecting 40 prospective jurors to go on to the next round of full voir dire has been achieved, and Judge Nelson dismissed the jurors who did not make it through the first round of questioning. The lucky winners are:
B12, B29, B35, B37, B51, B61, B7, B72, B76, B86, E13, E22, E28, E40, E54, E6, E73, G14, G29, G47, G63, G66, G81, H18, H29, H35, H6, H69, H7, H81, H86, I19, I24, I33, I44, K80, K95, M75, P67, I5.
We’ll be posting a compilation of our notes for each of these 40 in post coming soon.
The announcement of the successful candidate jurors having been announced, we saw a relatively rare appearance by Prosecutor Angela Corey, when she stepped to the front of the court room and directed the courthouse personnel in arranging the chairs for the jurors tomorrow morning.
For all the juicy details, click here: Zimmerman Jury Selection -- Day Seven Wrap-Up. (http://legalinsurrection.com/2013/06/zimmerman-jury-selection-day-seven-wrap-up-2/)
Tomorrow we'll do another full day of live stream, all-day coverage of day eight of jury selection, the "Full Voir Dire Edition". Be sure to join us.
Best,
Andrew
@LawSelfDefense
Facebook: Law of Self Defense (https://www.facebook.com/pages/Law-of-Self-Defense/176397865719110)
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Judging from the Google Earth image, the community looks small. Why did GZ not know the name of the street?
. . . to a darkened area of the sidewalk, as the dispatcher was asking me for an exact location the suspect emerged from the darkness and circled my vehicle. I could not hear if he said anything. The suspect once again disappeared between the back of some houses. The dispatcher once again asked me for my exact location. I could not remember the name of the street, so I got out of my car to look for a street sign. The dispatcher asked me for a description and the direction the suspect went. I told the dispatcher I did not know but I was out of my vehicle looking for a stret sign and the direction the suspect went. The dispatcher told me not to follow the suspect & that an officer was in route (sic). As I headed back to my vehicle the suspect said “You got a problem,” I said “No.” The suspect said, “you do now.” As I looked . . .
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Stress? He'd moment earlier had a stone-cold killer walking around his car and staring him down. Might make me a bit nervous and forgetful, too.
But heck, once in college I went to a party with a regular girl friend and in the middle of introducing her to somebody I complete blanked on her name. Utterly. Nothing. Stood there open mouthed and quite obvious about it. After a half-minute or so I just walked away to find the keg.
We didn't date long after that.
Andrew
@LawSelfDefense
Facebook: Law of Self Defense (https://www.facebook.com/pages/Law-of-Self-Defense/176397865719110)
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Hey folks,
As we’ve been watching the preliminary voir dire of dozens of prospective jurors over the past week or so, we’ve heard innumerable mentions of a “juror questionnaire.”* This is simply a list of questions, agreed to by both parties and the Court, which the jurors are asked to complete in writing before being questioned in voir dire.* Their answers help the Court and parties quickly identify prospective jurors who must be dismissed as a matter of course–for example, if they are related to or have a business interest with one of the parties.
Their answers can also shed a subtle but discerning light on any prejudices they might bring to the trial that could prevent them from serving as a fair and impartial juror.* Some of these questions often seem completely irrelevant to the case at hand–such as, “Please list your 3 favorite TV shows,” or “Please list the 3 people you admire most/least”–but to a skilled jury consultant the responses to these questions can provide a deep insight into the prospective jurors covert prejudices.
The defense has retained the services of a world-class jury consultant, and I have obtained a sample of a jury questionnaire he used in a previous murder case (a rather bizarre one, actually, State v. Durst (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Durst)).* If you’ve never before had the opportunity to see a juror questionnaire, now's your chance, as the court advances the 40 "winning" jurors (http://legalinsurrection.com/2013/06/zimmerman-jury-selection-profiles-of-the-top-40-wjpe-advanced-to-next-round/) into the next round of full voir dire.
Zimmerman Trial: Never seen a juror questionnaire before? Here you go . . . (http://lawofselfdefense.com/zimmerman-trial-never-seen-a-juror-questionnaire-here-you-go/)
Enjoy.
Andrew
@LawSelfDefense
Facebook:* Law of Self Defense (https://www.facebook.com/pages/Law-of-Self-Defense/176397865719110)
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Hey folks,
Just FYI, Day 8 of jury selection has just kicked into gear.Our live, all-day coverage can be found at Legal Insurrection here (http://legalinsurrection.com/2013/07/zimmerman-trial-live-jury-selection-day-8-all-day-coverage/), if you're interested in following along.
At end-of-day yesterday Judge Nelson announced that the Court had achieved its goal of selecting the "top 40" prospective jurors who are to "advance to the next round". The "lucky winners" are:
[indent=1]B7, B12, B29, B35, B37, B51, B61, B72, B76, B86, E6, E13, E22, E28, E40, E54, E73, G14, G29, G47, G63, G66, G81, H6, H7, H18, H29, H35, H69, H81, H86, I5, I19, I24, I33, I44, K80, K95, M75, P67[/indent]
We've pulled together a compilation of all our notes on the lucky winners over at Legal Insurrection here: Zimmerman]Jury Selection Profiles- “Top 40″ Advanced to Next Round (http://legalinsurrection.com/2013/06/zimmerman-jury-selection-profiles-of-the-top-40-wjpe-advanced-to-next-round/).
We'll also be doing our usual end-of-day summary of events.* I'll drop a brief note when that's up, for folks who are interested.
Andrew
@LawSelfDefense
Facebook]Facebook: Law of Self Defense (https://www.facebook.com/pages/Law-of-Self-Defense/176397865719110)
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Hey folks,
Many of you may have heard bits and pieces about the gun and ammo that George Zimmerman used to save his life from Trayvon Martin's deadly force attack, but we all know that facts and details can become blurry in the re-posting on the internet.
To set the record straight, I've acquired a copy of the official Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) Forensic Laboratory Report on Zimmerman's gun and ammo, and I thought I'd share the details of that with you, as well as provide a PDF of the official report itself (available at the bottom of this post).
If you're interested in seeing my blog post on this, and a copy of the original FDLE Forensic Laboratory Report, click here:
FDLE Forensic Report: Zimmerman's Gun & Fatal Bullet (http://lawofselfdefense.com/flde-forensic-report-zimmermans-gun-fatal-bullet/)
Andrew
@LawSelfDefense
Facebook: Law of Self Defense (https://www.facebook.com/pages/Law-of-Self-Defense/176397865719110)
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Hey folks,
I just posted up the end-of-day wrap-up for day 7 of jury selection in the Zimmerman case, available at Legal Insurrection here: Zimmerman Jury Selection -- Day Eight Wrap-Up. (http://legalinsurrection.com/2013/06/zimmerman-jury-selection-day-eight-wrap-up/)
Today the State conducted voir dire of the pool of 40 prospective jurors. (The defense has it's turn tomorrow. Also tomorrow marks the return of State expert witness Tom Owens, at 2PM.)
Most striking about today's voir dire is how large a proportion of the day involve de la Rionda speaking, rather than any of the prospective jurors. His speech was often long, somewhat rambling, and ultimately appeared to be an effort at conditioning the prospective jurors to a particular judgmental and emotional position–for example, participating in Neighborhood Watch is somehow similar to taking the law into your own hands.
Given the (to this New Englander’s eyes) somewhat astonishing responses–35% having been victims of crime, 10% having been victims of violent crime, 25% having Neighborhood Watch programs in their community, 30% owning or having owned personal firearms (the one having owned also having possessed a CCW), and another 30% having family or close friends who own guns–I’m not sure whether de la Rionda’s apparent selling proposition–which seems to be that Zimmerman took the law into his own hands–is being targeted at an amenable market.
The survivability of such a theory of the case seems particularly uncertain given the actual facts in evidence, which overwhelmingly favor the defense. For example, will it really be a credible argument that Zimmerman was seeking to “take the law into his own hands” when it was he who phoned the police, in his role as leader of his Neighborhood Watch Program to report a suspicious person in his neighborhood plagued with robberies?
For all the juicy details, click here: Zimmerman Jury Selection -- Day Eight Wrap-Up. (http://legalinsurrection.com/2013/06/zimmerman-jury-selection-day-eight-wrap-up/)
Tomorrow we'll do another full day of live stream, all-day coverage of day nin of jury selection, the "Full Voir Dire Edition". The defense will have it's chance for voir dire of the 40 prospective jury candidates, and at 2PM we'll welcome Mr. Tom Owens back to the court (probably virtually).
Be sure to join us.
Best,
Andrew
@LawSelfDefense
Facebook: Law of Self Defense (https://www.facebook.com/pages/Law-of-Self-Defense/176397865719110)
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Hey folks,
Just FYI, Day 9 of jury selection has just kicked into gear. Our live, all-day coverage can be found at Legal Insurrection here (http://legalinsurrection.com/2013/06/zimmerman-trial-live-jury-selection-day-7-all-day-coverage/), if you're interested in following along.
Click here for our re-cap of yesterday's State-led voir dire (http://"http://legalinsurrection.com/2013/06/zimmerman-jury-selection-day-eight-wrap-up/").
Today the defense has it's chance to voir dire the remaining pool of 40 prospective jurors.
Also, at 2PM the State's expert witness Tom Owens is scheduled to re-testify in the still incomplete Frye hearing being held to determine if the Statet's experts will be permitted to testify at trial. Mr. Owens, you will recall, was the State's expert witness who said of the Witness #11 911 audio tape, "this is not really good evidence."
Zimmerman Prosecution's Voice Expert admits: ?This is not really good evidence? (http://legalinsurrection.com/2013/06/zimmerman-prosecutions-voice-expert-admits-this-is-not-really-good-evidence/)
We'll also be doing our usual end-of-day summary of events. I'll drop a brief note when that's up, for folks who are interested.
Andrew
@LawSelfDefense
Facebook: Law of Self Defense (https://www.facebook.com/pages/Law-of-Self-Defense/176397865719110)
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Hey Folks,
If you're not watching this live, you're missing a tremendous voir dire by O'Mara. Just absolutely devastating to the State's ability to advance their theory of the case given the facts in evidence.
Our live, all-day coverage can be found at Legal Insurrection here (http://legalinsurrection.com/2013/06/zimmerman-trial-live-jury-selection-day-7-all-day-coverage/), if you're interested in following along.
I'll cover it all in my end-of-day wrap-up, but it's a beauty to behold.
Andrew
@LawSelfDefense
Facebook: Law of Self Defense (https://www.facebook.com/pages/Law-of-Self-Defense/176397865719110)
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6 jurors picked, all women.
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Just to catch me up on something is the jury only going to have the 6 people or are they going to pick another six for a total of 12?
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Only 6 in Florida, except for capital cases.
Andrew
@LawSelfDefense
Facebook: Law of Self Defense (https://www.facebook.com/pages/Law-of-Self-Defense/176397865719110)
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Thanks
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Sure thing. Most states use 12, it's a natural question.
Andrew
@LawSelfDefense
Facebook: Law of Self Defense (https://www.facebook.com/pages/Law-of-Self-Defense/176397865719110)
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Hey folks,
Today marks the first day of the trial proper, with opening statements. It is with these statements that both the State and the defense will set out their theory of the case. We will, of course, be covering today's trial with all-day live coverage, including video streaming and a running Twitter feed of selected commenters, here: Legal Insurrection Zimmerman Trial LIVE - Day 1 - Opening Statements (http://"http://legalinsurrection.com/2013/06/zimmerman-trial-liveday-1-live-opening-statements-theories-of-the-case/").
To date, the State's apparent theory has been that Zimmerman "profiled, chased, and killed Martin."
The theory of the defense, in addition to challenging the underlying criminality of Zimmerman's alleged "profiling" and "chasing," is that Zimmerman's killing of Martin was done in necessary and lawful self-defense, as provided under Florida law.
It should be fascinating to see what "facts" the State points to in both supporting the alleged criminal charge (which the State will have to prove beyond a reasonable doubt) and in undermining Zimmerman's claim of self-defense (which the State will have to disprove beyond a reasonable doubt).
P.S. FYI, we've pulled together a compilation of our notes on these six final jurors (and the four alternates) here: Meet the Zimmerman Trial Jurors (http://"http://legalinsurrection.com/2013/06/meet-the-zimmerman-trial-jurors/comment-page-1/#comment-431758 target=_blank").
Andrew
@LawSelfDefense
Facebook: Law of Self Defense (https://www.facebook.com/pages/Law-of-Self-Defense/176397865719110)
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Hey Folks,
I just posted up my mid-day analysis of the opening statements so far, you can find it at the bottom of today's live coverage post: http://bit.ly/18aHA5t
Andrew
@LawSelfDefense
Facebook: Law of Self Defense (https://www.facebook.com/pages/Law-of-Self-Defense/176397865719110)
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Hey folks,
I just posted up the wrap-up for day 1 of the Zimmerman Trial. I just cover the opening statements in this wrap-up, including video of the actual statements, as well as my analysis. The State also moved through it's first four (well, 3.5) witnesses later in the afternoon, but I'll cover those in a separate post.
(Note--this post includes both my mid-day analysis, which you might already have read--but I added lots of video, pics, and tweets to the original--as well as the remainder of West's opening after the lunch recess.)
I know much of the mainstream media loved the State's dramatic half-hour opening, and disliked West's lengthy opening and his rather flat delivery (as well as his admittedly lame joke), but in terms of substance West was clearly the dominant player today. His opening may not make for great television news video clips, but he banged on the actual facts in evidence for two hours, whereas the State's minimal opening statement was almost entirely fact free (and many of the "facts" they did cite were either favorable to the defense--such as the sharp spike in recent crime in the neighborhood--or clearly irrelevant to guilt--such as the fact that Zimmerman's gun was properly loaded to capacity.
In any case, if you'd like to read it you can find it here: Zimmerman Trial Day One – Analysis of Opening Statements
http://legalinsurrection.com/2013/06/zimmerman-trial-day-one-analysis-of-opening-statements/
We'll do it all again tomorrow, of course, starting at 8:30AM rather than the usual 9AM.
Best,
Andrew
@LawSelfDefense
Facebook: Law of Self Defense (https://www.facebook.com/pages/Law-of-Self-Defense/176397865719110)
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I noticed some showmanship in West's delivery. He pretended to not remember the names of the streets on the aerial picture of the community and then went of to explain George not being able to name the street in his phone call.
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I noticed some showmanship in West's delivery. He pretended to not remember the names of the streets on the aerial picture of the community and then went of to explain George not being able to name the street in his phone call.
Indeed. He's not quite the slow kid in class he'd like some to believe.
Andrew
@LawSelfDefense
Facebook: Law of Self Defense (https://www.facebook.com/pages/Law-of-Self-Defense/176397865719110)
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Hey folks,
I just posted up the wrap-up for day 1 of the Zimmerman Trial--this wrap-up includes analysis and video of the first four of the State's witnesses.
Zimmerman Trial Day One – Analysis of State’s First Four Witnesses (http://legalinsurrection.com/2013/06/zimmerman-trial-day-one-analysis-of-states-first-four-witnesses/)
Enjoy,
Andrew
@LawSelfDefense
Facebook: Law of Self Defense (https://www.facebook.com/pages/Law-of-Self-Defense/176397865719110)
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Hey folks,
Today marks the second day of the trial proper, with the State continuing to present it's case and witnesses.
You can find the links to today's coverage including live video streaming and embedded Twitter feed, yesterday's analysis and video of the State's four witnesses, and yesterday's analysis and video of opening statements here:
Zimmerman Trial Day 2: Video, Analysis of State’s Case & Witnesses (http://lawofselfdefense.com/zimmerman-trial-day-2-video-analysis-of-states-case-witnesses/)
Enjoy,
Andrew
@LawSelfDefense
Facebook: Law of Self Defense (https://www.facebook.com/pages/Law-of-Self-Defense/176397865719110)
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Great job " Law of Self Defense" at least with you, we will get a legal analysis of the trial that is not marred with someone's unprofessional legal opionion. We should all just weigh the facts and nothing but, and let the State prove the case beyond a reasonable doubt.
Just me 2 sense
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Well today was a complete and utter disaster for the prosecution. They may need to be put into suicide watch.
Detailed analysis and video to follow.
Andrew
@LawSelfDefense
Facebook: Law of Self Defense (https://www.facebook.com/pages/Law-of-Self-Defense/176397865719110)
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Well today was a complete and utter disaster for the prosecution. They may need to be put into suicide watch.
Detailed analysis and video to follow.
Andrew
@LawSelfDefense
Facebook: Law of Self Defense (https://www.facebook.com/pages/Law-of-Self-Defense/176397865719110)
I would like to agree, but I think there are some that fear riots way too much for Zimmerman to be found not guilty. As soon as he was not charged for several months and then was as soon as Al and Jesse showed up and started running their mouths there was no other way for it to end.
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HLN (Headline News) has live coverage most days. Watching it right now...
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Knock Knock.
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I was once conducted interviews for a professional engineer (PE) and an applicant actually started with a “knock knock” joke. He wasn’t the most ridiculous but still the most memorable.
Was that you Twisted?
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Hey folks,
I just posted up the wrap-up for day 2of the Zimmerman Trial--this wrap-up includes analysis and video of the first four of the State's witnesses. It was a total and complete train wreck for the State.
Zimmerman Trial Day 2 – Analysis of State’s Witnesses (http://legalinsurrection.com/2013/06/zimmerman-trial-day-2-analysis-of-states-witnesses/)
Enjoy,
Andrew
@LawSelfDefense
Facebook: Law of Self Defense (https://www.facebook.com/pages/Law-of-Self-Defense/176397865719110)
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No, wasnt me. At work yesterday, they were talking about Georges lawyer , apparenty he used it.
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Other than 9mm, has anyone identified the make and model of the firearm used?
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Other than 9mm, has anyone identified the make and model of the firearm used?
Keltec
I forget which one.
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Hey folks,
Today marks the third day of the trial proper, with the State continuing to present it's case and witnesses.
I've just posted a mid-day update for the testimony, direct and cross, provided so far.
Zimmerman Update Exclusive–Witnesses: TM on ground when shot, GZ on top in fight (http://lawofselfdefense.com/zimmerman-trial-day-3-mid-day-analysis-of-states-case-witnesses/)
Enjoy,
Andrew
@LawSelfDefense
Facebook: Law of Self Defense (https://www.facebook.com/pages/Law-of-Self-Defense/176397865719110)
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After reading the Smoking Gun's article on the prosecution's star witness, witness #8, I can't wait for this girl to take the stand. The defense's first question should be "Were you drunk, high, or both the last time you talked to Trayvon?" For a girl who is only 19 she sure twitters alot about both.
http://www.thesmokinggun.com/buster/twitter/rachel-jeantel-758403 (http://www.thesmokinggun.com/buster/twitter/rachel-jeantel-758403)
Zimmerman used a Kel Tec PF9.
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Need to be careful with social media. One of the female neighbors was being questioned on what she saw that night. She had also 'liked' a Facebook page supporting justice for Trayvon.
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Hey folks,
I just posted up the wrap-up for day 3 of the Zimmerman Trial--this wrap-up includes analysis and video of today's State's witnesses.
Zimmerman Trial Day 3 – End-of-Day Analysis & Video of State’s Witnesses (http://legalinsurrection.com/2013/06/zimmerman-trial-day-analysis-and-video-of-states-witnesses/)
Enjoy,
Andrew
@LawSelfDefense
Facebook: Law of Self Defense (https://www.facebook.com/pages/Law-of-Self-Defense/176397865719110)
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Other than 9mm, has anyone identified the make and model of the firearm used?
Keltec
I forget which one.
Kel-tec PF9
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FYI:
FDLE Forensic Report: Zimmerman’s Gun & Fatal Bullet
http://lawofselfdefense.com/flde-forensic-report-zimmermans-gun-fatal-bullet/
Andrew
@LawSelfDefense
Facebook: Law of Self Defense (https://www.facebook.com/pages/Law-of-Self-Defense/176397865719110)
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Has anyone seen anything on facebook and so forth about race riots over this? regardless of if zimmerman is guilty or not guilty.
I just saw a post over at the "other site" asking that.
Anyone hear anything? Personally I definitely think there will some clashes if he is found not guilty.
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It will be Rodney King all over. (hoping I'm wrong tho.)
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It will be Rodney King all over. (hoping I'm wrong tho.)
I have been saying that all along.
If Zimmerman's lawyers pull off a miracle and he is found not guilty then I suspect that the reactions spurred on by these race hustlers will make the Rodney King riots look tame.
If I were a conspiracy nut (I have my tinfoil hat standing by in the closet) and wanted to say 2+2=5 then I would say that the ensuing race riots from an innocent finding would give Obama (praise be to Him) a reason to instill martial law and we will find out why Homeland Security is being so well armed. However, since I am n........wait....what is that sound?.....I see black helicopters outside....hey.....I gotta go!
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Hey folks,
Today marks the fourth day of the trial proper, with the State continuing to present it's case and witnesses. The day is expected to start with West's continue cross-examination of Rachel Jeantel (e.g., "Dee-Dee", aka "Martin's 16-year-old girlfriend"), the person who was purportedly speaking with Martin by cell phone moments before he was killed by George Zimmerman.
We will be covering the trial all day, with live-coverage, streaming video, and an embedded Twitter feed of selected contributors.
We will also have a brief mid-day update during the lunch recess or immediately thereafter.
For links to our live video coverage today, for access to our analysis and video of yesterday's testimony, and archives of all our prior posts both here at the Law of Self Defense and at Legal Insurrection, click here:
Zimmerman Trial Day 4: Video, Analysis of State’s Case & Witnesses (http://lawofselfdefense.com/zimmerman-trial-day-video-analysis-of-states-case-witnesses/)
Also, don't forget to "follow" my Twitter feed--most of my minute-by-minute observations and analysis over the course of the day are published on my Twitter feed: @LawSelfDefense (no "of" in there).
Enjoy,
Andrew
@LawSelfDefense
Facebook: Law of Self Defense (https://www.facebook.com/pages/Law-of-Self-Defense/176397865719110)
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With Florida gun laws I do think the liberal candidate in 2016 will lose more than a few votes if a riot occurs. Decent people have a right to defend themselves. The area I live in could blow up in a riot as well and I will be fully ready to defend myself and my family. I am not looking for trouble, but if trouble wants to find me I am fully prepared to protect my family.
Sadly in Delaware I think if 10 guys broke into the house and tried to kill me and assault my wife if I were to shoot one of them Al and Jesse would show up and they would try to make it into a hate crime.
Unfortunately there is a double standard of how people are judged in this country, but people are waking up and seeing it. There are some forums a post even mentioning the possibility of a riot because some groups don't get their way would be frowned upon. Well that attitude is how we will lose our guns.
Double standard examples
Obama and bush ( how Bush was slammed over the patriot act but liberals say nothing about Obama)
The jena six case ( clearly a savage attack blindside by 6 against one that was a hate crime and not treated that way. In full disclosure all but one of the thugs has been in and out of trouble since"
The duke rape case ( the guys were innocent, but because they were white and perceived to have commited a crime against a minority they were out to hang the lacrosse players)
The Knoxville horror ( also not charged as a hate crime. six guys carjacked a young white couple and brutally raped and tortured the young man and woman over several days and then killed them. I think two of them just got out of jail before that. Again a clear hate crime that was not treated as one)
WAKE UP AMERICA. equal means equal rights for all not special rights for anyone
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Hey folks,
I just posted up the mid-day update for day 4 of the Zimmerman Trial. It consists mainly of a selected collection of my tweets from this morning, but should provide a reasonable overview of today's events so far. We will, of course, have a more detailed analysis tonight.
Zimmerman Update Exclusive — Mid-Day 4 — West’s Cross-Examination of Rachel Jeantel (http://lawofselfdefense.com/zimmerman-update-exclusive-mid-day-4-wests-cross-examination-of-rachel-jeantel/)
Enjoy,
Andrew
@LawSelfDefense
Facebook: Law of Self Defense (https://www.facebook.com/pages/Law-of-Self-Defense/176397865719110)
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Hey folks,
I just posted up the wrap-up for day 4 of the Zimmerman Trial--this wrap-up includes analysis and video of today's State's witnesses.
Zimmerman Trial Day 4 – End-of-Day Analysis & Video of State’s Witnesses (http://"http://lawofselfdefense.com/zimmerman-trial-day-4-end-of-day-analysis-video-of-states-witnesses/")
Enjoy,
Andrew
@LawSelfDefense
Facebook: Law of Self Defense (https://www.facebook.com/pages/Law-of-Self-Defense/176397865719110)
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Hey folks,
Today marks the fifth day of the trial proper, with the State continuing to present it's case and witnesses.
We will be covering the trial all day, with live-coverage, streaming video, and an embedded Twitter feed of selected contributors.
We will also have a brief mid-day update during the lunch recess or immediately thereafter. (and not just a list of tweets, this time!)
For links to our live video coverage today, for access to our analysis and video of yesterday's testimony, and archives of all our prior posts both here at the Law of Self Defense and at Legal Insurrection, click here:
Zimmerman Trial Day 5: Video, Analysis of State’s Case & Witnesses (http://lawofselfdefense.com/zimmerman-trial-day-video-analysis-of-states-case-witnesses-2/)
Also, don't forget to "follow" my Twitter feed--most of my minute-by-minute observations and analysis over the course of the day are published on my Twitter feed: @LawSelfDefense (no "of" in there).
Enjoy,
Andrew
@LawSelfDefense
Facebook: Law of Self Defense (https://www.facebook.com/pages/Law-of-Self-Defense/176397865719110)
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That "young lady" who spoke yesterday has had more than a few people talking online. It is actually comical reading some of the comments from people on this.
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Hey folks,
My apologies for the delay in updating this thread--I've been blogging the case, but was swamped I didn't have time to stop by and let you know where to find my coverage of the case the last couple of days.
Here's what's been happening:
Yesterday I posted a week-end wrap of of the case, you can get to here:
Zimmerman Trial – Open Comment Forum – Weekend Wrap-Up & Reader Poll (http://lawofselfdefense.com/zimmerman-trial-open-comment-forum-weekend-wrap-up-reader-poll/)
Yesterday, I did a blog post on whether, and how, the State may change their focus from getting a second degree murder conviction to settling for manslaughter:
Zimmerman Trial: If State can’t get murder 2, can they get manslaughter? Yes . . . and no (http://lawofselfdefense.com/zimmerman-trial-if-state-cant-get-murder-2-can-they-get-manslaughter-yes-and-no/)
Also yesterday I did a brief blog post on Zimmerman's Florida CWL, including an image of the actual license:
Zimmerman Trial: Evidentiary Flashback: George Zimmerman’s Concealed Weapons License (http://lawofselfdefense.com/zimmerman-trial-evidentiary-flashback-george-zimmermans-concealed-weapons-license/)
Finally, this morning I did a blog post on Martin's autopsy, including a PDF of the actual medical examiner's report:
Zimmerman Trial: Evidentiary Flashback: AUTOPSY REPORT: Clinical cause of death of Trayvon Martin (http://lawofselfdefense.com/zimmerman-trial-evidentiary-flashback-autopsy-report-clinical-cause-of-death-of-trayvon-martin/)
I may do another post tonight, not sure yet. Keep your eyes open for a note here, or better yet check in with the Legal Insurrection (Le·gal In·sur·rec·tion (http://www.legalinsurrection.com)) or the Law of Self Defense (Law of Self Defense (http://www.lawofselfdefense.com)) blogs.
Best,
Andrew
@LawSelfDefense
Facebook: Law of Self Defense (https://www.facebook.com/pages/Law-of-Self-Defense/176397865719110)
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Hey folks,
Today we will again be covering the Zimmerman Trial live, all day, with streaming video. Continuing commentary will be posted in the Twitter feed of selected contributors below the first video feed, and breaking news will be added at the bottom of this post.
During the lunch recess, or immediately thereafter, we will post a mid-day update (not just a list of tweets this time!). We'll then follow up with the usual detailed end-of-day wrap up, including video and embedded Tweets, at the usual time in the evening.
You can watch it all here (but note this link may not go live until Court is in session, about 9:00AM (US EST):
Zimmerman Trial LIVE VIDEO – Day 6 – State’s Witnesses (http://legalinsurrection.com/2013/07/zimmerman-trial-live-video-day-6-states-witnesses/)
NOTE: I've heard a rumor that court may start as 8:30AM (US EST) at the request of defense counsel O'Mara. I have been unable to confirm this rumor, but should it prove correct our coverage will begin at that earlier time. *Regardless, the Legal Insurrection page for today's coverage will not go live until we formally begin our coverage
For all of our prior coverage on day-to-day events in court, as covered here at Legal Insurrection, click here:
ARCHIVE: Zimmerman Trial LIVE coverage all day, every day (http://legalinsurrection.com/tag/george-zimmerman-trial/)
For all of our prior coverage on issues specific to the Law of Self Defense as covered at my own blog, click here:
Law of Self Defense Blog: Zimmerman Trial (http://lawofselfdefense.com/blog/)
(NOTE: As much as I appreciate everyone visiting the LOSD blog, be sure to return to Legal Insurrection to comment, as nearly all my time is spent there for the duration of the trial. Handy links are provided everywhere that might be useful.)
Andrew
@LawSelfDefense (http://@LawSelfDefense)
Facebook: Law of Self Defense (https://www.facebook.com/pages/Law-of-Self-Defense/176397865719110)
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Hey folks,
For those who are interested, my end-of-day video and analysis of the Day 6 of Florida v. Zimmerman has just been posted. *If you didn’t listen to the live streaming of the Zimmerman case, you missed the most astonishing cross-examination of a trial that has been hip-deep in astonishing cross-examinations. (Fortunately for you, we provide the video–it’s worth watching it.)
On the stand was Chris Serino, who was the lead investigator for the Sanford Police Department on the Trayyvon Martin shooting. Defense counsel Mark O’Mara led cross-examination with his usual consummate skill, obtaining responses from this witness–remember, the State’s witness–that all but completely guts the State’s charge in this case.
Zimmerman Trial Day 6 – Analysis & Video – State’s witness Chris Serino seriously undermines charge (http://lawofselfdefense.com/zimmerman-trial-day-6-analysis-video-states-witness-chris-serino-seriously-undermines-charge/)
In addition to the end-of-day wrap up we also posted a mid-day analysis:
Zimmerman Update Exclusive — Mid-Day 6 — Zimmerman recounts fight for his life (recording) (http://lawofselfdefense.com/zimmerman-trial-day-6-analysis-video-states-witness-chris-serino-seriously-undermines-charge/)
We also separately made a couple of blog posts you might find interesting:
Zimmerman Update — How Much Injury Is Required Before Self-Defense is Justified? (http://lawofselfdefense.com/zimmerman-update-how-much-injury-is-required-before-self-defense-is-justified/)
Zimmerman Trial: Evidentiary Flashback: Investigator Serino Tells FBI He Was Pressured to Bring Charges (http://lawofselfdefense.com/zimmerman-trial-evidentiary-flashback-investigator-serino-tells-fbi-he-was-pressured-to-bring-charges/)
Don't forget to join us Tuesday at 9:00AM for our all day live coverage of Day 7 of the trial.
Also, don't forget to "follow" my Twitter feed--most of my minute-by-minute observations, analysis, and just funny remarks over the course of the day are published on my Twitter feed: @LawSelfDefense (http://@LawSelfDefense) (no "of" in there).
To see our weekend wrap-up and reader poll of the trial up through last week, click here:
Zimmerman Trial – Open Comment Forum – Weekend Wrap-Up & Reader Poll (http://legalinsurrection.com/2013/06/zimmerman-trial-open-comment-forum-weekend-wrap-up/)
For all of our prior coverage on day-to-day events in court, as covered here at Legal Insurrection, click here:
ARCHIVE: Zimmerman Trial LIVE coverage all day, every day (http://legalinsurrection.com/tag/george-zimmerman-trial/)
For all of our prior coverage on issues specific to the Law of Self Defense as covered at my own blog, click here:
Law of Self Defense Blog: Zimmerman Trial (http://lawofselfdefense.com/blog/)
Enjoy,
Andrew
@LawSelfDefense (http://@LawSelfDefense)
Facebook: Law of Self Defense (https://www.facebook.com/pages/Law-of-Self-Defense/176397865719110)
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Hey folks,
Today we will again be covering the Zimmerman Trial live, all day, with streaming video. Continuing commentary will be posted in the Twitter feed of selected contributors below the first video feed, and breaking news will be added at the bottom of this post.
During the lunch recess, or immediately thereafter, we will post a mid-day update. We'll then follow up with the usual detailed end-of-day wrap up, including video and embedded Tweets, at the usual time in the evening.
Today court is expected to start at 9:00AM with the continuing cross-examination Sanford PD Investigator Chris Serino, who's cross-examination yesterday by defense attorney Mark O'Mara did so much damage the the State's theory of the case.
You can watch it all here:
Zimmerman Trial LIVE VIDEO – Day 7 – State’s Witnesses (http://"http://lawofselfdefense.com/zimmerman-trial-day-7-live-video-analysis-of-states-case-witnesses/")
You see our analysis and video of O'Mara's devastating cross-examination of Serino (devastating, that is, to the State--Serino comes across as a consummate professional) here:
Zimmerman Trial Day 6 – Analysis & Video – State’s witness Chris Serino seriously undermines charge (http://lawofselfdefense.com/zimmerman-trial-day-7-live-video-analysis-of-states-case-witnesses/)
For all of our prior coverage on day-to-day events in court, as covered here at Legal Insurrection, click here:
ARCHIVE: Zimmerman Trial LIVE coverage all day, every day (http://legalinsurrection.com/tag/george-zimmerman-trial/)
For all of our prior coverage on issues specific to the Law of Self Defense as covered at my own blog, click here:
Law of Self Defense Blog: Zimmerman Trial (http://lawofselfdefense.com/blog/)
(NOTE: As much as I appreciate everyone visiting the LOSD blog, be sure to return to Legal Insurrection to comment, as nearly all my time is spent there for the duration of the trial. Handy links are provided everywhere that might be useful.)
Andrew
@LawSelfDefense (http://@LawSelfDefense)
Facebook: Law of Self Defense (https://www.facebook.com/pages/Law-of-Self-Defense/176397865719110)
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With this testimony from a prosecutor's witness you have to ask yourself why is this train wreck going forward.
At one point Serino was pressured to initiate a “challenge meeting” with Zimmerman, in which he would try to goad Zimmerman to making substantive changes to his testimony or to admit to a substantive omission from his prior testimony. The purpose of the “challenge meeting,” it was explained, is to try to break the suspects story and get to the truth. Indeed, the investigator might even pretend that some piece of incriminating evidence existed, or otherwise exaggerate evidence contrary to the suspect’s narrative, to try to find a chink in the suspect’s story.
The trouble, Serino recounted, is that he couldn’t really do an effective “challenge meeting” for the simple reason that “I just didn’t have much to challenge him WITH.” In this case, O’Mara asked, you didn’t have much to hit him with? “No sir,” answered Serino, “I did not.”
Nevertheless, the “challenge meeting” was held. In the absence of any real contrary evidence with which to challenge Serino, the Investigator pretended to have some ready to spring. They had discovered, he said, video footage of the events that evening. “And what did Zimmerman say when you told him that?” “He said, Thank God,”(emphasis mine) Serino answered.
Looking directly at the man who had been the chief investigator on the case, who had possessed access to ever bit of evidence of any sort, who had interviewed, and re-interviewed, and re-re-interviewed–applying increasing from each interview to the next–O’Mara asked him:
“Do YOU think George Zimmerman was telling you the truth?”
Serino succinct answer: “Yes.”
Does Zimmerman have a case for some form of malicious and reckless manipulation of the legal system in bringing these ridiculous charges against him?
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Does Zimmerman have a case for some form of malicious and reckless manipulation of the legal system in bringing these ridiculous charges against him.
We can all hope so.
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Does Zimmerman have a case for some form of malicious and reckless manipulation of the legal system in bringing these ridiculous charges against him.
We can all hope so.
He should have as much of one as the gentlemen in the Duke Lacrosse rape case did. I know the prosecutor was disbarred and some other things happened.
The thing that really gets me is that people like Al Sharpton, Jesse Jackson should not be able to complain and make charges appear ( not out of thin air, but if was over until they started up)
Now beyond the agitation there is no way that man will get a fair trial. People are far too afraid of riots.
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Yes, when you are a prosecutor and you are being handed your @@@ on a silver patter in a nationally broadcasted trial the sensible thing to do is complain about a posted photo of the defense attorney with his daughters eating an ice cream cone.
Prosecutors claimed in their motion the photo was posted after defense attorney Don West's tense cross-examination with prosecution witness Rachel Jeantel last week.
The caption in the photo posted by West's daughter reads "We beat stupidity celebration cones" and "dadkilledit."
Prosecutors said an inquiry was necessary "to ensure that witnesses and court proceedings are treated with respect and not as occasions for inappropriate jokes."
http://www.seattlepi.com/news/crime/article/Prosecutors-want-inquiry-into-ice-cream-photo-4642613.php (http://www.seattlepi.com/news/crime/article/Prosecutors-want-inquiry-into-ice-cream-photo-4642613.php)
Updated:
Found the picture
(http://newsbcpcol.stb.s-msn.com/amnews/i/68/bf15badd59e2bb4ce0a2b4a05f1bd5/_h0_w295_m6_otrue_lfalse.png)
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Hey folks,
We covered the morning’s events with our mid-day update, available here at the link below. It included the completion of cross-examination of Chris Serino, who was more ambivalent today than yesterday, and the testimony of Federal Air Marshal Mark Osterman, self-described best-friend of George Zimmerman who testified about what George had told him of the events without hearsay objection by the defense--frankly, it was the kind of hearsay defense attorneys dream of.
If you’ve already viewed it, be aware that I have just now added to that post the video recordings of the morning testimony, so if you are interested in seeing those, that’s the place to go:
Zimmerman Update Exclusive — Mid-Day 7 — Serino more ambivalent, Osterman supports self-defense (http://lawofselfdefense.com/zimmerman-trial-day-7-wrap-up-prosecution-recovers-a-little-prepared-to-introduce-college-records/)
This afternoon's line-up had a video presentation of George Zimmerman's appearance on the Sean Hannity show, testimony by a trucked-in medical examiner from the Prosecution team's home-town who never examined either Martin's body or Zimmerman's head, a debate about whether the State could bring into evidence Zimmerman's college records and police academy application (to be settled tomorrow at 8:30AM hearing), and finally testimony from a fingerprint analysts who was unable to identify the only print found on Zimmerman's gun.
To read our analysis and access the video for all aspects of this afternoon's testimony, click here:
Zimmerman Trial Day 7 Wrap Up: Prosecution recovers a little, prepared to introduce college records (http://lawofselfdefense.com/zimmerman-trial-day-7-wrap-up-prosecution-recovers-a-little-prepared-to-introduce-college-records/)
Well, that's it for day 7. Don't forget to join us for our all-day live coverage, streaming video and ongoing analysis and scrolling Twitter feed tomorrow. 8:30AM sharp for the hearing on Zimmerman's college records, and whatever time that hearing ends for the trial proper.
Enjoy,
Andrew
@LawSelfDefense (http://@LawSelfDefense)
Facebook: Law of Self Defense (https://www.facebook.com/pages/Law-of-Self-Defense/176397865719110)
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Andrew,
Your thread title contains "Tired of media bias", however, your snarky Tweets reveal your bias. I had expected you to adopt Heinlein's Fair Witness paradigm. Please tone it down.
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Andrew,
Your thread title contains "Tired of media bias", however, your snarky Tweets reveal your bias. I had expected you to adopt Heinlein's Fair Witness paradigm. Please tone it down.
See one Zim-hater, see them all.
I go where the facts take me. Only a dummy doesn't.
Thanks for self-identifying.
--Andrew, @LawSelfDefense
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Andrew,
I was warned previously that you would get nasty if criticized. I believe that GZ is innocent; you have incorrectly assumed otherwise. I repeat, if you are desiring to appear credible, adopt the Fair Witness model. Your answer leads me to conclude that you are unfamiliar with Heinlein's concept. Unfollowing LOSD now.
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Andrew,
I was warned previously that you would get nasty if criticized. I believe that GZ is innocent; you have incorrectly assumed otherwise. I repeat, if you are desiring to appear credible, adopt the Fair Witness model. Your answer leads me to conclude that you are unfamiliar with Heinlein's concept. Unfollowing LOSD now.
Andrew has a lot of nerve calling anyone a dummy.
He's not a genuine participant in this forum, he just uses it to spam his unsolicited opinions... which he copies and pastes into any site that makes the mistake of letting him join.
If he were a good lawyer, he wouldn't have time to watch Fox News all day with his pants around his ankles.
Like most of America already does, we can safely ignore him.
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In the grand sceme of life. CB was pointing out bias without using any personal attacks. He just asked to tone it a little. When a reply startts with Dummy, It escallates. Mods, if someone steps on that line again, hand out a day off pass. then go for a weekend off, if it happens again.
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And the title says gun friendly, so it allready insinuates bias towards guns.
Now, the trial is important.
The end product, is the bad news.
Tweets everywhere, are pointing at A supersized Rodney king party.
Police are going door to door in florida, and other citys. Some speculate, that this one thing is why Homeland wanted so much ammo.
people are posting in comments everywhere, I'm rioting if hes innocent. I was on info wars, and could not believe the bs posted on comments.
Hopeing I"m wrong on my speculation.
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Hey folks,
Today we will again be covering the Zimmerman Trial live, all day, with streaming video. Continuing commentary will be posted in the Twitter feed of selected contributors below the first video feed, and breaking news will be added at the bottom of this post.
During the lunch recess, or immediately thereafter, we will post a mid-day update. We'll then follow up with the usual detailed end-of-day wrap up, including video and embedded Tweets, at the usual time in the evening.
Today court is expected to start at 8:30AM with a hearing, before the jury is brought into the courtroom, on whether to admit into evidence the State’s proffer of Zimmerman’s college records, his application to a Virginia police academy (he used to live in VA), and his application to do a “ride-along” with police officers (an opportunity offered by many departments). As soon as that hearing is over the trial proper is expected to begin.
You can watch it all her LIVE:
Zimmerman Trial Day 8: Live Video, Analysis of State’s Case & Witnesses (http://legalinsurrection.com/2013/07/zimmerman-trial-day-8-live-video-analysis-of-states-case-witnesses/)
You see our analysis and video of yesterday’s courtroom testimony, including Chris Serino’s equivocation, Mark Osterman’s very favorable testimony, Zimmerman’s appearance on Sean Hannity, the odd medical testimony of imported medical examiner Dr. Rao, and the brief and uninformative testimony of fingerprint expert Kristine Benson, here:
Zimmerman Update Exclusive — Mid-Day 7 — Serino more ambivalent, Osterman supports self-defense (http://legalinsurrection.com/2013/07/zimmerman-update-exclusive-mid-day-7-serino-more-ambivalent-osterman-supports-self-defense/)
and here:
Zimmerman Trial Day 7 Wrap Up: Prosecution recovers a little, prepared to introduce college records (http://legalinsurrection.com/2013/07/zimmerman-trial-day-7-wrap-up-prosecution-recovers-a-little-prepared-to-introduce-college-records-2/)
For all of our prior coverage on day-to-day events in court, as covered here at Legal Insurrection, click here:
ARCHIVE: Zimmerman Trial LIVE coverage all day, every day (http://legalinsurrection.com/tag/george-zimmerman-trial/)
For all of our prior coverage on issues specific to the Law of Self Defense as covered at my own blog, click here:
Law of Self Defense Blog: Zimmerman Trial (http://lawofselfdefense.com/blog/)
(NOTE: As much as I appreciate everyone visiting the LOSD blog, be sure to return to Legal Insurrection to comment, as nearly all my time is spent there for the duration of the trial. Handy links are provided everywhere that might be useful.)
Andrew
@LawSelfDefense (http://@LawSelfDefense) (or @LawSelfDefense2 (http://@LawSelfDefense2) when I am in Twitmo--follow both!)
Facebook: Law of Self Defense (https://www.facebook.com/pages/Law-of-Self-Defense/176397865719110)
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Andrew has a lot of nerve calling anyone a dummy.
I didn't call ANYONE a dummy. I said only a dummy would refuse to follow where the facts lead them.
Unless someone is holding up their hand saying they refuse to follow where the facts lead them, I wasn't referring to them.
If they ARE holding up their hand and saying that . . . it speaks for itself, doesn't it?
Andrew
@LawSelfDefense (http://@LawSelfDefense) (or @LawSelfDefense2 (http://@LawSelfDefense2) when I am in Twitmo--follow both!)
Facebook: Law of Self Defense (https://www.facebook.com/pages/Law-of-Self-Defense/176397865719110)
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Personally I do not mind a little bias in favor of GZ. With NBC, CBS, NY Times... well you get the idea, all stacked in favor of TM, I prefer to get updates from a site that does not further promote the Sharpton ideology and NBPP zealotry of get Zimmerman at all costs.
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Thank you Twisted.
Since I joined the forum I felt a camaraderie and acceptance that is rare any ware. I am, in fact, part of this membership of constitutional enthusiasts and firearm appreciators that gather here to exchange thoughts.
When an “out-of-stater” comes here to hawk products and demean our members it detracts from the values I’ve seen demonstrated on this forum.
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If a moderator or other person of authority here asks me to leave, there will be no complaint from me.
Very sensitive sensibilities, some of you. :D
Andrew
@LawSelfDefense (http://@LawSelfDefense) (and @LawSelfDefense2 (http://@LawSelfDefense2) for when I'm in Twitmo--follow both!)
Facebook: Law of Self Defense (https://www.facebook.com/pages/Law-of-Self-Defense/176397865719110)
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Andrew,
Your thread title contains "Tired of media bias", however, your snarky Tweets reveal your bias. I had expected you to adopt Heinlein's Fair Witness paradigm. Please tone it down.
See one Zim-hater, see them all.
I go where the facts take me. Only a dummy doesn't.
Thanks for self-identifying.
--Andrew, @LawSelfDefense
I have been watching the live stream on Legal Insurrection for several days now but have been put off by Andrew's snide comments in his tweets which detract from his highly informative narrative. However, receiving what I infer to be an ad hominem reaponse for that "tone down" request, along with an incorrect conclusion that I a "Zim-hater" leads me to conclude that Andrew lets his emotion cloud his conclusions and that he needs to develop a thicker skin. Thanks for the support, guys.
FYI: Here's a synopsis of a Fair Witness excerpted from http://www.freerepublic.com/~fairwitness/
"Fair Witness" is a profession invented by Robert Heinlein in his novel 'Stranger in a Strange Land'. Heinlein does not spend much time actually defining what a Fair Witness is, letting the description come out in the narrative in several places. A concise description, from a book review of 'Stranger' on Amazon.com, is as follows: "The concept of a Fair Witness is intriguing. This is a profession trained to be absolutely impartial witnesses, with total recall. Their testimony in court is considered solid fact."
Point to a white house and ask a Fair Witness what color it is and he/she will tell you "white on this side". They will not guess that the whole house is the same as the part they can see, but only report what they sense and experience directly.
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I think Andrew is profit motivated as he keeps pushing his web site. He must not have many clients as he sure spends lots of time on the internet. Many forums get these types of people that hype there sites to get more hits which means money. I like most here enjoy the discussions...maybe I should push some of my forums ...what do you think Andrew, because every hit is money in my pocket too. But unlike Andrew my sites are non profit like this one which tends to draw open minded people that pay attention to the world around them. My money goes to the Ronald McDonald Homes in the USA & Canada which doesn't have anything to do with guns, but since I mentioned non profit I wanted to make it clear where every penny goes.
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And the title says gun friendly, so it allready insinuates bias towards guns.
Now, the trial is important.
The end product, is the bad news.
Tweets everywhere, are pointing at A supersized Rodney king party.
Police are going door to door in florida, and other citys. Some speculate, that this one thing is why Homeland wanted so much ammo.
people are posting in comments everywhere, I'm rioting if hes innocent. I was on info wars, and could not believe the bs posted on comments.
Hopeing I"m wrong on my speculation.
I hope you are wrong as well, but sadly I think something might go down.
Further it would seem gun owners fighting amongst ourselves when we are the ones who are often being criticized are "fighting against foes who are not real enemies"
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I have actually enjoyed this thread.
There are people from out of state on this board and members from out of state on other boards.
Now an out of state agitator example we all should be fuming about are the parents from CT and Mark Kelly coming to Delaware to testify about laws that effect us when they are not from the state. They even were given more time than delaware residents and I think they were basically props.
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I have actually enjoyed this thread.
There are people from out of state on this board and members from out of state on other boards.
Now an out of state agitator example we all should be fuming about are the parents from CT and Mark Kelly coming to Delaware to testify about laws that effect us when they are not from the state. They even were given more time than delaware residents and I think they were basically props.
good point .
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As gun owners and guys and girls we have far bigger enemies than to fight amongst each other.
I know some places that are so wrapped up in "public image" that being conservative can be greatly frowned upon despite a majority of the people the go on gun boards are moderates or to the right.
It is not just one board or a couple. There are boards for example, that are so upset that people are actually concerned blacks might riot of the verdict. it is met with racist claims. All those boards are doing is fighting a foe that is not a real enemy.
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I have actually enjoyed this thread.
There are people from out of state on this board and members from out of state on other boards.
Now an out of state agitator example we all should be fuming about are the parents from CT and Mark Kelly coming to Delaware to testify about laws that effect us when they are not from the state. They even were given more time than delaware residents and I think they were basically props.
good point .
+1
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Sitting here and thinking if I should put in my two cents worth...........so I will .............even as important as our right to own guns and for those of us that take the steps to carry our guns it is equally important to have your own opinion and your right to voice it .....if someones opinion differs then it is your right to object ......in looking at statements made noone got called a dummy ......in lookng at this trial i hope none of us are ever in the position that MZ is in .....just because he was on neighborhood watch does not make him a vigilante ..........just because TM was unarmed does not make MZ a killer ........just hope none of us are ever in that position
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Hey folks,
Just wrapped up Day 8 of Florida v. Zimmerman, and things went no better for the prosecution today than in prior days–indeed, the morning was pretty much a disaster for the offense. For details on the morning’s events, click here:
Zimmerman Update Exclusive — Mid-Day 8 — State Wins Evidentiary Battle, Loses Testimony War (http://lawofselfdefense.com/zimmerman-trial-day-8-live-video-analysis-reader-poll-dna-inconclusive-judge-nelson-terse/)
The afternoon involved mostly a tirad by Judge Nelson at the defense, and an interminable presentation of totally pointless DNS evidence over a period of several hours. To lighten things up, however, we do have a reader poll in which can you vote as to whether you believe that George Zimmerman should testify in his own defense. You can see these wondrous events here:
Zimmerman Trial Day 8: Live Video, Analysis & Reader Poll: DNA Inconclusive & Judge Nelson Terse (http://lawofselfdefense.com/zimmerman-trial-day-8-live-video-analysis-reader-poll-dna-inconclusive-judge-nelson-terse/)
First things first–Legal Insurrection presents yet another of our class-leading internet polls on Florida v. Zimmerman. Vote to lend your voice to whether George Zimmerman should be called by the defense to testify:
July 4, Birthday of the Greatest Nation on Earth
Tomorrow, July 4, the celebration of the birth of the greatest nation on the face of the Earth, is a day off rest for the Court, and hopefully for most of you.
But not for this humble correspondent. Tomorrow we will present a post that prognosticates on the path forward for this trial including the prospects for mid-trial motions for a directed verdict, likely strategies and witnesses to be called by the defense, and how both the State and defense are likely to try to fit the developed facts in evidence, as well as circumstantial evidence, into the compelling narrative that is their closing arguments–and how closely those closing arguments are likely to align with the commitments they made to the jury at the start of this trial.
So, keep your eyes open for that tomorrow, and have a safe, wonderful, and fireworks-filled day of celebration of the birth of our great nation. (And go shoot some guns, BEST WAY EVAH to celebrate the 4th--especially military-type stuff. I expect to have my Garand, AR, 1911, etc., all out to the range.)
Best,
Andrew
(and [URL=@LawSelfDefense2]@LawSelfDefense2 (http://@LawSelfDefense"@LawSelfDefense[/URL) for when I'm in Twitmo--follow both!)
Facebook: Law of Self Defense (https://www.facebook.com/pages/Law-of-Self-Defense/176397865719110)
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Michael Savage apparently is a liberal talking head with a radio show. His argument about the Zimmerman trial is classic liberal theology.
1. Liberals love to tell you how intellectually superior they are.
2. Because of their superior intellect they are able to understand things that we knuckle draggers just don’t get.
3. The usually have no clue what they are talking about.
Here is the evidence that proves my point.
“I’m about to break an analysis that no one yet in the media has done, as you would expect from me — being the senior member of the American media and possibly the most insightful,”
“Zimmerman was carrying a Kel Tec semi-automatic 9mm handgun. So? Big deal. It is a big deal because he had a bullet chambered in the gun and he had the safety off… Had he not chambered a round prior to meeting Trayvon, and had he not taken the safety off, even if Trayvon, during the altercation even if Trayvon had tried to grab the gun away from Zimmerman — had that gun not been chambered with a round and safety off, Trayvon Martin would have had to use two hands. You can’t do it with one hand.”
http://dailycaller.com/2013/07/04/michael-savage-on-george-zimmerman-you-have-to-find-this-man-guilty-audio/#ixzz2Y7V4QTLu (http://dailycaller.com/2013/07/04/michael-savage-on-george-zimmerman-you-have-to-find-this-man-guilty-audio/#ixzz2Y7V4QTLu)
Big problem. Zimmerman had a Kel-Tec 9 mm PF-9 which HAS NO SAFETY. The weapon is DAO with a listed trigger pull of 5 lbs.
http://www.keltecweapons.com/our-guns/pistols/pf-9/ (http://www.keltecweapons.com/our-guns/pistols/pf-9/)
According to Amy Siewert, the prosecution witness and state Forensic Analyst, the way Zimmerman carried his weapon is consistent with the way many police officers carry their duty weapon and is completely safe.
So, since he has shown he is pretty much ignorant of the functions of the weapon used in this case shouldn’t any conclusion he forms from his ignorance be just as faulty. Don’t expect a retraction from this guy, I mean really, why waste such a good argument just because the facts to not line up with your superior intellect.
I think Ronald Reagan said it best: “It isn't so much that liberals are ignorant. It's just that they know so many things that aren't so."
Update: It seems this guy is not a liberal but the twisted logic he manipulates to reach his conclusion in this story fits their MO.
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Michael Savage apparently is a liberal talking head with a radio show. His argument about the Zimmerman trial is classic liberal theology.
1. Liberals love to tell you how intellectually superior they are.
2. Because of their superior intellect they are able to understand things that we knuckle draggers just don’t get.
3. The usually have no clue what they are talking about.
Here is the evidence that proves my point.
“I’m about to break an analysis that no one yet in the media has done, as you would expect from me — being the senior member of the American media and possibly the most insightful,”
“Zimmerman was carrying a Kel Tec semi-automatic 9mm handgun. So? Big deal. It is a big deal because he had a bullet chambered in the gun and he had the safety off… Had he not chambered a round prior to meeting Trayvon, and had he not taken the safety off, even if Trayvon, during the altercation even if Trayvon had tried to grab the gun away from Zimmerman — had that gun not been chambered with a round and safety off, Trayvon Martin would have had to use two hands. You can’t do it with one hand.”
http://dailycaller.com/2013/07/04/michael-savage-on-george-zimmerman-you-have-to-find-this-man-guilty-audio/#ixzz2Y7V4QTLu (http://dailycaller.com/2013/07/04/michael-savage-on-george-zimmerman-you-have-to-find-this-man-guilty-audio/#ixzz2Y7V4QTLu)
Big problem. Zimmerman had a Kel-Tec 9 mm PF-9 which HAS NO SAFETY. The weapon is DAO with a listed trigger pull of 5 lbs.
http://www.keltecweapons.com/our-guns/pistols/pf-9/ (http://www.keltecweapons.com/our-guns/pistols/pf-9/)
According to Amy Siewert, the prosecution witness and state Forensic Analyst, the way Zimmerman carried his weapon is consistent with the way many police officers carry their duty weapon and is completely safe.
So, since he has shown he is pretty much ignorant of the functions of the weapon used in this case shouldn’t any conclusion he forms from his ignorance be just as faulty. Don’t expect a retraction from this guy, I mean really, why waste such a good argument just because the facts to not line up with your superior intellect.
I think Ronald Reagan said it best: “It isn't so much that liberals are ignorant. It's just that they know so many things that aren't so."
I've long thought that Michael Savage is ignorant, but he's no liberal. Not even close. If he were, the Daily Caller wouldn't be quoting him.
Heck, we've never seen him at any of the Communist Party meetings. ;D
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It seems like a gun without a round chambered is of no use in self defense? That really is a brilliant argument and I think the prosecution meant that in opening statements. I carry my 1911 racked and loaded hammer back with safety on and the last thing I ever want to do is have to draw that firearm. I dont think there is anyone here who wants to use it except for target shooting or competitions. The media just dont get it.
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I've long thought that Michael Savage is ignorant, but he's no liberal.
You are right, I was wrrr...wrrooo...wronnn, oh heck I jumped the gun when I said he was apparently a liberal talking head. His PHD from Berkeley, herbal medicine books and a past show on MSNBC threw me off. But seriously, my only experience with him is this story and he fit the mold on this one pretty well so I ran with it.
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Hey folks,
My apologies for my posts here becoming a bit more sporadic, but it's a busy time on the home front, and I sometimes just can't find time each evening to drop in and leave an update.
For those still interested, however, my wrap-up of day 9 of the trial, in which the State rested its case, Judge Nelson denied the defense motion for a directed verdict of acquittal, and the defense began presenting its case to the juray with the testimony of Gladys Zimmerman, George's mother, and Jorge Meza, George's uncle and career LEO, can be found here:
Zimmerman Trial Day 9 — Families Feud Over Scream Identification (http://is.gd/3v2xb4)
I can't remember now if I previously mentioned the July 4 Review of the trial, so in case I didn't that can be found here:
Zimmerman Trial Review – How We Got Here, And Where We’re Going (http://is.gd/S2p6Yc)
Also this weekend I'll do a detailed analysis on each side's theory of the case moving foward, and how I expect the defense strategy to unfold over the coming week. I'll try to get back here and post a notice when that goes up, but in case I don't have time it might be worth keeping an on my Twitter feed, @LawSelfDefense (http://@LawSelfDefense) and/or the Law of Self Defense Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/pages/Law-of-Self-Defense/176397865719110) page.
Finally, I'm excited to say that the first genuine print copies of The Law of Self Defense, Second Edition, have begun to arrive, and shipping has begun to all our pre-order clients who took advantage of the 30% discount and free shipping offer. If you're among those you should expect to find the book arrive in your mailbox sometime this week.
(http://andrewbranca.smugmug.com/Journalism/Zimmerman-Trial/i-4tpWPnP/0/M/IMG_1103-M.jpg)
First Print Copies of “The Law of Self Defense, 2nd Edition” Arrive! (http://lawofselfdefense.com/first-print-copies-the-law-of-self-defense-2nd-edition-arrive/)
Now that shipping of the book has begun, the pre-order period for the book, along with the 30% discount has ended. We are, however, continuing a 20% discount for the duration of the trial, and if you're a member of the NRA--honor system, now!--you can use the coupon LOSD2-NRA (http://lawofselfdefense.com/cart/) at check-out to get an additional $5 off, and free shipping (the discount is reflected in the last price listed at bottom). This in effect maintains the 30% discount, but only until the Zimmerman jury returns a verdict.
Alternatively, the book is also available on Amazon.com, but at around list price (just under $50), unless they choose to discount (that's up to them).
Best,
Andrew
@LawSelfDefense (http://@LawSelfDefense)(& @LawSelfDefense2 (http://@LawSelfDefense2))
[URL=https://www.facebook.com/pages/Law-of-Self-Defense/176397865719110]Facebook: Law of Self Defense (https://www.facebook.com/pages/Law-of-Self-Defense/176397865719110)[/URL]
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I really do not know anything about this website but this was too funny to pass up.
SANFORD, Florida (BHN) - In obvious anticipation of George ZImmerman being likely found innocent of murder charges, Judge Debra Nelson ruled Thursday that the jury will now have the option to convict Zimmerman of any number of lesser charges, including manslaughter, slavery, excessive noise (gunshot), personal property damage (hoodie), public property damage (head hitting sidewalk), littering (Trayvon), and felony screaming like a girl.
The defense unsuccessfully objected to the additional charges, as well as the fact that all jurors are now wearing hoodies.
On a lighter note, a Zimmerman defense attorney was chided by the judge for agreeing with the prosecution's demand of "justice for Trayvon" by suggesting they "dig up his body and shoot him again."
http://peacemoonbeam.typepad.com/bighairynews/2013/07/zimmerman-jury-instructed-to-find-him-guilty-of-something.html (http://peacemoonbeam.typepad.com/bighairynews/2013/07/zimmerman-jury-instructed-to-find-him-guilty-of-something.html)
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I really do not know anything about this website but this was too funny to pass up.
SANFORD, Florida (BHN) - In obvious anticipation of George ZImmerman being likely found innocent of murder charges, Judge Debra Nelson ruled Thursday that the jury will now have the option to convict Zimmerman of any number of lesser charges, including manslaughter, slavery, excessive noise (gunshot), personal property damage (hoodie), public property damage (head hitting sidewalk), littering (Trayvon), and felony screaming like a girl.
The defense unsuccessfully objected to the additional charges, as well as the fact that all jurors are now wearing hoodies.
On a lighter note, a Zimmerman defense attorney was chided by the judge for agreeing with the prosecution's demand of "justice for Trayvon" by suggesting they "dig up his body and shoot him again."
http://peacemoonbeam.typepad.com/bighairynews/2013/07/zimmerman-jury-instructed-to-find-him-guilty-of-something.html (http://peacemoonbeam.typepad.com/bighairynews/2013/07/zimmerman-jury-instructed-to-find-him-guilty-of-something.html)
Honestly, I don't know how this trial has not been dismissed yet from all of the bias. The jury is now all wearing hoodies? Really? And the fact that the Judge decided that the jury could now convict on lesser charges means they know that there is the real possibility that he could walk.
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The jury is now all wearing hoodies? Really?
You know that whole post was a joke, right?
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The jury is now all wearing hoodies? Really?
You know that whole post was a joke, right?
If true it would not surprise me if the judge did nothing about it. SHe has done EVERYTHING SHE CAN to railroad Zimmerman
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There are more casualties to the Zimmerman-Martin investigation than just Zimmerman and Martin. Take a look at these three and see if you see a pattern.
SANFORD, Florida (CNN) -- An employee of the Florida State Attorney's Office who testified that prosecutors withheld evidence from George Zimmerman's defense team has been fired.
Kruidbos testified before Zimmerman's trial began that Martin's cell phone contained images of Martin blowing smoke, images of marijuana and deleted text messages regarding a transaction for a firearm and that those images had not been given to Zimmerman's defense team.
http://www.wptv.com/dpp/news/national/ben-kruidbos-it-director-fired-headed-information-technology-for-the-state-attorneys-office#ixzz2YymMn0jc
The George Zimmerman investigation was hijacked "in a number of ways" by outside forces, said the former police chief of Sanford, Florida.
Bill Lee, who testified Monday in Zimmerman's second-degree murder trial, told CNN's George Howell in an exclusive interview that he felt pressure from city officials to arrest Zimmerman to placate the public rather than as a matter of justice.
"It was (relayed) to me that they just wanted an arrest. They didn't care if it got dismissed later," he said. "You don't do that."
Two months later, Lee was sacked. City Manager Norton Bonaparte said in a news release, "The police chief needs to have the trust and respect of the elected officials and the confidence of the entire community."
http://www.cnn.com/2013/07/10/justice/sanford-bill-lee-exclusive
Hurley had told his officers to avoid issuing criminal reports on young black males in High School, and to find alternate disingenuous methods of using the reports only for school discipline. This process was an effort to support a false premise of improved statistics mandated by Miami-Dade School Superintendent Alberto Carvalho, who hired Hurley.
At the conclusion of the internal investigation Police Chief Hurley was suspended, and later fired.
http://theconservativetreehouse.com/2013/04/16/part-7-the-trayvon-martin-cover-up-sgt-lourdes-hodges-trayvon-foia-14/