Quote:
Originally Posted by mardigras
And it came off as an insult to the jury. Horrible way to start your case.
That's it in a nutshell... the 911 tape where they tell him not to follow him is going to be a major obstacle in the defense's case.
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For me the entire trial comes down to how the altercation between Martin and Zimmerman started. Zimmerman clearly followed Martin and at some point the two came together. How that happened and how the fight between them started is key.
If Zimmerman can convince the jury that Martin was the aggressor and he was just defending himself he will likely get off. If he can't do that he is in trouble.
The thing that could save him is that it is second degree murder they are trying to prove. My understanding is that they have to prove that Zimmerman intended to do harm to Martin even if he didn't mean to kill him. That might be hard to do.
The bottom line is that Zimmerman is responsible for Martin's death. Had he just gotten back in his car and went to meet the police like he said he was going to do this would have never happened. He chose to pursue Martin and that pursuit ended in death. I think, had he been charged with manslaughter, this case would be a slam dunk and Zimmerman might have even cut a deal, but because they went for second degree murder it leaves him a window.