Shooting of Trayvon Martin - Page 122

On June 25 2013 04:41 farvacola wrote:
Wow, this judge may look like a frumpy old lady, but she has damn fine control of her courtroom.

On June 25 2013 04:45 Crownlol wrote:


Circuit Judge Debra Nelson top 3 control

On June 25 2013 04:53 xDaunt wrote:
I was impressed at how restrained the judge was during the Defense's opening statement. I know judges who would have taken the defense to the woodshed in front of everyone for making the same error so many times.

In a much more deliberate and plodding approach compared to the fiery tone of the prosecution, the defense team for George Zimmerman, the former neighborhood watch captain on trial for the second-degree murder of teenager Trayvon Martin, took more than three hours to deliver its opening remarks. “There are no monsters here,” said attorney Don West. Here are five key points that West presented to the jury during his lengthy opening statement in the Sanford, Florida courtroom:

1. Trayvon Martin attacked George Zimmerman first. West, a criminal defense expert who joined the defense team last June, said: “Little did George Zimmerman know at the time in less than 10 minutes from him first seeing Travyon Martin that he, George Zimmerman, would be suckered punched in the face, have his head pounded on concrete and wind up shooting and tragically killing Trayvon Martin.”

2. Zimmerman was intimidated by the teenager. The defense attorney read part of a transcript of the call between Zimmerman and a police dispatcher from the night Martin, 17, died back to back this claim. In the call, Zimmerman: “…Now he’s coming towards me. He’s got his hands in his waistband…something’s wrong with him…he’s coming to check me out…there’s something in his hands.”

3. Martin chose to confront Zimmerman. West argues to jurors that Martin had several chances to go home and avoid conflict. “Choosing not to do that, he hid in the darkness to see about this guy who was following him,” West said. “And turned to George Zimmerman and asked him ‘why are you following me?’ ” West contended that the teenage girl Martin was on his cellphone with heard these final words before the call cuts off.

4. Zimmerman, once engaged in conflict with Martin, was in a potentially lethal fight. The defense’s entire case hinges on the premise that George Zimmerman shot Trayvon Martin in self-defense. West says that the audio evidence of the 911 call shows that Zimmerman was screaming for help until a clear single shot rang out, resulting in Martin’s death. “I hope that you listen 1, 5, 10, 50 times if you need to,” the defense attorney told the jury. “What we know obviously, and everyone agrees to this … all of the witnesses agree those are the screams of someone in a life-threatening situation.”

5. At least one witness says Martin was beating Zimmerman up. A witness who lives only a few yards from where the fight happened says he clearly saw Martin, wearing a charcoal-colored hooded sweatshirt, on top of Zimmerman, wearing a red jacket, beating him in a mixed martial arts “ground and pound” style position. “He heard Zimmerman say ‘help me, help me.’ Trayvon Martin kept on hitting,” said defense attorney West. “You could hear the cries for help until the moment of the shot and there’s not more cries for help. Why would there be?”

On June 25 2013 23:25 bugser wrote:
George Zimmerman is sounding like a genuinely good guy.

I don't understand why people were so eager to condemn him.

On June 25 2013 23:30 Dfgj wrote:

People love a case that can be sensationalized to fit their beliefs/fears. A lot of people wanted to believe this was purely a hate crime to lash out over.

On June 26 2013 00:30 KwarK wrote:
He was a moron with no training who got a gun and created a situation that was always likely to escalate beyond his control. He probably did shoot the guy in self defence, focussing on the incident ignores the issue that you've got morons with guns. Stupid people are always going to create situations they cannot manage and make problems they didn't anticipate and it's a weakness of American society akin to letting toddlers use grown up scissors. But if you're going to give people that kind of responsibility then they need to know that when they choose to carry a gun then they are choosing to potentially let things escalate into a lethal scenario and understand that they will be accountable for how they use it. If you cannot trust yourself to only ever use a gun on people who absolutely need to die then don't carry a gun. If you choose to carry a gun then you are responsible for the decision to escalate situations you cannot control into potentially lethal situations and if you fuck up then it's on you.

On June 26 2013 00:41 jeremycafe wrote:


"He was a moron with no training who got a gun and created a situation that was always likely to escalate beyond his control."
He did have training. A patrol officer was sent to give a course on watch programs on Zimmerman's Request. He also took proper firearms training to obtain a license.

Zimmerman wasn't the only person who made a bad decision that night. They both made decisions that resulted in what happened. Zimmerman should have stayed back and observed, not followed. Martin should have just gone home. He shouldn't have double backed and attacked Zimmerman. Zimmerman didn't start a fight, he was trying to follow someone to give details to the police. He never had intent to fight or interact with Martin.

Like I said, they both made mistakes. Don't go overboard with your statements. It is easy for people to say he was way out of line when we don't live in the same shitty area he lived in. That is not what is in question in this case.

On June 26 2013 00:41 jeremycafe wrote:


"He was a moron with no training who got a gun and created a situation that was always likely to escalate beyond his control."
He did have training. A patrol officer was sent to give a course on watch programs on Zimmerman's Request. He also took proper firearms training to obtain a license.

Zimmerman wasn't the only person who made a bad decision that night. They both made decisions that resulted in what happened. Zimmerman should have stayed back and observed, not followed. Martin should have just gone home. He shouldn't have double backed and attacked Zimmerman. Zimmerman didn't start a fight, he was trying to follow someone to give details to the police. He never had intent to fight or interact with Martin.

Like I said, they both made mistakes. Don't go overboard with your statements. It is easy for people to say he was way out of line when we don't live in the same shitty area he lived in. That is not what is in question in this case.

On June 26 2013 00:47 pugowar wrote:


You're right - they both made mistakes - and one is DEAD now. Z was asked not to follow him anymore - he spooked the kid - a teenager- and forced a bad situation. he is responsible - they both might be and T has paid for his responsibility. Now it is Z's turn.

I would like to know what you would do if a man is following you at night?