Tough for Zimmerman to get fair trial, defense attorneys say

[WillowTree]

MSNBC duh!





Given the immense pressure to arrest and try George Zimmerman for the shooting death of Trayvon Martin, defense attorneys who have worked on other high-profile cases say it will be tough for him to get a fair trial.
The public outcry against Zimmerman, 28, has been intense: More than two million people signed a petition calling for his prosecution; civil rights leaders descended on Sanford, the Florida city where unarmed teen Martin was killed; and almost-daily rallies were held demanding Zimmerman’s arrest.














U.S. News - Tough for Zimmerman to get fair trial, defense attorneys say

 

[manifold]

Jury selection should be interesting.

 

[WillowTree]

Alan Dershowitz, a respected trial attorney and Harvard law professor, has come to the same conclusion. During an interview on MSNBC last week, Dershowitz told “Hardball” guest host Michael Smerconish that the affidavit produced by Corey is “irresponsible and unethical in not including material that favors the defendant.” Dershowitz concluded that the handling of the case “will result in an acquittal.”

Read more: Trayvon Martin | George Zimmerman | Charge against Zimmerman reeks of unprofessionalism | The Daily Caller

 

[manifold]

Of course he'll be acquitted. What with the presumption of innocence and the evidence supporting his claim of self-defense and all.

 

[High_Gravity]

It doesn't surprise me because most people already have their minds made up whether he is guilty or not.

 

[manifold]

It doesn't surprise me because most people already have their minds made up whether he is guilty or not.

I didn't until recently.

I just don't see any tangible, admissible evidence that disputes his claim of self-defense.

I reserve the right to change my opinion if new evidence is found (or released).

 

[High_Gravity]

It doesn't surprise me because most people already have their minds made up whether he is guilty or not.

I didn't until recently.

I just don't see any tangible, admissible evidence that disputes his claim of self-defense.

I reserve the right to change my opinion if new evidence is found (or released).

I have seen alot of people get emotional over this trial, on this board you will find posters who want Zimmerman fried because they hate whites, and a few people who say he is innocent because they hate Blacks.

 

[WillowTree]

It doesn't surprise me because most people already have their minds made up whether he is guilty or not.

I didn't until recently.

I just don't see any tangible, admissible evidence that disputes his claim of self-defense.

I reserve the right to change my opinion if new evidence is found (or released).

I have seen alot of people get emotional over this trial, on this board you will find posters who want Zimmerman fried because they hate whites, and a few people who say he is innocent because they hate Blacks.

I just hate blacks who hate whites! I feel sorry for em too.

 

[manifold]

It doesn't surprise me because most people already have their minds made up whether he is guilty or not.

I didn't until recently.

I just don't see any tangible, admissible evidence that disputes his claim of self-defense.

I reserve the right to change my opinion if new evidence is found (or released).

I have seen alot of people get emotional over this trial, on this board you will find posters who want Zimmerman fried because they hate whites, and a few people who say he is innocent because they hate Blacks.

My personal speculation is that the entire tragedy could have been averted if either one of them had exercised better judgment in the situation.

 

[High_Gravity]

I didn't until recently.

I just don't see any tangible, admissible evidence that disputes his claim of self-defense.

I reserve the right to change my opinion if new evidence is found (or released).

I have seen alot of people get emotional over this trial, on this board you will find posters who want Zimmerman fried because they hate whites, and a few people who say he is innocent because they hate Blacks.

My personal speculation is that the entire tragedy could have been averted if either one of them had exercised better judgment in the situation.

Your probably right.

 

[Katzndogz]

If this turns into Duke Lacross part 2, it's going to be just awful.

I heard that the arrest warrant is the shortest and thinnest ever made in a high profile case and there is no way Zimmerman can be prosecuted under this. There's not even probable cause. It doesn't have the elements of the crime charged. I keep hoping Smoking Gun will put it on line so I could see it for myself.

If so, I would suspect that Florida has already determined to make it a short, cheap trial ending up with Zimmerman walking just so the feds could pick it up quickly and relieve the state of the cost. Zimmerman will go from state custody to federal custody without ever leaving the building.

 

[manifold]

The one point I will agree with the Zimmerman haters on is that the police probably should have arrested him at the scene for suspicion of murder. They could have easily released him later if they determined he acted in self-defense. It's likely that none of us would've ever heard about this if it had gone down that way.

 

[High_Gravity]

The one point I will agree with the Zimmerman haters on is that the police probably should have arrested him at the scene for suspicion of murder. They could have easily released him later if they determined he acted in self-defense. It's likely that none of us would've ever heard about this if it had gone down that way.

Yup, one of the big points that has people furious is that he was just let go that night.

 

[High_Gravity]

If this turns into Duke Lacross part 2, it's going to be just awful.

I heard that the arrest warrant is the shortest and thinnest ever made in a high profile case and there is no way Zimmerman can be prosecuted under this. There's not even probable cause. It doesn't have the elements of the crime charged. I keep hoping Smoking Gun will put it on line so I could see it for myself.

If so, I would suspect that Florida has already determined to make it a short, cheap trial ending up with Zimmerman walking just so the feds could pick it up quickly and relieve the state of the cost. Zimmerman will go from state custody to federal custody without ever leaving the building.

Katz weren't you the one that told me there are basically no comparisons between this case and the Lacross one?

 

[eots]

he will most likely cop a plea to a lesser charge and see a few years

 

[The Infidel]

I didn't until recently.

I just don't see any tangible, admissible evidence that disputes his claim of self-defense.

I reserve the right to change my opinion if new evidence is found (or released).

I have seen alot of people get emotional over this trial, on this board you will find posters who want Zimmerman fried because they hate whites, and a few people who say he is innocent because they hate Blacks.

My personal speculation is that the entire tragedy could have been averted if either one of them had exercised better judgment in the situation.

I just dont see 2nd degree murder, under Florida's definition. (manslaughter, maybe)

No way he gets a fair trial IMHO.

 

[manifold]

The one point I will agree with the Zimmerman haters on is that the police probably should have arrested him at the scene for suspicion of murder. They could have easily released him later if they determined he acted in self-defense. It's likely that none of us would've ever heard about this if it had gone down that way.

Yup, one of the big points that has people furious is that he was just let go that night.

And I can understand why.

But unless you immediately assume the cops are racist, the fact that they let him go that night supports the veracity Zimmerman's self-defense claim, no? Perhaps the cops didn't anticipate the media backlash and simply treated this like every other shooting they investigate... if it looks, walks and quacks like self-defense, wrap it up and move on.

 

[High_Gravity]

The one point I will agree with the Zimmerman haters on is that the police probably should have arrested him at the scene for suspicion of murder. They could have easily released him later if they determined he acted in self-defense. It's likely that none of us would've ever heard about this if it had gone down that way.

Yup, one of the big points that has people furious is that he was just let go that night.

And I can understand why.

But unless you immediately assume the cops are racist, the fact that they let it go that night supports the veracity Zimmerman's self-defense claim, no? Perhaps the cops didn't anticipate the media backlash and simply treated this like every other shooting they investigate... if it looks, walks and quacks like self-defense, wrap it up and move on.

Before I'd call the cops racist I would want to know their ethnicities, if anything they are probably more incompetent than racist.

 

[Katzndogz]

If this turns into Duke Lacross part 2, it's going to be just awful.

I heard that the arrest warrant is the shortest and thinnest ever made in a high profile case and there is no way Zimmerman can be prosecuted under this. There's not even probable cause. It doesn't have the elements of the crime charged. I keep hoping Smoking Gun will put it on line so I could see it for myself.

If so, I would suspect that Florida has already determined to make it a short, cheap trial ending up with Zimmerman walking just so the feds could pick it up quickly and relieve the state of the cost. Zimmerman will go from state custody to federal custody without ever leaving the building.

Katz weren't you the one that told me there are basically no comparisons between this case and the Lacross one?

No. What I said was that Crystal Magnum wasn't really raped, but Trayvon Martin was really dead.

What I mean is the method of prosecution. The comparison would go to the point of pursuing a case past the point where it is obvious that there is no case. That's what Mike Nifong did and why he was disbarred.

The complication in the Zimmerman case is the peculiarity in the Florida law which goes beyond providing a defense of self defense. It provides for complete immunity meaning a person can't be taken into custody and can't be detained. Sort of like the immunity of diplomatic immunity if that helps explain it.

To overcome the immunity of the Florida law, the entire case has to be built without the accused in custody. Which explains why Zimmerman wasn't taken into custody immediately and why it took so long to get an arrest warrant. The prosecution has to show first and foremost that under the law, Zimmerman isn't entitled to immunity. After that, they can address whether or not he was acting in self defense.

This entire case is going to come down to what happened in the space of one to two minutes of time. What happened between the time Martin stopped talking to his girlfriend and his death? This case has nothing to do with racism. It has nothing to do with Trayvon Martin being profiled because he was wearing a hoodie. Aside from being descriptive of what Martin was wearing the hoodie has no significance whatsoever.

 

[WillowTree]

Yup, one of the big points that has people furious is that he was just let go that night.

And I can understand why.

But unless you immediately assume the cops are racist, the fact that they let it go that night supports the veracity Zimmerman's self-defense claim, no? Perhaps the cops didn't anticipate the media backlash and simply treated this like every other shooting they investigate... if it looks, walks and quacks like self-defense, wrap it up and move on.

Before I'd call the cops racist I would want to know their ethnicities, if anything they are probably more incompetent than racist.

what does ethnicity have to do with it exactly. please elaborate.