After several weeks of outrage and speculation on what would come about with the shooting of Trayvon Martin, the shooter George Zimmerman has been arrested and is currently in a Central Florida awaiting trial. Zimmerman has been formally charged with Second Degree murder. This is where I would normally just continue to report on what is happening and important aspects of this upcoming trial. Instead, I am going to go off in a little bit different direction. I won’t be discussing the parties the action took place but more so the participants.
What I mean by participants is more the legal system in Florida. A system than has had its share of high profile cases only to see what should have been a “slam dunk” in legal terms to be only squandered away. The most recent one that comes to mind is the State verse Casey Anthony. There wasn’t a person who watched this case that didn’t think Casey Anthony was innocent. The state just failed to prove to the jurors that it was her that committed the crime. Now we have another case with the same type of circumstantial evidence that if is presented in the wrong manner can allow Zimmerman out of a second degree murder conviction to a lesser charge.
I know the evidence against Zimmerman is pretty overwhelming and they do have audio of the incident happening. Even so, there is room for a good defending attorney to make the evidence seem ambiguous and possibly lean in the favor of Zimmerman. This should be a case where the state prosecutors should really get some due diligent in and make sure what they bring to the court room is solid enough to convict. I think the reason the state went with a second degree charge is the ability to make some errors and still get a conviction of Zimmerman. There is no doubt that a first degree murder charge could have been asked for, because the severity of the crime. That just says to me how little faith they have in themselves to get the job done.
I hope for the sake of everyone involved that this case doesn’t turn into a circus. Trayvon Martin was a 17 year old boy. Of course there will be things that he has done that will make him not look like the perfect child the media has painted him to be so far. I don’t know of any 17 year old boy that hasn’t done something stupid. I think it’s almost a requirement at that age. What needs to happen Is the stat should present it in that manner and just cut that right off the defendants attack plan. Just get to the facts on the case and let a jury decide based on those then what Trayvon may or may not have done that night. I think this will be the defining point for a state’s legal system. If this case is lost based on the inept ability of the state prosecutors, I feel that those who follow the rules will be at a great disadvantage to those that don’t in Florida. The ability to feel confident in the court system will wane and cause many to commit crimes they know will be difficult for the system to convict on. Let’s hope for all of us that someone down there gets this one right.
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