Update on The Zimmerman Trial
The prosecution for the George Zimmerman trial rested on Friday and even ABC’s Don Abrams, formally of MSNBC, saw enough reasonable doubt to expect an acquittal, saying, “I don’t see how a jury convicts.” After the prosecution rested, Zimmerman’s attorney, Mike O’Mara, moved for a directed verdict of acquittal, as expected, and, as expected, Judge Nelson denied the motion. Despite her denial, which is standard operating procedure, anyone who has been watching this trial has to agree that the state’s case is very weak.
In the two weeks that the prosecution presented its case, witness after witness presented evidence that not only did not prove anything for the prosecution, but actually supported the defense’s claim that George Zimmerman shot Trayvon Martin in self-defense. Even the state’s “star” witness, Rachel “Dee-Dee” Jeantel, proved to be not much more than an embarrassment that most likely helped the defense more than the prosecution.
The best that the prosecution has been able to offer is Sabrina Fulton’s testimony that it was her son, Trayvon, screaming on the 911 recording and the testimony of a medical examiner from Jacksonville (where the prosecution team is based) that George Zimmerman’s injuries were just not that severe and were actually “inconsequential”. I have to wonder where, in the laws regarding self-defense, one has to have severe injuries before one can use deadly force to stop an attack.
The state cleverly scheduled Sabrina Fulton’s testimony on Friday so that the jury could take with them over the weekend the image of the grieving mother listening to the screams of her son as he battled for his life – and they did, except they might not be picturing the mother the state had planned for them to…Oddly, after the judge denied the motion for a directed verdict, she told the defense to start presenting their case–at five in the afternoon on Friday! It’s strange, but actually not so bad for the defense, who began by calling George Zimmerman’s mother. Like Trayvon’s mother, Zimmerman’s mother also identified the screams in the 911 call as being her son’s, in a battle for his life.
So, over the weekend, the jurors ponder two mothers grieving over what has happened to their sons. Who is telling the truth? Who is more believable? Who actually had custody of her son during his formative years? (Oops, we aren’t supposed to talk about that….)
Even if the jury believes Sabrina Fulton, is that enough to convict George Zimmerman? And should he be convicted with the serious lack of substantial evidence against him? So far, most of what we have heard in this trial supports the defense narrative of what happened that night – that George Zimmerman, a neighborhood watch captain, observed a suspicious character in the neighborhood, called the police and asked them to send an officer, followed Martin from a distance while consulting with the police, was attacked by Martin, and shot him to save his own life. Pretty much everything we have heard in this trial so far supports that narrative, and we have only heard from the prosecution, except for the brief beginning of the defense presentation late Friday afternoon. One can only wonder what Mark O’Mara has in store for us this week.
What is troubling about this case is that it was brought to trial at all. The evidence we have seen so far does not support a conviction for manslaughter, much less second-degree murder. This is so obviously a political prosecution that one has to fear for the future of our system of justice. In fact, until the media and the mob got involved, Sanford police had chosen not to arrest George Zimmerman because the evidence supported his claim of self-defense. Once the media and the usual race-baiting suspects realized we had a case of a white man shooting an unarmed black boy, the clamor began for an arrest, which they eventually got, along with the firing of the Sanford Chief of Police, Bill Lee, for not jumping to the politically correct conclusion and arresting Zimmerman for murder in the first place. Of course, as more information came to light, it turned out that Zimmerman is not white, being Hispanic (hence the new designation, “white Hispanic), and even part black. Not quite the narrative the racial manipulators hoped for, but they are doing their best to make it work.
Whether Zimmerman is convicted or acquitted, this trial and the way that it has come about gives us a lot to think about. If I am in a situation where I must defend myself from an aggressor, should I be concerned about what happens afterwards? (Clearly, yes.) Will there be serious consequences if I, say, as a neighbor or a neighborhood watch volunteer, question the right of a stranger to be roaming around the houses on my street? (Possibly, especially if the stranger confronts me and I am armed.) Clearly, the decision to prosecute this case brings into question our right to defend ourselves, our property, and our neighborhoods. We can only hope that the jury gets it right.
