stand your ground or is it neighborhood watch death squad?

[cassandra and sara's daddy]

why imagine?  the scene as presented by zimmerman qualifies. he didn't attack. trayvon confronted him after feeling dissed and punched him out. that IS  what a "made nigga" would do.  nothing zimmerman's said has been contradicted by evidence or witness's. unless you count that twit crutcher

[De Selby]

why imagine?  the scene as presented by zimmerman qualifies. he didn't attack. trayvon confronted him after feeling dissed and punched him out. that IS  what a "made nigga" would do.  nothing zimmerman's said has been contradicted by evidence or witness's. unless you count that twit crutcher

Yeah, that's a homicide with no defence - trayvon had a right to defend himself from an oddly behaving stranger who chased him.  You can't scare people into hitting you and then shoot them.  That's the law in every state.

What Zimmerman said made out the crime - that's what I'm saying.  You'd have to find highly improbable hidden evidence to undo it.

[cassandra and sara's daddy]

he was walking to his car when your boy jumped him.  its hard to imagine i'm talking to a lawyer. or even harder to someone who lived where you have

[De Selby]

he was walking to his car when your boy jumped him.  its hard to imagine i'm talking to a lawyer. or even harder to someone who lived where you have

No, he says he was walking to his car from someone else's back yard  after he proved on tape he was chasing the kid, who ran away from him.

Your problem is that you're ignoring the relevant facts - that trayvon hit him isn't what makes a defence claim.  The whole chasing and "he's getting away!" incident before that made trayvon in the right to defend himself. 

Ask your own lawyer about this one - the VA law won't be much different.  See if you can get him to tell you that you would be safe if, after chasing someone who committed no crime, you shot him when that same guy turned and punched you.

[cassandra and sara's daddy]

what kinda law you actually practice?

if i was chasing someone i might be in dutch.  walking back to my car?  hes meat

are you really that "less aware" as to the culture amongst "urban youth?  or being disingenuous? or just plain deceitful?  asks the man with a black son and 3 black grand kids

[Jamie B]

From this article, comes this little nugget....

http://usnews.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/03/26/10868250-police-report-details-alleged-attack-on-zimmerman

WHAT THE [CENSORED]?   Umm, excuse me Ms. Corey, that's the standard for ANY criminal case.  Or are juries in FL instructed to convict just on "a preponderance of the evidence" or "if they feel like it" or "if the defendant *looks* guilty?" 

What!? You mean that civil cases require a lower standard of proof than a criminal case!?

No *expletive deleted*it, Sherlock. If she is that stupid (she is), it sounds like she has already begun her CYA for not getting a True Bill against Zimmerman.

I vote that she becomes the patsy if there is a No Bill.
She can deal with the fallout with her well practiced legal bob & weave.
Me thinks that she does not like her job very well right now!  

[Jamie B]

what kinda law you actually practice?

if i was chasing someone i might be in dutch.  walking back to my car?  hes meat

are you really that "less aware" as to the culture amongst "urban youth?  or being disingenuous? or just plain deceitful?  asks the man with a black son and 3 black grand kids

It's that new law - you kind of make it up as you go.
You can actually get your degree online in 6 weeks, and then pass their Bar-None!

[seeker_two]

Meanwhile....does anyone know if there's a bounty on NBP members?....I need some extra cash.....

[Jamie B]

Meanwhile....does anyone know if there's a bounty on NBP members?....I need some extra cash.....

No, but I am aware of a bounty on Super Smartazzes.

I am waiting on an expected payment shortly.

Hey! Answer your doorbell - it's for you!! 

[seeker_two]

No, but I am aware of a bounty on Super Smartazzes.

I am waiting on an expected payment shortly.

Hey! Answer your doorbell - it's for you!! 

Ever dance with the Devil in the pale moonlight?.....I just like the way it sounds....

[BridgeRunner]

No, he says he was walking to his car from someone else's back yard  after he proved on tape he was chasing the kid, who ran away from him.

Your problem is that you're ignoring the relevant facts - that trayvon hit him isn't what makes a defence claim.  The whole chasing and "he's getting away!" incident before that made trayvon in the right to defend himself. 

Ask your own lawyer about this one - the VA law won't be much different.  See if you can get him to tell you that you would be safe if, after chasing someone who committed no crime, you shot him when that same guy turned and punched you.

Yep.  

Also not sure how walking to his car indicates any significant backing down or abandoning the conflict, or how doing so could have reasonably communicated that to the other party.

[roo_ster]

Ouch, those links sure do put a different spin on Martin, not quite the pure as driven snow 13YO-looking child in the stories & photos.  Still not enough to exonerate Zimmerman if he kept stepping on his johnson after stepping out of his auto.  

IIRC, most of Miami's riots the last 30 years have been after an hispanic LEO shot a black perpetrator.  Zimmerman being raised Jewish and with latin heritage won't stop the dumbazz rioting.

Still not enough data has been released to be sure, either way...though the trickle of data since the initial uproar has tended to favor Zimmerman.

[cassandra and sara's daddy]

define chase?  then define follow?

[roo_ster]

Also not sure how walking to his car indicates any significant backing down or abandoning the conflict, or how doing so could have reasonably communicated that to the other party.

Really?  That is kind of universal for, "I'm taking my marbles and going home."  No need to break out a semaphore or bullhorn.

Leastways, that how it was when I was but a callow youth being chased by my betters after doing something I ought not to have.

[BridgeRunner]

Really?  That is kind of universal for, "I'm taking my marbles and going home."  No need to break out a semaphore or bullhorn.

Leastways, that how it was when I was but a callow youth being chased by my betters after doing something I ought not to have.

Except that it appears he may have been obviously followed Martin in his car earlier.  If he used his car to stalk Martin, then got out and looked around on foot, then for some reason felt threatened, it would be quite reasonable to return to his car to continue his pursuit.

I don't think that walking back to a vehicle already used to follow a person earlier in the same incident necessarily indicates that the incident is at an end.  It merely indicates another twist to the incident. 

[red headed stranger]

he was walking to his car when your boy jumped him. 

This version of events doesn't have much more veracity than any other claim out there. 

[BridgeRunner]

This version of events doesn't have much more veracity than any other claim out there.  

Indeed.

Further, while some posters may have their perceptions colored by personal associations, I think those perceptions are marginal at best.

Ftr, I have passed by thousands or more young black men in hoodies, many of them a lot bigger than me, frequently at night, all too often in bad weather.  Not one has ever behaved violently towards me.  Obviously some young black guys in hoodies are criminals.  But my personal experience is about 10,000:0 against any random black kid in a hoodie behaving violently towards me.

[makattak]

This version of events doesn't have much more veracity than any other claim out there. 

Except this version of events isn't wild speculation, it's reportedly the version given by Zimmerman. Do you have evidence to contradict his claim?

[De Selby]

define chase?  then define follow?

Like I said, give these same facts to a VA attorney and see what he tells you.  Let us know if you find one who says he'd bet on an acquittal.

The items released so far have done zero to reduce zimmermans odds of conviction.  Whether trayvon behaved in school or smoked weed doesn't have anything to do with why Zimmerman shot him.

[De Selby]

Except this version of events isn't wild speculation, it's reportedly the version given by Zimmerman. Do you have evidence to contradict his claim?

Yeah, there's a tape recording online where Zimmerman tells us in real time what he's doing.  I'd say that carries a fair bit of weight.

[red headed stranger]

Except this version of events isn't wild speculation, it's reportedly the version given by Zimmerman. Do you have evidence to contradict his claim?

I never said I did.  Of course, that is what someone might likely claim if they were trying to stay out of trouble for making a horrible mistake.  

However, Zimmerman will need to come up with pretty clear justification of his use of deadly force, as it appears that he will choose to mount an affirmative defense to any charges filed against him.  

As Alluded to by BR, there is a lot of confirmation bias going regarding this case.  

I agree with Mas on this one.  There just isn't enough info to definitively indicate criminal culpability by either party.  

At this point, I would only convict Zimmerman on multiple counts of felonious stupidity.  

[gunsmith]

My nickle bet is Zimmerman doesn't get convicted for the shooting, makes a mint off his book.
Al Charlatan will continue to protest.

[Chester32141]

My nickle bet is Zimmerman doesn't get convicted for the shooting, makes a mint off his book.
Al Charlatan will continue to protest.

Guilty or innocent he may not be convicted locally but I doubt that will stop the DOJ from charging him and getting a conviction.  About the only thing that will stop that is a new administration ... even that may not clear Zimmerman since this has become so politicized.  I'd like to know how scary this kid looked if the only photos we get to see that we're sure are him are from 4-5 yrs ago.  The photos are disingenuous and generally people don't disingenerate w/o reason ... 

[Jamie B]

Looks like our little sweetie's pictures are becoming less dated......

[RoadKingLarry]

It wouldn't matter at this point if proof positive came to light that Treyvon was pointing an RPG at Zimmerman. He's going to be sent up for hard time. Not that he'll actually serve it unless they put him in solitary though.  He has been convicted in the court of public opinion, game over.