Yet again, we all agree that Zimmerman made a dumb move, yet we can't fathom that he'd be convicted.
AmbulanceDriver, your read of the statute might make sense to you, but I can guarantee you that in framing the instruction, the standard for "exhaust all reasonable means" of escape will be one that is essentially impossible to meet, as it is in most jurisdictions.
Chris's case illustrates that even where there was clearly wrongful conduct by both the parties, a jury won't look kindly on rushing to meet danger. And why would they? If you're safe, there's no reason to make yourself unsafe and then cry foul when violence results.
In my view, Zimmerman is fast becoming OJ Simpson for white people. He's on tape making out the elements of the crime, no sane attorney or self-defence instructor would ever advise a student to do this, yet there are people who absolutely refuse to believe that this is anything other than a set-up.
I just hope no one reading these boards pulls a Zimmerman - that'll be a great news story for sure, some guy explaining to the lead investigator how he was entitled to go after that dead guy based on his forum-informed understanding of self-defense.