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[Dude Abides]

After almost 18 months, the trial of George Zimmerman, accused of second degree murder for shooting unarmed black teenager Trayvon Martin dead on February 26, 2012 in Sanford, Florida, will begin tomorrow.

Martin, from Miami, was in Sanford staying with family when he went to a convenience store to buy skittles and iced tea. As Martin was returning to the house where he was staying, Zimmerman, apparently acting as a self-appointed neighborhood watchman, spotted him and called 911, claiming that Martin was behaving suspiciously. Zimmerman then pursued Martin, despite the 911 dispatcher telling him that it was not necessary for him to do so. Some kind of altercation occurred, and Zimmerman shot Martin once in the chest, killing him.

Recording of the 911 call is available here:

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/vide...e-Zimmerman-911-call-reporting-Trayvon-Martin

NBC News created some controversy when they released an edited version of the call.

Zimmerman, who has several prior arrests for violent incidents, claimed that he was defending himself from an assault by Martin, who he said punched him in the face and then bashed his head into the concrete. A medical examiner's report and photos of Zimmerman taken after the incident indicated a broken nose and lacerations to the back of his head.

The report and photos can be viewed here:

http://media.miamiherald.com/smedia/2012/07/03/15/01/2uxIe.So.56.pdf

http://www.wtsp.com/news/photo-gallery.aspx?storyid=255685

A video of Zimmerman's interview with a police investigator can be viewed here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CjRp-vIvTNg

Zimmerman's "reenactment" of the incident for police can be viewed here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PX1sxARNq_c

Statements of witnesses to the incident are contradictory. Zimmerman's family have attempted to paint Martin as the aggressor and publicized that he had been suspended from school for possession of a bag containing marijuana residue and a pipe.

Zimmerman was not initially charged in the slaying, but after public attention was drawn to the case, he was charged with murder in the second degree on April 11, 2012.

Jury selection begins tomorrow, June 10, 2013. Proceedings will be televised.

See below for a summary of TV coverage. The Orlando Sentinel will be livestreaming the proceedings. Link below:

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news...-zimmerman-trial-20130610,0,5729315.htmlstory

Here's another stream for those who like pop-ups and Falun Gong:

http://www.theepochtimes.com/n3/?p=154471

And here's one more for just for Nibs so he stops asking every single day.

http://www.wftv.com/s/zimmerman-livestream/

Closing arguments wrapped up on Friday, July 12, and the trial is now over. The jury is now deliberating. There is no way to know when they will reach a verdict.

 

[zero shift]

Didn't Zimmerman rape his cousin or something for like ten years of his life or some shit?

 

[Gattsu25]

Isn't Zimmerman a thug with a history of violence who killed a teenager?

 

[commedieu]

thanks for putting this together.

My hands were shaking(Having flashbacks of other thread)

Didn't Zimmerman rape his cousin or something for like ten years of his life or some shit?

wut.

 

[BSsBrolly]

I hope they put this asshole away for good. My gut tells me they won't though.

 

[Log4Girlz]

He's going to get away with murder.

 

[Dram]

He probably will. How much money has he raised for his defense?

 

[BSsBrolly]

He probably will. How much money has he raised for his defense?

Last I heard, he blew through it all and he's broke.

 

[Big Baybee]

wut.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/07/16/george-zimmerman_n_1676729.html

 

[B-Dubs]

Last I heard, he blew through it all and he's broke.

Shocking

 

[JDSN]

Any way they can throw his piece of shit brother on jail too as a bonus?

 

[Evolution_1ne]

it's the locker for this one

 

[kirblar]

Last I heard, he blew through it all and he's broke.

Poor impulse control? No way.

 

[Dram]

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504083_162-57587877-504083/george-zimmerman-trial-defense-fund-up-$77k-in-one-week-for-man-accused-of-murdering-trayvon-martin/

George Zimmerman's defense fund has raised over $77,000 in the past week through "a handful of large donations," according to a post Wednesday on the fund's website.

The site says the donations will go towards paying off outstanding liabilities in excess of $20,000, and to pay for deposition transcripts and securing experts for Zimmerman's murder trial, which is scheduled to begin with jury selection on Monday.

Last week, Zimmerman's defenders claimed the fund had less than $5,000 left. Zimmerman's defense team said they calculated that another $120,000 was needed to put on a good defense, or just another $75,000 to even give him a fighting chance.

 

[R3TRODYCE]

Oh man it's going to be intense.

 

[grandjedi6]

No matter what results, it ain't going to be pretty or right :/

 

[commedieu]

He's going to get away with murder.

At least he got to have his day in court. Thats all the family wanted. Floridas track record is horrible for its Stand Your Ground laws, especially when it comes to minorities. Hes not going to be judged by his peers, but a population of people who often acquit folks for starting situations, and shooting them. IIRC, they aren't using stand your ground; but I think its a good indicator of the social mindset out there.

http://www.tampabay.com/news/courts...ole-in-floridas-stand-your-ground-law/1233152

Analysis of nearly 200 cases — the first to examine the role of race in "stand your ground" — found that people who killed a black person walked free 73 percent of the time, while those who killed a white person went free 59 percent of the time.

 

[Gattsu25]

Updating citizen from Zimmerman's neighborhood standing up for him.

 

[BSsBrolly]

What I can't understand is this; how the hell can Martin be considered the aggressor when Zimmerman got out of his car, followed him, and possibly confronted him as well? I'm fine with self defense but that shit goes out the window when you knowingly start the confrontation, IMO. Zimmerman deserves to rot in prison.

 

[Holly Caust]

Personally I think this whole thing has blown out of proportion. It's painting one side as an angel who "never did anything wrong" and the other as the devil himself. A life lost is a sad thing, don't get me wrong. But it's clear if he hasn't gone to jail yet, he's not going to jail.

Didn't Zimmerman rape his cousin or something for like ten years of his life or some shit?

I heard about that, probably true. But neither Zimmerman or Trayvon were angels, that should be apparent by now. One is a wife beating sick fuck, another was a "gangster" wannabe.

 

[commedieu]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/07/16/george-zimmerman_n_1676729.html

Well fuck me, and the judge will allow it? Or is the motion up to be accepted/denied tomorrow?

Shes saying the family has always been racist, and zimmerman molested her.

Wow.

Personally I think this whole thing has blown out of proportion. It's painting one side as an angel who "never did anything wrong" and the other as the devil himself. A life lost is a sad thing, don't get me wrong. But it's clear if he hasn't gone to jail yet, he's not going to jail.



I heard about that, probably true. But neither Zimmerman or Trayvon were angels, that should be apparent by now. One has a wife beating sick fuck, another was a "gangster" wannabe.

According to police that ran his background check. Trayvon Martin wasn't a bad kid, he was going places, and that he had no criminal history, he wasn't a thug. keep that in mind, "going places." They couldn't pull up any significant dirt on him to suggest that he would attack Zimmerman(During the interrogation) During their interrogation with Zimmerman. Zimmerman tried to pin him as a undesirable drug user. The police who investigated actually corrected Zimmerman, and let him know that this isn't a bad guy that he shot, and that he shot a good kid.

Where are you getting your information that Trayvon was a gangster wannabe, and not just a someone into Hip-Hop? Did he try to participate in a gang, and was denied? How is Trayvon's aspirations to look cool comparable to A record multiple Physical Assault's and overstepping boundries as a security guard(Zimmerman's previous history before he shot martin to death)

 

[B-Dubs]

Personally I think this whole thing has blown out of proportion. It's painting one side as an angel who "never did anything wrong" and the other as the devil himself. A life lost is a sad thing, don't get me wrong. But it's clear if he hasn't gone to jail yet, he's not going to jail.



I heard about that, probably true. But neither Zimmerman or Trayvon were angels, that should be apparent by now. One is a wife beating sick fuck, another was a "gangster" wannabe.

Trayvon's past really has nothing to do with anything though, Zimmerman couldn't have known about it.

 

[GazzaScotland]

Will have to keep an eye on this, was all over the news when I was in Florida. Will be interesting to see how it all plays out.

 

[grandjedi6]

What I can't understand is this; how the hell can Martin be considered the aggressor when Zimmerman got out of his car, followed him, and possibly confronted him as well? I'm fine with self defense but that shit goes out the window when you knowingly start the confrontation, IMO. Zimmerman deserves to rot in prison.

Because Zimmerman's case rests on his story that he gave up and started heading back to his van only for Martin to confront him then. Obviously a large part of the case depends on how much of his word we can take. We don't really know exactly what happened during the struggle, just that Martin seemed to get the upper hand at one point and that he then died.

Zimmerman being initial aggressor should be enough to nail him on a case based on "the horrors of vigilantism" but the prosecution seems to have over charged him which might let him off the hook with a jury.

 

[kirblar]

Personally I think this whole thing has blown out of proportion. It's painting one side as an angel who "never did anything wrong" and the other as the devil himself. A life lost is a sad thing, don't get me wrong. But it's clear if he hasn't gone to jail yet, he's not going to jail.



I heard about that, probably true. But neither Zimmerman or Trayvon were angels, that should be apparent by now. One is a wife beating sick fuck, another was a "gangster" wannabe.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/False_equivalence

It's taken a long time because Zimmerman had connections to the local police force. (This was the larger issue, likely moreso than racial issues.)

Zimmerman being initial aggressor should be enough to nail him on a case based on "the horrors of vigilantism" but the prosecution seems to have over charged him which might let him off the hook with a jury.

Depends on if they give the jury a menu of charges, or go all or nothing (which was the issue in the Casey Anthony trial.)

 

[vas_a_morir]

Trayvon's past really has nothing to do with anything though, Zimmerman couldn't have known about it.

It is my opinion that Trayvon's past is as important and relevant as Zimmerman's past. Zimmerman's defense is that Trayvon was attacking him. If Trayvon has any kind of history of these kind of events, it would likely help his defense. Don't you agree?

The prosecution must prove that Zimmerman broke the law first. If the jury believes that Trayvon might have attacked first, Zim likely walks. It's that important.

This will be a very interesting trial for sure. I hope the truth comes out, and the appropriate verdict is rendered.

 

[kewlmyc]

I swear, if he DOESN'T go to jail for this. Even if Martian attacked, Zimmerman was still stalking him despite what the dispatcher told him to do. He was trying to take law into his own hands and ended up getting someone innocent killed in the process.

Plus, if someone came up to me at night with a gun asking me what I was doing, I'd probably freak out too.

 

[Mr. Patch]

What's sad about the possibility of Zimmerman walking is that the situation is ENTIRELY his fault.

 

[grandjedi6]

Depends on if they give the jury a menu of charges, or go all or nothing (which was the issue in the Casey Anthony trial.)

Yeah, that'll be really important to know. Cuz it'll be a lot easy to convict him for voluntary or involuntary manslaughter than 2nd degree murder.

 

[commedieu]

It is my opinion that Trayvon's past is as important and relevant as Zimmerman's past. Zimmerman's defense is that Trayvon was attacking him. If Trayvon has any kind of history of these kind of events, it would likely help his defense. Don't you agree?

You should define past.

As a judge declined Trayvon's smear campaign, because pictures weren't of him committing random beatings on people. They were of someone doing what people his age do.

And police didn't have much success painting a negative picture of trayvon either. As the interrogating officers told zimmerman that he shot a kid that was going places.

 

[grandjedi6]

What's sad about the possibility of Zimmerman walking is that the situation is ENTIRELY his fault.

And this would be a far simpler case with a likely involuntary/voluntary manslaughter charge if A) The prosecution wasn't overreaching, and B) the media didn't muck the whole thing up with the false racial allegations

But instead we get media circus time! yay :/

 

[BSsBrolly]

I swear, if he DOESN'T go to jail for this. Even if Martian attacked, Zimmerman was still stalking him despite what the dispatcher told him to do. He was trying to take law into his own hands and ended up getting someone innocent killed in the process.

Plus, if someone came up to me at night with a gun asking me what I was doing, I'd probably freak out too.

Exactly, I'd freak out if someone was following me too. That's what pisses me off the most. People aren't putting themselves in Martins shoes. Which is why all the gun nuts are supporting Zimmerman. They would all probably do the same thing as him, knowing they have a gun if anything goes down. That's bull shit. It shouldn't be self defense if you knowingly start something.

 

[JCX]

The defense sure has the tough task of making a dead 17 year old black kid at fault for getting shot.

 

[commedieu]

And this would be a far simpler case with a likely involuntary/voluntary manslaughter charge if A) The prosecution wasn't overreaching, and B) the media didn't muck the whole thing up with the false racial allegations

But instead we get media circus time! yay :/

So you missed the police cover up/resignations then? The reason this became big, is because it was swept under the carpet. stuff like drug testing a dead body, before zimmerman, created public outrage.

Get your stuff together.

 

[BSsBrolly]

Also, Trayvon's girlfriend's statement is going to be huge in this case. She heard the start of the confrontation and it completely contradicts Zimmermans account.

 

[xelios]

Hope he's found guilty. He murdered this kid for no reason other than " unfamiliar black dude's in my neighborhood".

 

[Dram]

And this would be a far simpler case with a likely involuntary/voluntary manslaughter charge if A) The prosecution wasn't overreaching, and B) the media didn't muck the whole thing up with the false racial allegations

To be fair, a lot of Zimmerman's defenders have done the same thing.

http://www.cnn.com/2013/03/27/us/florida-zimmerman-brother-tweets

Robert Zimmerman Jr., the brother of the man who shot and killed 17-year-old Trayvon Martin, apologized for his controversial and offensive tweets.

In one, Zimmerman juxtaposed a photograph of Martin with one of 17-year-old De'Marquise Elkins, one of two teenagers charged with killing a baby in Georgia.

Both Elkins and Martin appear to be flipping off the camera.

"A picture speaks a thousand words. Any questions?" the tweet reads.

In another tweet, Zimmerman writes: "Lib media shld ask if what these2 black teens did 2 a woman&baby is the reason ppl think blacks mightB risky."

 

[grandjedi6]

So you missed the police cover up/resignations then? The reason this became big, is because it was swept under the carpet. stuff like drug testing a dead body, before zimmerman, created public outrage.

Get your stuff together.

Well the police incompetence is a whole 'nother debacle. I still think the case could be solved, at this point, more simply if it wasn't for the race blowup and prosecution overreaching.

Also, Trayvon's girlfriend's statement is going to be huge in this case. She heard the start of the confrontation and it completely contradicts Zimmermans account.

Sadly, the girl committed perjury which is going to make her testimony a lot less important

 

[kirblar]

So you missed the police cover up/resignations then? The reason this became big, is because it was swept under the carpet. stuff like drug testing a dead body, before zimmerman, created public outrage.

Get your stuff together.

The racial part was definitely there, but it overshadowed Zimmerman's personal connections, which likely got him a LOT of slack he wouldn't have gotten otherwise. It wasn't a simple "white people get a pass" thing.

 

[ReturnOfTheRAT]

Now that I've seen the juror selection process firsthand over the course of two and a half days, I wonder what those 16 (12 sitting + 4 alternates) said to appease the attorneys and judge enough to be sworn in.

 

[Big Baybee]

It is my opinion that Trayvon's past is as important and relevant as Zimmerman's past. Zimmerman's defense is that Trayvon was attacking him. If Trayvon has any kind of history of these kind of events, it would likely help his defense. Don't you agree?

The prosecution must prove that Zimmerman broke the law first. If the jury believes that Trayvon might have attacked first, Zim likely walks. It's that important.

This will be a very interesting trial for sure. I hope the truth comes out, and the appropriate verdict is rendered.

What is Trayvon's violent history? Zimmerman's is pretty clear.

 

[Baraka in the White House]

What is Trayvon's violent history? Zimmerman's is pretty clear.

Weed possession and a violent history of flipping off cameras.

 

[Mr. Patch]

Well the police incompetence is a whole 'nother debacle. I still think the case could be solved, at this point, more simply if it wasn't for the race blowup and prosecution overreaching.

Sadly, the girl committed perjury which is going to make her testimony a lot less important

Since when?

 

[MooseKing]

Exactly, I'd freak out if someone was following me too. That's what pisses me off the most. People aren't putting themselves in Martins shoes. Which is why all the gun nuts are supporting Zimmerman. They would all probably do the same thing as him, knowing they have a gun if anything goes down. That's bull shit. It shouldn't be self defense if you knowingly start something.

If Martin turned around and punched Zimmerman in the face. It was not Zimmerman who "started it all".

We need to find out who started the confrontation ,and if Zimmerman was getting his head bashed in (which injuries indicate).

It is awful Martin is dead, but the trial hasn't happened and everyone is acting as if Zimmerman rolled up on him and shot him dead cold blooded.

Couple that with the fact NBC (or was it ABC?) purposely edited his call to the police to make him sound racist, and since apologized for editing it and are now being taken to court over that issue. This entire thing has been a problem.

The media wanted Zimmerman to be white so badly. The first time I heard about it, it was together with the headline, on CNN "Black Teen shot dead by White neighborhood watch volunteer". Once it turned out he wasn't white, for the next two weeks they continued to say "Half white" when talking about him.

Nothing pulls in the viewers faster than a mixed race murder trial or dead babies.

I think Zimmerman is going to walk under Florida law, but I am hoping this case changes Florida law in the future.

 

[grandjedi6]

To be fair, a lot of Zimmerman's defenders have done the same thing.

http://www.cnn.com/2013/03/27/us/florida-zimmerman-brother-tweets

I don't think anyone is denying that Zimmerman is mostly being defended in social media by idiots and racists.

 

[Mr. Patch]

We need to find out who started the confrontation ,and if Zimmerman was getting his head bashed in (which injuries indicate).

They really don't.

 

[grandjedi6]

Since when?

http://www.cnn.com/2013/03/06/us/florida-trayvon-martin-case/index.html

 

[empty vessel]

If Martin turned around and punched Zimmerman in the face. It was not Zimmerman who "started it all".

We need to find out who started the confrontation ,and if Zimmerman was getting his head bashed in (which injuries indicate).

Assuming for the sake of argument that Martin punched Zimmerman in the face first, that does not mean that Martin "started it." Black people also have rights to self-defense.

 

[vas_a_morir]

What is Trayvon's violent history? Zimmerman's is pretty clear.

I do not know of any violent history. I'm just saying, *IF* there was anything in Trayvon's past that would support the defense's claim that Trayvon was at the very least capable of attacking Zimmerman without being provoked by an illegal action by Zimmerman himself, it would be useful to the defense. And, it would be just as fair and proper to use this in his defense as it would be for the prosecution to use Zimmerman's brushes with the law against him. Don't you agree?

 

[Big Baybee]

Assuming for the sake of argument that Martin punched Zimmerman in the face first, that does not mean that Martin "started it." Black people also have rights to self-defense.

Fucking this. Zimmerman was running after Martin for fucks sake. At what point is Trayvon allowed to defend himself?