As the state begins their closing arguments in George Zimmerman‘s second degree murder trial this afternoon, there’s a lot to take in.
Over the past three weeks we’ve heard a laundry list of testimony from a few dozen witnesses, but when it comes down to it, there’s only a few things that really matter when deciding George Zimmerman’s fate, which is ultimately up to the jury.
And if the timeline goes as planned, the case will go to the 6 jurors tomorrow afternoon.
Let’s take a look back.
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1. Was George Zimmerman on top of, on the bottom of [or face-to-face] with Trayvon when he shot him?
Unfortunately, George Zimmerman is the only living, true eye witness of the incident, and his opinion is kind of biased. The rest is just a lot of “he said/she said.” Most residents at The Retreat at Twin Lakes who called 911 and heard the argument escalate between Trayvon Martin and George Zimmerman did not get a clear picture of what happened because of the rain and lack of light in the area.
What will the jury think?
2. Tracy Martin’s emotional testimony
In the most emotional testimony of the entire trial, Tracy Martin, Trayvon Martin’s father, took the stand and was brought to tears when discussing the loss of his son.
Among calling his son his “best friend,” he stated, “my world has just been turned upside down” since the incident. Tracy also stated he listened to the different police recordings multiple times to figure out why Zimmerman got out of his car and “chased my son.”
Will the jury sympathize with him?
3. Rachel Jeantel, the tri-lingual teen who spoke to Trayvon in the last moments of his life
As you know, I’m a big fan of Rachel Jeantel, but that’s besides the point. Rachel painted the picture of Zimmerman stalking 17-year-old Martin, confronting him with it escalating to a fight – all before their phone call cut off.
Is she a reliable witness, or did her hostility rub the jury the wrong way?
4. Who was screaming for help on that infamous 911 call?
Every witness the prosecution called said it was Trayvon, while every witness the defense called said it was George, or as we learned his nickname to be, “Georgey.”
It almost became a running joke. Was George Zimmerman fighting for his life or was Trayvon? Did the jury get enough evidence to decide?
5. George Zimmerman’s injuries
The defense’s expert forensic pathologist, Dr. Vincent Di Maio, says he saw 6 obvious different marks on Zimmerman’s head. But were they serious? Or better yet, life threatening? And why did he refuse medical attention?
6. The Hoodie, Can of Iced Tea, Skittles & Death Photos
They’ve been a vital part of this movement for the last year and a half, and when the prosecution introduced the actual pieces as evidence into the courtroom, it had a completely different type of impact.
While Trayvon was armed with candy and iced tea, Zimmerman was armed with a 9mm gun. Will this have an impact on the jury?
7. That Knock-Knock Joke
In the most epic fail of the entire trial, Don West kicked off his opening argument with a knock-knock joke. A really bad one. Knowing that first impressions are everything, did it turn off the jury right away?
BONUS: And then we have this…
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