Has The New Evidence In Trayvon Martin Case Changed Your Mind On George Zimmerman?
According to legal experts, the large amount of documents released last week surrounding the George Zimmerman case may back up Zimmerman’s claim that he was defending himself against an attack by Trayvon Martin.
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The documents included photos of a bloody Zimmerman, the gun used, audio recordings and witness accounts.
Two prominent U.S. lawyers are among the skeptics questioning whether evidence in the shooting death of Trayvon supports the second-degree murder charge against Zimmerman, given the confessed shooter’s apparent injuries and freshly released eyewitness accounts.
According to ABC News, Harvard law professor Alan Dershowitz said:
“There is no second-degree murder evidence in this case said…It’s a very close case.”
The release of evidence by the prosecution Thursday also included potentially damning eyewitness accounts of the tussle between the two. One man at the scene told police he saw Martin on top of Zimmerman, pummeling him mixed martial arts-style.
Legal experts like Dershowitz are blaming what they’re already calling “the failure” of this racially charged case on Special Prosecutor Angela Corey:
“If there are demonstrations, the finger of responsibility will point directly at the prosecutor.”
Corey, the state attorney in Florida’s Fourth Judicial Circuit Court, was assigned to the case by Florida Gov. Rick Scott nearly a month after the shooting. Corey said this weekend that evidence released so far is not the sum total of her case.
According to Corey:
“What the general public has to remember and the media has to remember is that there is a lot we cannot release by law.”
Zimmerman’s attorney Mark O’Mara apparently agrees with Corey:
“[It is] way too early to tell…That’s me not only commenting on evidence, but the weight of all the evidence. And I don’t even have all the evidence.”
One key to the case is which of the two men instigated the clash that left Trayvon dead. The prosecution says Zimmerman initiated the altercation when he “profiled” Trayvon that night, and then got out of his car to follow him.
In the newly released documents, lead homicide officer on the case, Chris Serino of the Sanford Police Department, said the shooting was “avoidable” had Zimmerman remained in his vehicle.
What has yet to be seen are two main pieces of evidence: Zimmerman’s statement on the night of the shooting, and his reenactment of the events of that night, which could prove vital when and if the case is heard in court.
The new information raises the question of what other evidence exists to support prosecutor Corey’s charge against Zimmerman of second-degree murder. What do you think? Is the evidence working in Zimmerman’s favor? Has the new evidence changed your mind?
