Thread:Comments:George Zimmerman found not guilty in Trayvon Martin case/I cannot believe some people.../reply (5)

My own opinion; as you say, opinion only. There are multiple factors to take into account here, which I suppose is in itself likely to make the defense's case easier since the more doubt is floating around, the better for the defense in a system were guilt must be proved beyond a reasonable doubt. It seems that under Stand Your Ground, person A can go looking for trouble and confront person B, who then fears for their life and attacks A, who then fears for their life, and at that point either has the legal right to kill the other. Making most homicide legal as long as both parties see each other coming. The prosecution can't build their case directly on "this law is bat-shit crazy"; it's a legal question whether or not it matters whether Zimmerman created the situation where he feared for his life... if there was a situation where he feared for his life... and if he created that situation. Basically the Stand Your Ground law stacks the deck against the prosecution trying to make what, standing back, seems like it ought to be a common-sense case. It may be a moot point whether or not they could actually make a common-sense case because the law discourages them from trying. All of this also bears on whether the law is wrong, of course.
 * Was Zimmerman looking for trouble?
 * Did Trayvon attack him?
 * Did Trayvon fear for his life?
 * How does the law apply?
 * Did the prosecution make its case as well as it should have?
 * Does the Florida justice system have a racist bias?
 * Is the law wrong?

The question of racism in the justice system is better assessed by looking at many cases than by looking at one. It isn't necessary to judge the prosecution in this case harshly in order to see it fitting predictably into a trend.

There do seem to be some points on which the prosecution didn't do well, so that the jury may actually have known fewer of the facts of the case than they should have. The media may have turned up some significant points that the jury didn't get to hear (which by no means mitigates the dangers of 'trial in the press').

As for the Stand Your Ground law, I tend to think it should be declared legally insane.