ABC News has been given a photograph that might make the difference between life in prison and a walk. For weeks, we have been discussing the case and the application of the Stand Your Ground law. As discussed earlier, I think the case was over-charged and I remain doubtful of a conviction. This picture will likely be the single most important piece of evidence in the case. It shows Zimmerman with significant blood on the back of his head — an image that supports accounts from the scene and will be used to corroborate Zimmerman’s account of a struggle with Trayvon Martin where he feared serious bodily injury. [UPDATE: Zimmerman granted bond].
Unlike the photos of Zimmerman at the police station, this photo was taken a few minutes after the fight. Zimmerman’s shaved head could prove Godsend for Zimmerman. Had he had longer hair, the injury would have not appeared so stark.
The photo shows both cuts and a contusion — injuries that would normally be defined as serious bodily injury by many courts in torts cases where head injuries are treated as inherently potentially serious. The original police report said that he was bleeding from the nose and head and that his clothes looked like he had been in a fight. Zimmerman claims that it was Martin who jumped him, punched him, and pounded his head on to the concrete sidewalk.
The prosecutors can still argue that they do not contest the fight but that Zimmerman started it. However, with this photo, the charge of second-degree murder appears even more excessive and undermines Special Prosecutor Angela Corey’s claim that she was not affected by the political pressure to charge Zimmerman. I can understand a manslaughter charge, even with the photo, but no reasonable prosecutor would consider the second-degree murder charge as based on this evidence. Corey clearly must have seen this photo and the reports before her charging of Zimmerman.
The photo should also assist Zimmerman in his efforts to get bail.
Zimmerman, 28, is still being held on charges of second-degree murder of Martin, 17. In my view, a denial of bail would be an abuse and unwarranted given the fact that Zimmerman cooperated at the scene and voluntarily turned himself in.
Source: ABC
“Anon — those nice things we could have if there weren’t any attorneys like Mespo around, would those nice things include the right to appoint ourselves the authorities to identify, slander, follow, accost, interrogate and kill suspicious looking “punks”? Because if it does, don’t worry. There is a lawyer defending those rights as we speak, down in Sanford. Because of him, people like Trayvon Martin won’t be able to get away with beating up folks at random any more, right?”
Ha! What a statement to be made at Jonathan Turley’s blog.
Anyone that has followed this case at this blog can see all the mespos and genehs and so many others have appointed themselves vigilantes and pressed to ignore Zimmerman’s civil rights. And definitely slandering Zimmerman and any commenter that might defend Zimmerman or critique the prosecutor — JUST AS YOU TRY TO DO TO ME HERE.
Amazing what race does for self-claimed, and proud liberals that would also otherwise claim to be civil rights advocates. I mean, you guys are a total joke and embarrassment.
I haven’t followed it closely lately, I have been busy driving the schoolbus and so can’t spend all day online like you guys, but last I saw, you idiots were condoning mass overcharging of Zimmerman.
In the meantime, take away any association pro or con from me about Martin. Unlike you dumbasses, I have no idea as to the details of what happened that night and think Zimmerman is a colossal dumbass and Martin certainly a victim of Zimmerman’s idiocy. Whether criminally or not, I do not know.
Anyway, have to get the bus to a baseball game.
Matt:
The ‘natti has about 300,000 people and averages about 65 homicides per year. That puts your scare factor at .0215% overall. Two out of three victims are black and assuming again you are Caucasian, your chances are .00731%. With a little over seven hundredths of a percentage chance of being victimized maybe you’ll need a bazooka.
Elaine – And was that story plastered all over the world like this case? How about the case of the white kid who was chased onto his front porch by 2 black kids who then proceeded to douse him in gasoline and light him on fire while yelling at him, “This is what you deserve white boy.” Was that plastered all over the world news? How about the story of the white couple who was carjacked in Tennessee? You know, the one where the 5 black people made the girlfriend watch while they cut off the boyfriends penis, molested him, dragged him out to the train tracks, doused him in gasoline, lit him on fire and then shot him execution style. Then they turned around and raped the girlfriend, made her drink bleach, and then shot her. Was that plastered all over world news? It’s called race baiting hunnie! They don’t want to plaster those because the criminals were black! God forbid it were white criminals, we would have never heard the end of it! Not to mention, Zimmerman is Hispanic, not white! Media was quick to just on the “He’s white” bandwagon!
Malisha – So now you want to call me a “woman beater” too? lol
Matt,
Here’s a story that I recommend you read:
When “stand your ground” fails
John McNeil killed a white man who assaulted him on his property. But, unlike George Zimmerman, he’s serving life
BY RANIA KHALEK
http://www.salon.com/2012/04/11/when_stand_your_ground_fails/
Excerpt:
As the shooting death of Trayvon Martin and the failure of authorities to arrest his killer, George Zimmerman, continues to grab headlines, many conservatives and gun rights advocates insist that race has nothing to do with it. Some have also rallied to the defense of Florida’s “stand your ground” law, the self-defense legislation under which Zimmerman was able to avoid arrest. Yet not all stand your ground claims are so successful. Not too far from Sanford, Fla., a black man named John McNeil is serving a life sentence for shooting Brian Epp, a white man who trespassed and attacked him at his home in Georgia, another stand your ground state.
It all began in early 2005, when McNeil and his wife, Anita, hired Brian Epp’s construction company to build a new house in Cobb County, Ga. The McNeils testified that Epp was difficult to work with, which led to heated confrontations. They eventually decided to close on the house early to rid their lives of Epp, whom they found increasingly threatening. At the closing, both parties agreed that Epp would have 10 days to complete the work, after which he would stay away from the property, but he failed to keep up his end of the bargain.
On Dec. 6, 2005, John McNeil’s 15-year-old son, La’Ron, notified his dad over the phone that a man he didn’t recognize was lurking in the backyard. When La’Ron told the man to leave, an argument broke out. McNeil was still on the phone and immediately recognized Epp’s voice. According to La’Ron’s testimony, Epp pointed a folding utility knife at La’Ron’s face and said, “[w]hy don’t you make me leave?” at which point McNeil told his son to go inside and wait while he called 911 and headed home.
According to McNeil’s testimony, when he pulled up to his house, Epp was next door grabbing something from his truck and stuffing it in his pocket. McNeil quickly grabbed his gun from the glove compartment in plain view of Epp who was coming at him “fast.” McNeil jumped out of the car and fired a warning shot at the ground insisting that Epp back off. Instead of retreating, Epp charged at McNeil while reaching for his pocket, so McNeil fired again, this time fatally striking Epp in the head. (Epp was found to have a folding knife in his pocket, although it was shut.)
The McNeils weren’t the only ones who felt threatened by Epp. David Samson and Libby Jones, a white couple who hired Epp to build their home in 2004, testified that they carried a gun as a “precaution” around Epp because of his threatening behavior. According to Jones, Epp nearly hit her when she expressed dissatisfaction with his work at a weekly meeting. The couple even had a lawyer write a letter warning Epp to stay away from their property. Samson testified that after they fired him, Epp would park his car across the street and watch their house, saying “it got to the point where my wife and I were in total fear of this man.”
Dredd – DONE…sorry for my grammatical error
Elaine – “While you’re at it, how about checking out news reports and Youtube videos about armed citizens shooting unarmed teenagers…or armed citizens killing innocent bystanders…or armed citizen committing mass murders”
What I mean, if you weren’t so ignorant in your thinking, was LEGALLY armed citizens. Gotta watchout for the gangbangers and thugs that the media wants to portray as “little boys.”
Dredd – I’m just talking to you because you bring absolutely nothing to the table except the same old rambling.
Elaine M, THANK YOU THANK YOU!
Don’t do me….no damn favors,
I don’t know karate…but I know ka-ray-zee!
Thank you, thank you, I loved it. (How did you get those pictures to change and all that, too? You’re the BEST!)
And thanks to you, I know I’m still a rug-cutter. If Matt comes around here, I think I can take him now. (Y’all can stand down, Mespo, Gene H, et al. I’m safe now.)
Anon — those nice things we could have if there weren’t any attorneys like Mespo around, would those nice things include the right to appoint ourselves the authorities to identify, slander, follow, accost, interrogate and kill suspicious looking “punks”? Because if it does, don’t worry. There is a lawyer defending those rights as we speak, down in Sanford. Because of him, people like Trayvon Martin won’t be able to get away with beating up folks at random any more, right?
Let me put that music back on one more time…
Elaine – Why don’t you do the same, and while your at it look at how many black on black, black on white, hispanic on black, and black on hispanic crimes actually make it to the news with the intensity that the Trayvon Martin case did. Wait…I’ll save you the trouble…NONE! Also, there is no afidavit because one was never made up. Here’s your first clue, “THE NETWORK REPORTED.”
Mespo – Contrary to your belief, I don’t really give a damn about getting the last word. Also, look up statistics (updated ones please) for Cincinnati. Would you pretty please report back your findings?
Matt, I would have read your previous post, but I’m busy posing while driving.
Besides the letters are kind of blurry after I prepared myself for thoughtful discussion by knocking back a few at local pub.
Must get to Maryland. This is absolutely true. In some parts of Maryland the liquor stores have drive through windows. Very, very convenient. Why can’t all states be that progressive.
Matt:
“Criminals are everywhere, and I’m sorry that I don’t want to be one of their statistics.”
*****************
According to Ohio crime stats for 2008 (the most recent I could find), your chances of being subjected to deadly force by an unlawful attacker in Ohio is 5 in 100,000. That’s a blistering .00005% chance overall. Assuming you are Caucasian your chances of being a victim fall to a mere 34% of that figure or a scary .000017%. That’s 1.7 in 100,000. According to the National Safety Council, your odds of dying from exposure to smoke, fire, and fumes are 1 in 1,344 AWAY from your job. I suggest you leave your gun at home and keep your fire suit on all the time to really be safe. Also avoid getting charged with capital murder too since your odds for execution are just slightly worse than for getting shot by an attacker — 1 in 111,779.
So what is it Matt? It sure isn’t rational fear of homicide in Ohio. So, yes my uncle and I think carrying a gun doesn’t make you a man; it makes you a paranoid.
Sorry to take away the last word. Please take it. I’m done.
Matt 1, April 20, 2012 at 7:44 pm
Dredd – “If they tell you something on behalf of the public authority, then you say “okay”, but proceed in the opposite direction, then you are self-willed, renegade, mavericky, rogue.”
Why don’t you listen to the 911 tape again.
Dispatcher: “We don’t need you to do that.”
Zimmerman: “OK”
According to Zimmerman, he started to walk back to his car. You and no one else knows for a fact if he continued in the direction of Martin or not, the 911 call ended shortly after.
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You tell me to listen to the tapes, which I have, then you say “according to Zimmerman.”
Zimmerman is the least credible source of evidence.
Got criminology?
Once again, for about the fifth time, Detective Gilbreath testified that one of the eye witnesses testified that they were headed in the direction of Martin’s house, not Zimmerman’s vehicle.
If you don’t know what “we” (the public authority) “don’t need you” (reign it in man with the gun thingy) “to do that” (stay in your vehicle Zimmerman).
But Zimmerman did “that.”
Like, when the UN declared, no U.S.eh?, we do not need you to invade Iraq.
OK.
Then the news: “This morning U.S.eh? military killer everythings bombed, strafed, burned, killed, and maimed Baghdad, and everywhere else”, in a purely heavenly, democratic, god ordained, defensive response to being put in deadly, grave danger by Iraq’s stuff.
Monkey see, monkey do.
Matt,
Are you suggesting that the lead homicide detective lied about wanting to charge Zimmerman with manslaughter? I thought he signed an affidavit on the night of the murder.
*****
“In an affidavit taken the night of the Feb. 26 killing, Serino stated he was unconvinced by Zimmerman’s version of events in which he claimed self-defense, the network reported.”
http://articles.nydailynews.com/2012-03-28/news/31246265_1_zimmerman-fatal-shooting-twitter-account
Matt,
I thought it was Norman Wolfinger who made the decision that Zimmerman should not be charged–not Lee.
Matt 1, April 20, 2012 at 7:36 pm
…. I commemorate your uncle and what he has done. I too am a military veteran and the military is not an easy decision to make or lifestyle to live.
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W, you need to stay off the innertubes, leave the google to us.
K?
mespo,
While you’re at it, how about checking out news reports and Youtube videos about armed citizens shooting unarmed teenagers…or armed citizens killing innocent bystanders…or armed citizen committing mass murders.
BigFatMike – Did you see my post right after he said that? LMAO I completely agree!
Dredd – “If they tell you something on behalf of the public authority, then you say “okay”, but proceed in the opposite direction, then you are self-willed, renegade, mavericky, rogue.”
Why don’t you listen to the 911 tape again.
Dispatcher: “We don’t need you to do that.”
Zimmerman: “OK”
According to Zimmerman, he started to walk back to his car. You and no one else knows for a fact if he continued in the direction of Martin or not, the 911 call ended shortly after.
Elaine – “I stand by the Sanford Police Department and its personnel,” said Lee. He said he decided to remove himself “to restore some semblance of calm to the city which has been in turmoil for several weeks.”
Lee has come under fire for refusing to press charges against George Zimmerman, the neighborhood watch volunteer who shot and killed the unarmed teenager Martin on Feb. 26. Zimmerman claimed he killed the teen in self-defense and Lee has said that under the state’s controversial “stand your ground” self-defense law, the department has no grounds to charge him.