Prosecutors in the George Zimmerman trial are facing a collapsing case and renewed question over whether Angela Corey succumbed to the political pressure and overcharged the case. The prosecution’s case has thus far been a disaster and many are now questioning whether charges should have been brought at all, let alone charged as second degree murder. For some inexplicable reason, the prosecutors led with Rachel Jeantel, who was one of the least compelling witnesses that they could have called from earlier perjury to ever-changing testimony. Now Angela Corey (right) and her office appear to be turning toward alternative areas of prosecution involving the daughter of one of the defense counsel.
Don West, who took apart Jeantel’s conflicted testimony on the stand, took his daughter out for ice cream and she posted on Instagram a picture with the caption: “We beat stupidity celebration cones #zimmerman #defense #dadkilledit.”
Prosecutors have asked for an inquiry on the basis that witnesses should be treated with respect. However, such rules apply to counsel not their progeny. West insists that he was not aware of the message.
The photo was actually taken the day before the cross examination.
I fail to see why the prosecutors would not accept the word of opposing counsel, particularly given the fact that this is his daughter.
Given the earlier allegations of withholding evidence in the case, the prosecutors should show a bit more judgment in my view. Of course, they have been busy presenting what appears a case for acquittal.
I have long been critical of Corey’s charging of the case as second degree murder and concerned that this was a case where public pressure influenced the prosecution. The video of Zimmerman’s account and the supporting testimony of these prosecution witnesses were known to Corey before the charges. Yet, she pursued second degree murder in what would be viewed as a difficult case even for manslaughter. I would leave counsel’s daughter alone and focus on the disaster unfolding in court.
Source: ABA Journal
Perhaps you haven’t been paying attention to the prosecutions case the last couple of days. They are nailing George Zimmerman’s ass to the wall. They have clearly shown him to have repeatedly lied and not have sustained serious injury at all – not even remotely serious. As the medical examiner testified, his injuries were insignificant, and could have been easily sustained with one or two punches maximum – possibly even self-inflicted.
You wish that Z were way ahead. The media hype does not play into the juries mindset. Anyone with common sense has considered the fact that GZ banged his own head into the ground and punched his own nose.
What “IS” in evidence is the medical experts testimony (expert witness) that GZ’s injuries are “insignificant”.
The head and such could have just as well happen (and should be part of closing arguments) – of GZ stumbling back and falling down after he shot Trayvon.
GZ is a pathological liar and will be exposed as such – if he is silly enough to take the stand. Whereas, at that time, the Prosecutor can tear him apart on his mindset, this that and the other. As it is a tried & true strategy for prosecutors to back habitual liars into a corner by their own conflicting words.
Laserhaas, you believe Zimmerman to be a liar. Does his passing several polygraph tests carry any kind of weight with you whatsoever? If he had failed them, wouldn’t you be talking about that as evidence for why we should not believe him?
I’m with Bettykath and Malisha.
Re the comment above. Z is way ahead. The prosecution has not proved a case at all. The lady in the photo is the prosecutor and I ask, why is she not prosecuting the case instead of bald guy? CNN is winning because they are getting good ratings. Oh, and if you tell any jury that those photos of Z’s head, front and back, are “insignificant” then buyer beware.
It doesn’t matter whether most whites hate Blacks, whether most Hispanics hate Blacks, whether most Blacks hate whites, or what kind of roots or prejudices Zimmerman has or denies. Here’s what’s going on here:
EVIDENCE is what is put into trial and subjected to challenge by both sides and THEN ruled on by the court and then placed before the jury to consider.
“Facts not in evidence” is a fact that has been PLACED into evidence by somebody either testifying to it or by somebody authenticating a document or recording that contains it.
So “Zimmerman was on his back having his head pounded on the sidewalk because Martin attacked him” is NOT
is * NOT
a fact in evidence. It remains a “fact not in evidence.” Many of us do not believe it is a fact at all, but it has not been subjected to any challenges or the process it needs to go through to get into evidence at this trial.
HERE: The defense can put a witness on the stand who will say he saw Martin violently attack Zimmerman while Zimmerman was just walking along, and that at the time Zimmerman grabbed his gun (from UNDER his right hip WHILE Martin was SITTING on him) and fired while his head was being banged on the sidewalk or grass — and then the fact will be put into evidence. Then the state can rebut it if they can.
The only witness the defense has who can testify to this version of the events is George Zimmerman. If he testifies, surely he will say this.
Then — rebuttal. His many lies, already told and recorded and unredeemable — will be used to thoroughly impeach him as a witness. I hope he tries this because I can’t stand him and I would like to see him subjected to cross examination by the prosecutor.
But right now, the defense has had to retreat THREE SIGNIFICANT TIMES:
1. They retreated in their promise to have a pretrial hearing to get rid of the whole prosecution by presenting a preponderance of evidence that would support the self-defense theory;
2. They retreated again in their stance that witnesses — or ACTUALLY ANY ONE WITNESS — saw Martin beating Zimmerman “MMA STYLE” raining down punches on him as he was prone and defenseless on the sidewalk, and that Martin had MMA training — it turns out that Zimmerman had trained at an MMA gym for a year and a half, three days a week, three hours a day, “intensively,” and Martin had never taken a single class; and
3. They retreated a third time in their stance that Zimmerman had to kill because he was BEING killed and that his injuries were so severe (nose broken, head busted up terribly) that he was in fear of great bodily injury or death. It turns out that the injuries were “very insignificant.”
NOW who’s winning? NOW who’s winning and who’s a mediocre lawyer and who’s ahead?
Malisha wrote: “I hope he tries this because I can’t stand him and I would like to see him subjected to cross examination by the prosecutor.”
I think your professed hatred for Zimmerman clouds the way you interpret the evidence.
Well said bettykath – depraved indifference is most certainly apropos.
It may be working backwards but: Z and his wife lied to the judge about their assets in order to get low bail- why should anything he says be given credence? He will obviously lie to benefit himself.
For those who think a [Hispanic] cop wannabe can stalk and kill, here’s some good news. [sarcasm]
http://thinkprogress.org/immigration/2013/07/01/2238421/california-latinos-equal-white-population/?mobile=nc
excerpt:
The number of Latinos will match the number of white non-Hispanic population for the first time in California this month, according to the California Department of Finance. The same study also found that Latinos will become a plurality in 2014, overtaking the white non-Hispanic population. The demographic milestone, marked by a press conference at the state Capitol at noon PDT on Monday, will likely be a driving force for the state’s economic and political future.
All of what I wrote above is in evidence except the last sentence which I will claim as my opinion.
There is no basis for any inquiry and the prosecution’s actions only show they gasping for any straws they can.
The picture in question shows Zimmerman defense attorney West and his two daughters holding ice cream cones. Molly West, 23, posted the picture to her Instagram account under the handle “mollywestttt” along with the caption “We beat stupidity celebration cones.” The hashtags she used were “#zimmerman”, “#defense”, and “#dadkilledit”.
The photo was taken Monday after the first day of trial when West attracted controversy for making a poorly-received knock-knock joke during his opening statement for Zimmerman’s second-degree murder trial. Zimmerman, 29, shot and killed 17 year-old Trayvon Martin in February 2012. A Miami Herald reporter wrote that the photo wasn’t uploaded to Molly West’s account until Thursday. By Friday, it went viral. A couple of hours later, her account was shut down.
Shawn Vincent, spokesman for the Zimmerman legal team, said the photo was intended to be private, and said West and his daughters have had a tradition of going out for ice cream following his first day of trial since the women were children.
Don West released a apologizing for his daughter’s behaviour:
“Most days since this case began I stop for ice cream after court on the way home. It’s a guilty pleasure and is well known by my family. I’ve been doing this as long as I can remember during trials. Earlier in the week I stopped for ice cream and two of my daughters were with me having attended the court proceedings. One of my daughters works out of town and we don’t see each other very often. I stopped for ice cream and we decided to take a picture of us in the car with the cones as a memory. I held my other daughter’s cell phone as I had the longest arm. I never anticipated that the picture would be released via social media. It was not taken for any such purpose or in any way as a comment on anything having to do with the case. To me it was a private moment with my family. My daughter accepts responsibility for her immature and insensitive comment and apologizes for it.”
West added in a follow-up that his daughter is embarrassed and devastated by the fervor her picture caused. “She is a kind and generous person, not mean spirited or judgmental.”
So sure, the daughter had every right to be proud of her Dad and his skills as an attorney, and sure the daughter should have refrained from making any public statements about the case in any shape or form, especially while the trial was still going on, and sure, she should have consulted her Dad before even thinking about doing such a thing as making a public statement or even posting a picture. But apart from that, so what?
The defendant claims that his head was slammed repeatedly on the concrete but all his booboos are superficial (in evidence). He claimed that Trayvon had both his hands on his broken (sic) nose and his mouth but there is none of the defendant’s dna on Trayvon’s hands or hoody sleeves (in evidence). He claimed that he was the one yelling for help while he was being smothered, but the 911 call (in evidence) isn’t the voice of someone being smothered. And the scream stops with the shot while the defendant claims that Trayvon was still alive and talking and he needs help restraining him. Well, no one else heard Trayvon or saw him move after the shot. Keeping in mind that the defendant claims that Trayvon was still alive and claimed shock at learning that he was dead while at SPD, he told witnesses not to call 911, he didn’t attempt any effort whatever to save his life while he walked around and talked with a witness about what kind of ammo he used. That strikes me as depraved indifference.
What this case has exposed to 99.99999% of Americans is the ugly truth of black hostility to any and all white people or even just non-black people. Whites are “crazy ass crackers” and they probably have a nasty word for Asians, too. What percentage of blacks are incapable of seeing the humanity of non-blacks? Pretty high, sad to say.
Look at Obama, “If I had a son he’d look like Trayvon.” What an outrageous thing to say and how despicable that there was no criticism of him for interfering with Zimmerman’s rights. You can look it up, Nixon was criticized for saying something about Charles Manson.
I wish there was some machine that would put each of these TV commentators in the moment, head being pounded on a solid surface, and see how fast they’d pull the gun and shoot.
Trayvon Martin had 10X the amount of time he needed to get back to his father’s girlfriend’s house from the time he noticed Zimmerman. He had to have doubled back to confront Zimmerman and punch him, as these punks do in the “KnockOut Game” (See St. Louis).
Thanks Malisha. As with a few others on this thread, I enjoy reading the commentary.
A friend forwarded this my way. I agree with the article 100%.
http://www.thenation.com/blog/175097/tale-two-best-friends?rel=facebook#axzz2Y1WlgWJ5
david m –
The fact that “Zimmerman tutored black children for free, has black relatives, and he also has black ancestors.” doesn’t disprove my point about Hispanics being prejudiced against blacks any more than the fact
that GZ wanted to be a cop, took law-related courses, may have some black relatives etc. is evidence that he would not be prejudiced against blacks or that he would never kill one – does it? Are you suggesting it shows some kind of twisted form of self-hatred?
Bill McWilliams wrote: Are you suggesting it shows some kind of twisted form of self-hatred?
No. Claiming Hispanics are prejudiced against blacks does not mean Zimmerman is. Factor in all the evidence. Considering all the evidence, I don’t believe Zimmerman is. He was motivated by the desire to stop crime, to stop the punks in his neighborhood who were stealing.
Malisha, Good to have you back. I would say, “I hope the trial goes your way.” But, I am compelled to say, I hope justice is served. My hope for every trial.
bill mcwilliams;
Your trying real hard & well – to be one of my heroes.
Professor Turley is a human being – prone to mistakes once in a while – like the rest of U.S.
Truly sad to see so many being laissez faire with the homicide result.
davidm2575;
Remarks of a party, defensive and/or otherwise – is NOT evidence.
Evidence is proof!
Another factor that bears on the mindset of GZ, imo, is the well-known
prejudice of Hispanics towards African-Americans.
Malisha;
I posted some details on our working to get the original Petition by Trayvon’s mom – more attention. While also thanking you greatly for getting to the heart of the matter.
The Police (originally) tried to cover up/ bury this investigation.
Thanks Malisha – for getting back to the bygone issue apropos!