The question of who threw the first punch was left up in the air. I don't remember him even trying to assert that Zimmerman started the physical altercation. Leaving that question unanswered, even wholly unaddressed, leaves nothing but reasonable doubt dangling out there for the jury to latch onto.
The question of who was screaming for help is likewise left with nothing more than a passing allusion to "....isn't it interesting that the screaming stopped at the moment the gunshot was heard?" I understand there's no way to prove conclusively who was screaming, but the evidence in the trial record of John Good's eye and ear witness testimony from only 17 feet away from what he saw and heard is no lightweight bit of evidence. It weighs heavily in favor of Zimmerman and, again, leaves the fruit of reasonable doubt dangling ripe and juicy right in front of the juror's eyes.
Who was on top and who was on the bottom is also (somewhat) in dispute, and not even a suggestion of Martin being on the bottom, much less an attempt to connect dots that would equal proof, was offered the jurors to hang their hats on.
Blues
Headline: Prosecutor Humps Dummy for Second Day
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I think maybe he likes that thing. Maybe he should see somebody about it. “Hello Doctor? Bernie de la Rionda is at it again. He’s locked himself in his office with the Mortimer Snerd Dummy.
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My assessment, in a nutshell is that this incident is solved when we know who's screaming. I believe we know. GZ gave a recorded statement on the evening of the shooting and again the next day a video reenactment. In both he described screaming for help just before he shot him. At that time, the evening of the shooting, while being interviewed by LEO, GZ did not yet know that neighbors' 911 calls had captured someone screaming help, immediately followed by a gunshot. That information was made public some time later. Even TM's family hadn't yet heard the tapes. He made the taped statement the same damn night. And again the next day. He described the crime exactly as 911 caught it and he didn't even know it was caught on tape at the time. That confirms GZ's credibility.
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And here comes the truth folks... As hard as it is to say... And this is gonna pi$$0ff a lot of people... It
IS racism. Tray, if we're to believe his girlfriend, called GZ a creepy ass cracker... clearly racial profiling. A cracker is a contemptuous term for a white southerner, usually from GA or FL. In slave-era slang it was the name given to the plantation taskmaster who cracked the whip. Now GZ profiled TM as a perp, not racially. Prosecutor agrees. But TM
DID profile GZ racially, according to his primary witness' testimony. This is a hate crime against Zimmerman, perhaps because he's white, or perhaps because he's Hispanic. Once Tray got up close and saw GZ was as soft as the Hispanic Pillsbury-Dough-Boy he new he could take him. Tray gonna beat that white boy's ass, MMA style. Son-of-a-beetch! Been looking at us all along. I hope O'Mara has this tomorrow.
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There are a number of other key points that make this a clear case of self-defense.
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1. How many times have you heard of the person on top, who’s beating the tar out of someone on bottom, screaming for help?
2. First eyewitness described TM on top. The prosecution conceded this when they changed tactics and added the Mortimer Snerd Dummy demonstration to prove GZ couldn't get his gun as he claimed.
3. And regarding that dummy demonstration by the prosecution, they tried to state GZ could not get his gun because TM’s legs were blocking it? Well, the gun wasn't holstered on his side against TM's leg, it was described by GZ in the video as holstered at the 4:00 position, under him. Reachable. No fight is static. All fights are constantly in motion. Squirming and twisting when straddled provides openings to get your firearm.
4. So how often is the guy on bottom winning in a fight?
5. When we’re punched the force of the blow knocks us back. Some of the kinetic energy of the blow is lost in moving the body mass/weight. But when you’re head is against the ground there is nowhere for the energy to go so the head absorbs and transfers the entire kinetic energy to the ground. It rings your bell. Given that situation, even a scrawny kid can deliver a significant beating. Personally, I’d rather fight in a tight-closed space to use walls and door frames as improvised weapons.
6. FL has no statute that prohibits following someone unless it for provable purpose of causing fear, annoyance or harm. Following to observe is legal. The judge ruled she will not tell the jury this.
7. Even if GZ was the initial aggressor, FL statute requires Martin to disengage when the combatant signals his desire to withdraw. He did not, despite GZ’s screams for help. And we now know it's GZ screaming.
8. No one witnessed the initial contact up to the first blow. That presents doubt. Prevents anyone from knowing or proving, even circumstantially, the initial aggressor.
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But if stupid was a crime he'd get life. Everyone should remember this example case forever. Never speak without a lawyer. Never do a taped reenactment for the police without a lawyer. Never call the prosecutor. Never give a TV interview before trial. never apologize to the family in open court. And lastly, NEVER talk on a jailhouse phone.
