<p>geeps, it’s true that we don’t know exactly what happened. After all, only one guy is around to tell his story. But I think we can know that if George Zimmerman didn’t have a gun, Martin would be alive and Zimmerman wouldn’t be on trial. I don’t see any upside to Zimmerman’s election to take a gun on his neighborhood watch outing. </p>
<p>I also can’t agree that we don’t know who “the aggressor” was. Zimmerman had identified Martin as a “$%^% punk” and an “%^&%^&” before Martin had any reason to even know that Zimmerman existed. Zimmerman followed Martin, and was carrying a gun. I don’t see any wiggle room in terms of who “the aggressor” was. If you’re suggesting that Martin overreacted to Zimmerman’s behavior, that’s possible. But it doesn’t make Martin “the aggressor.” I understand that the vigilantists want that to be true, but there’s just no factual basis for it.</p>
<p>And as noted by Martin’s family, there was no trace of Zimmerman’s blood or DNA on Martin’s hands. That makes Zimmerman’s story kind of hard to credit. If Martin was actually beating Zimmerman in a life-threatening way, there’s a surprising lack of objective evidence to show for it. But I guess we’ll find out, since thanks to the community outcry, there’s a trial.</p>
<p>It’s possible too that if Zimmerman didn’t have a gun he could have died getting his head split open while getting it pounded on the concrete. I don’t know what happened entirely that night…I hope the truth surfaces and justice prevails.</p>
<p>Here is a government website with statistics on juvenile violent crimes including homicides, rape, sexual assault, assault. Homicides committed by juveniles account for about 8% of the total homicides nationwide. 1 out of 12.</p>
<p>It also has time of day when juvenile crimes occur during the school week and on the weekend. </p>
<p>I have a feeling that this case is going to be tried based upon appealing to fear in the jurors. Fear of crime in your neighborhood by “punks and thugs” wandering around at night. Fear of vigilante “justice” and gun nuts wandering around at night.</p>
<p>There are studies on adults’ reactions to being confronted by youths and especially youths of another race. A lot of people are not free from stereotypical beliefs/fears.</p>
<p>The outcome of this case maybe which fears the jurors have and how well the sides tap into those fears. If even 1 juror feels the “punks and thugs” fear—</p>
<p>Roman, how do you know GZ ‘confronted’ Martin? I was under the impression he attempted to follow him but lost him. There was a subsequent ‘confrontation’, but I don’t know if anyone knows who ‘confronted’ who. Or is it whom?</p>
<p>Anyone who has watched Zimmerman’s various interviews/walkthrough, and looked at the forensic evidence which has been available online for months, will notice many inconsistencies among Zimmerman’s various stories and between his stories and the evidence. The prosecutor mentioned a number of them during his very powerful opening statement. There are others that he didn’t mention.</p>
<p>I didn’t say Zimmerman’s head was pounded on concrete. I wrote in post #83 that I don’t know what happened that night…I just painted a possible scenario above. I hope the trial is fair and the outcome is just. As a Floridian I know all of Florida is on trial with this Zimmerman deal and just like so many other Floridians I hope the trial is conducted fairly and properly.</p>
<p>In my opinion there’s a lot of wishful thinking in the pro-Zimmerman camp. It’s true, we can’t ever know with certainty exactly what happened that night, but the bottom line of my thinking is that I’m with RGE - if Zimmerman wasn’t carrying a gun he would not have gotten out of his car to track down the #&$% punk he was following. This looks like a situation where carrying a gun didn’t just make the outcome more tragic, it made the decision making process of the gun carrier more reckless.</p>
<p>lizard, if you were familiar with the evidence, you would not think that it was possible that Zimmerman’s head was being pounded on concrete. </p>
<p>I have posted several fact-based comments in this thread, and no one has answered them. There is a great deal of evidence available. Zimmerman’s multiple interviews are available. The forensic reports are available. The NEN tapes are available, with timing. The 911 calls are available, with timing. It is possible to know a great deal about what could or could not have happened that night.</p>
<p>Well I gotta admit I haven’t seen all the evidence, but even if I did, I’m not really qualified to give expert testimony about it. I’m sure the evidence will be used at the trial and experts will be giving opinions about all of the evidence and the reports done.</p>
<p>Right. If I call 911 asking for help, presumably I am going to take whatever helpful advice the operator offers me. This guy seems like the neighborhood-watch equivalent of the guy in the movie “Mall Cop.” IMO he had an agenda when he called 911 and it wasn’t to leave the policing to the police. In fact, it surprises me somewhat that he called 911 at all.</p>
<p>In opening statements today, the prosecutor touched on something that I have mulled over in the last year. He said that it will be important to listen to the screams on the 911 tape, and to listen for when the screams stop.</p>
<p>My own thoughts have been along the lines that if the scream stops abruptly after the shot is heard, that is a very different scenario than if the screams continue, or if the screams diminish as though the screamer is breathing heavily and still calling for help. </p>
<p>In my opinion, I would assume that screams that suddenly stop when the shot was fired would be Martin’s screams.</p>
<p>Screams that continue for any time after the shot was fired would be Zimmerman’s.</p>
<p>Just my opinion, and I don’t really know what the tape shows in terms of when the screams stopped.</p>
<p>I watched the testimony today and heard the details of GZ’s 911 call. He did not sound scared… that is until TM turned around and approached GZ. When TM approached him, he (GZ) DID sound scared to me. I thought O’Meara, GZ’s lead attorney, made a big blunder when he didn’t object to the prosecution wanting to admit into testimony the previous 911 call he made, along similar lines 6 months earlier, until AFTER the prosecution presented it to the jury. Did he have an “agenda” during this call as well?</p>
<p>The screams stop instantly with the gunshot. It’s crystal clear from the 911 tape. What’s more, before the gunshot they are not muffled or interrupted, as they would have been if Zimmerman had been screaming as Trayvon pounded his head against concrete, while trying to smother him by putting his hand over Zimmerman’s bloody nose. </p>
<p>I don’t consider the screams important in the scheme of things, though. There is much, much stronger evidence. </p>
<p>Here is some evidence, lizard. Zimmerman’s head injuries were two minor lacerations, the longer one 2 cm long, that didn’t require stitches. There was no concussion. His vital signs were all normal when he was examined by the paramedics at the scene.</p>
<p>OMG, just watching on TV…the defense attorney really said this?</p>
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<p>That’s the best they’ve got? That TM was walking along *his weapon<a href=“aka%20the%20sidewalk”>/i</a> and used it to attack the guy who was threatening him, and it’s thus HIS fault?</p>