The tragic death of Trayvon Martin has gripped the county for over a year, now, with interest at a new high due to the trial of George Zimmerman. Zimmerman is accused of fatally shooting Travyvon after an altercation in February of 2012. Popular belief is that Zimmerman, the head of the local neighborhood watch, followed Trayvon because he “looked suspicious,” and confronted him. Trayvon, scared and threatened, may have hit Zimmerman in an effort to flee, which prompted Zimmerman to shoot Trayvon in the chest, resulting in the youth’s death. The case blew up on the internet and, eventually, on national news networks, as well, spreading Trayvon’s story and Zimmerman’s face (and other information, as well). Zimmerman has received threats and other negative, sometimes maleficent feedback for nearly the entire time. Yet, even with this public outcry and the hoard of backlash against Zimmerman, the court case has taken a snake-like twist; Zimmerman’s lawyer requested a dismissal of the charges held against his client after the prosecution rested its case.
Yes, you read that correctly. The same defense that so brilliantly decided to open up with a knock-knock joke decided that it was also a good idea to try and have their client dismissed of all charges against him after the trial had only just begun. The reasoning behind the request to throw out the trial was because of the “enormous” amount of evidence that Zimmerman had been acting in self defense and the “lack” of circumstantial evidence presented by the prosecution to prove otherwise. The request was quickly overturned by the judge, but not before Rich Mantei of the defense so eloquently phrased what many have thought for a very long while; “There are two people involved here. One of them is dead and one of them is a liar.”
The liar in question is building his case on the basis of acting in self defense. The liar in question claims that he is in the right and protected under “stand your ground” laws that allow for the use of deadly force when threatened. The claims that a liar make are, in fact, known as lies, however, and despite the defense’s accusation of there being a lack of evidence, there is, in truth, a plethora of it. Zimmerman had very few injuries, and all were mild, requiring only BandAids, according to medical examiner Valerie Rao. That puts a mighty big dent in Zimmerman’s claim that he only shot after Trayvon repeatedly smashed his head into the concrete. The fatal shot was also delivered at close range, and there was no indication of much, if any, “defensive posturing” or contact from Trayvon’s autopsy. For a defense based on acting in self defense, the facts simply don’t add up to support the claim; it seems that the prosecution is in possession of “enormous” amounts of proof, while the defense fumbles with keeping even the simplest of stories straight.
What this seems to reveal, then, is a cornucopia of evidence that points towards Zimmerman actively and maliciously approaching Trayvon in a threatening and violent manner, when the young man was simply walking home with his skittles, hood up to defend himself from the rain. The evidence being supports the story of Zimmerman actively pursuing Trayvon with no prompting, of taunting and eventually murdering this young man who did nothing to deserve such an abrupt end to his life. Perhaps this explains why the defense tried to have the charges dropped and the case stopped; if you already know you have no case, why not try even the most cowardly of actions in a bid to hide the fact?
