Queen Bee
Queen Bee
For more than a year, a topic open to debate has been, what really happened between George Zimmerman and Trayvon Martin on the night of February 26, 2012, when Zimmerman fatally shot the 17 year old teen. One hopes that all REAL evidence will be brought to the jury starting on June 10, 2013, when Zimmerman is set to go on trial for a second-degree murder charge.
Let's examine information available thus far about Zimmerman and Martin.
Depending on one's own prejudices as well as the media's bias in reporting on the so-called “facts,†the public may view Trayvon Martin as an adorable young teenager, per some of the pictures released of him, which, by the way, do not look like those of a 17 year old, but perhaps of a younger Trayvon Martin. Another picture of Martin is revealed based on the most current pictures, as well as information Mr. Martin wrote about in his own text messages to friends referring to himself as a “gangsta,†interested in guns, and smoking marijuana. The marijuana smoking was confirmed by both Martin's toxicology report as well as by the residue of marijuana found in his backpack the night of the shooting. He also admitted in these text messages to being suspended from school for excessive class cutting and that his mother threw him out of her home in Miami and sent him to live with his father in Orlando.
Although Trayvon Martin had no criminal record, the Zimmerman's defense is trying to show that he was not just a victim with an unblemished life. Such references to Martin's character may help to corroborate Zimmerman's story that he shot Mr. Martin in self-defense after Mr. Martin attacked him. Mr. Martin was inside a gated community in which Mr. Zimmerman was working that night as a neighborhood watch volunteer. He reported Mr. Martin to the police as a suspicious person, got out of his car to follow him, and then told police that Mr. Martin knocked him to the ground, punched him, and slammed his head into the concrete. Then, Mr. Zimmerman reported that he fired one shot into Mr. Martin's chest in self-defense.
When police arrived on the scene, they reported Zimmerman as compliant, answering their questions, and willing to put on handcuffs. He had blood on his nose, and one officer reported that his nose appeared, “broken,†and noted “swelling†of his face, which is shown in police photographs taken that night. Zimmerman claimed that Martin attacked him, hitting him in the nose and knocking him back into the pavement. It was only then, in self-defense, that he'd taken out his gun and shot the teen, he said.
After looking at photographs of Trayvon Martin, it is only fair to observe those of George Zimmerman from a year ago, as well as those of today. The events of a year ago, as well as the media bias both pro and con Zimmerman, as well as pro and con Martin, have taken their toll on Zimmerman's appearance, as evidenced by his obvious weight gain. In addition, some photos show Zimmerman as a smiling pleasant fellow, and other photos show a man who seems to have undergone physical change.
In any event, is it possible for Zimmerman to have a fair trial by a “jury of his peers?†Mark O'Mara, Mr. Zimmerman's attorney, says the Zimmerman case is so weighed down by, “social and community pressure,†that it will be difficult to pick a jury that is not “infected,†by all of the media attention, and that a jury could fear the consequences of acquitting Mr. Zimmerman. In the meantime, Sybrina Fulton, Trayvon Martin's mother, said, that to a large extent, she and her ex-husband, Tracy Martin, have gotten what they asked for: that Zimmerman be arrested and stand trial." It may be worth noting that, Trayvon Martin's parents settled a wrongful-death lawsuit against the homeowners association in the gated community where George Zimmerman shot him. Trayvon Martin's mother, Sybrina Fulton said, “We just want to have that trial, and let the jury decide. And whatever decision comes out of that, we're going to accept that. We may not like it, but we're going to accept it.â€
My only question is, will the public accept whatever decision is finally reached regarding the guilt or innocence of George Zimmerman, facing a second-degree murder charge.
Let's examine information available thus far about Zimmerman and Martin.
Depending on one's own prejudices as well as the media's bias in reporting on the so-called “facts,†the public may view Trayvon Martin as an adorable young teenager, per some of the pictures released of him, which, by the way, do not look like those of a 17 year old, but perhaps of a younger Trayvon Martin. Another picture of Martin is revealed based on the most current pictures, as well as information Mr. Martin wrote about in his own text messages to friends referring to himself as a “gangsta,†interested in guns, and smoking marijuana. The marijuana smoking was confirmed by both Martin's toxicology report as well as by the residue of marijuana found in his backpack the night of the shooting. He also admitted in these text messages to being suspended from school for excessive class cutting and that his mother threw him out of her home in Miami and sent him to live with his father in Orlando.
Although Trayvon Martin had no criminal record, the Zimmerman's defense is trying to show that he was not just a victim with an unblemished life. Such references to Martin's character may help to corroborate Zimmerman's story that he shot Mr. Martin in self-defense after Mr. Martin attacked him. Mr. Martin was inside a gated community in which Mr. Zimmerman was working that night as a neighborhood watch volunteer. He reported Mr. Martin to the police as a suspicious person, got out of his car to follow him, and then told police that Mr. Martin knocked him to the ground, punched him, and slammed his head into the concrete. Then, Mr. Zimmerman reported that he fired one shot into Mr. Martin's chest in self-defense.
When police arrived on the scene, they reported Zimmerman as compliant, answering their questions, and willing to put on handcuffs. He had blood on his nose, and one officer reported that his nose appeared, “broken,†and noted “swelling†of his face, which is shown in police photographs taken that night. Zimmerman claimed that Martin attacked him, hitting him in the nose and knocking him back into the pavement. It was only then, in self-defense, that he'd taken out his gun and shot the teen, he said.
After looking at photographs of Trayvon Martin, it is only fair to observe those of George Zimmerman from a year ago, as well as those of today. The events of a year ago, as well as the media bias both pro and con Zimmerman, as well as pro and con Martin, have taken their toll on Zimmerman's appearance, as evidenced by his obvious weight gain. In addition, some photos show Zimmerman as a smiling pleasant fellow, and other photos show a man who seems to have undergone physical change.
In any event, is it possible for Zimmerman to have a fair trial by a “jury of his peers?†Mark O'Mara, Mr. Zimmerman's attorney, says the Zimmerman case is so weighed down by, “social and community pressure,†that it will be difficult to pick a jury that is not “infected,†by all of the media attention, and that a jury could fear the consequences of acquitting Mr. Zimmerman. In the meantime, Sybrina Fulton, Trayvon Martin's mother, said, that to a large extent, she and her ex-husband, Tracy Martin, have gotten what they asked for: that Zimmerman be arrested and stand trial." It may be worth noting that, Trayvon Martin's parents settled a wrongful-death lawsuit against the homeowners association in the gated community where George Zimmerman shot him. Trayvon Martin's mother, Sybrina Fulton said, “We just want to have that trial, and let the jury decide. And whatever decision comes out of that, we're going to accept that. We may not like it, but we're going to accept it.â€
My only question is, will the public accept whatever decision is finally reached regarding the guilt or innocence of George Zimmerman, facing a second-degree murder charge.