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Health & Fitness

Zimmerman Jury: Not Guilty

Jury finds Zimmerman "not guilty." I think the jury got it wrong. I actually hoped they'd go for something like negligent homicide or manslaughter. Unfortunately, given the state of Florida law (and the limited amount of information presented to the jury,) they may have done the best they could. As a victim of crime, I absolutely understand the intent of the "stand your ground" law, but I don't believe the intent was followed. Unfortunately, when you open the yellow pages, you'll note that there are many more pages of lawyers than of physicians. I believe there may have been a time in this country when being a lawyer was about ensuring justice was served. Now I believe (on both sides) it's a game of words. When the law was first passed, did it envision an armed stalker being confronted? I doubt it. Had Martin confronted Zimmerman and either through a lucky punch or through taking Zimmerman's gun have killed him, would a "stand your ground" defense have prevailed? Again, I doubt it. On the other hand, the only person who knows what actually happened that night is George Zimmerman. I suspect that's why his counsel wouldn't allow him to testify. Without the ability to impeach Zimmerman's testimony, the jury is left trying to decide if the kid in the hoodie threw the first punch or not. Again--I think they got it wrong. I think (no matter what else happened) Zimmerman created the situation--therefore a potential negligent homicide verdict. That said, the jury was presented with no evidence that Zimmerman was the aggressor. In the absence of evidence, perhaps innocence is the best verdict. Certainly, since the advent of DNA testing, we've seen many judged guilty go free, so--maybe in this case the system worked? I think Zimmerman should have been found guilty, but I wasn't a juror. Perhaps this is simply the latest example of Blackstone's formulation: "It is better that ten guilty persons escape than that one innocent suffer." Regardless of the verdict, the State of Florida needs to do some work on it's "Stand your ground" law. Certainly if I wanted to kill someone, I'd find a way to lure him to Florida and use the current law to protect myself. However, still sticking to Florida law, what about this case: http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-201_162-57433184/fla-mom-gets-20-years-for-f...

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