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For one, Zimmerman and his lovely wife commmitted perjury!
This is particularly relevant as it shows a. a disrespect for the law, and b. George Zimmerman is perfectly happy lying when it suits his needs. Given that he is the sole witness to the murder that should cast some serious doubts on his inconsistent story!
Or is he the only witness?
Then of course is the revelation that Zimmerman sexually assaulted his cousin for more than a decade. Why is a sexual assault relevant to Zimmerman's second degree murder charge? Amanda Marcotte of Slate puts it well;
"In fact, accusations like these are completely relevant for two major reasons. The first is that, as feminists have been saying for decades now, sexual assault isn't really just a matter of someone's horniness overtaking him and causing him to pig out on a woman's body as if he hasn't eaten all day and she's a piece of cake shoved in front of him. Sexual abuse is a form of bullying, a violent crime whose pleasure for the attacker is far more about enjoying their power and dominance over the victim than it is about sexual urges. Subsequently, sexually violent men tend to be more violent generally, particularly against people they believe are lesser or weaker. If you're trying to establish that Zimmerman had it in him to hunt down and murder a teenager who is much smaller than himself, than a history of sexual assault does help demonstrate this.
Also: A lot of the prosecution's case depends on establishing whether or not Zimmerman is a glib liar who is capable of viciously attacking people and then playing the innocent "who me?" card while insinuating that the victim was asking for it. Pretty much all men who sexually assault women have developed an ability to do this; part of the routine of a rapist is terrifying and hurting someone only to convince the community to embrace him after the fact and write off the victim as hysterical, a liar, or a slut trying to cover her tracks. We know that most sexual assailants are repeat offenders—indeed, this is what the accuser in this case is claiming of Zimmerman—which means they have a lot of opportunities to practice playing innocent and blaming the victim after they've committed the crime. If the prosecution wants to establish that Zimmerman is the kind of guy who is capable of assaulting and even murdering someone and then playing innocent victim, a history of cutting his teeth as a sexual assailant helps establish that narrative."
Of course Zimmerman doth protest
How has the latest information affected your opinion in the case? Is any of this new information relevant in your mind to the case? Was Trayvon Martin's murder all part of God's plan???
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Date: 19/7/12 14:53 (UTC)God hates Skittles, or something.
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Date: 19/7/12 15:08 (UTC)(no subject)
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Date: 19/7/12 15:25 (UTC)For one, Zimmerman and his lovely wife commmitted perjury!
No, his wife was charged (http://articles.cnn.com/2012-06-12/justice/justice_florida-zimmerman-wife_1_account-affidavit-bond?_s=PM:JUSTICE) with perjury, mainly because the prosecution, who've hardly been saints through all of this, believes that she knew how much money was in the fundraising account. We'll see if it sticks.
Then of course is the revelation that Zimmerman sexually assaulted his cousin for more than a decade. Why is a sexual assault relevant to Zimmerman's second degree murder charge? Amanda Marcotte of Slate puts it well;
First, it's not relevant because it literally has nothing to do with the case. And there's no "revelation," it's an accusation, and a fairly convenient one at that.
Oh and his cousin also claims that his entire family has a bit of a problem with the blacks! Surely that will help out if there is to be a federal hate crime charge and conviction
There will be no hate crime charge federally, as the FBI's investigation predictably turned up no evidence of racism (http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Justice/2012/0712/FBI-report-No-evidence-George-Zimmerman-is-racist). That dog won't be hunting.
How has the latest information affected your opinion in the case? Is any of this new information relevant in your mind to the case? Was Trayvon Martin's murder all part of God's plan???
Seeing as we don't really have any new information in reality? Not much. The preponderance of evidence released to this point fairly well matches Zimmerman's account on the matter, and while I can't rule out a manslaughter charge, I still cannot see how a murder charge of any kind can hold up.
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Date: 19/7/12 15:38 (UTC)(no subject)
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Date: 19/7/12 15:38 (UTC)The latest information does not change my mind about the case. I simply hope that justice will be done in the end. It is not my place to determine whether or not the man is guilty, nor would I want to be put in that position.
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Date: 19/7/12 15:42 (UTC)(no subject)
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Date: 19/7/12 16:55 (UTC)This doesn't change my opinion, which is: none of this stuff has been proven, beyond a reasonable doubt, in a court of law. Hell, we still don't have all the facts from either side, whereas both sides have been pulling various shenanigans since day one.
It's all too easy to come to a quick conclusion of "Zimmerman is a lying racist douchebag who murdered an innocent kid who was peaceably going about his business." He's been convincted in the court of public opinion before *any* evidence has even been formally introduced. I'm withholding judgement until I see the evidence. Oh, and accusations of perjury and sexual abuse are just that: accusations, until backed up by evidence.
It's like the Casey Anthony trial. The almost unanimous public reaction, including among law students who should really know better, boiled down to "everyone knew she did it. Everyone knew she was guilty. The jury was so stupid, how could they let this horrible monster get off scot free, oh that poor little girl, she'll never get justice now, the system is broken, oh that poor little girl!" Rightly or wrongly, the Casey Anthony jury decided that the prosecution's evidence did not prove beyond a reasonable doubt that she killed Caylee. But try explaining that to someone whose reaction to the verdict is stuck on an endless loop of "oh, that poor little girl!" and you're instantly branded as a hateful, mean-spirited misanthrope.
It's no different here, where everyone is pegged to either an endless loop of "Martin was a crazed aggressive thug and Zimmerman rightly feared for his very life when Martin attacked him!" or "Zimmerman is a power-tripping bully who hates black people, and Martin was a pure little angel just out for skittles and a drink!"
Sorry, I don't buy either explanation, because the whole story has not come out yet.
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Date: 19/7/12 17:26 (UTC)(no subject)
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Date: 19/7/12 17:34 (UTC)It doesn't matter if you're Team George or Team Trayvon - I think we can all agree that if Mark O'Mara got through
law school3rd grade, this 'eyewitness' won't make much of a difference in the case, except maybe to make the prosecution seem desperate.(no subject)
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Date: 19/7/12 17:37 (UTC)Source. (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/07/19/barbara-walters-george-zimmerman-interivew-demands_n_1685668.html)
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Date: 19/7/12 19:31 (UTC)(no subject)
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Date: 19/7/12 19:32 (UTC)(no subject)
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Date: 19/7/12 23:36 (UTC)