Trayvon Case Investigation

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TXgolfer said:
Probably for weeks. Just sitting around on the hunt.... "who can I shoot and claim I was standing my ground".
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Yeah...he had it all planned out...so meticulous he was.

Just noting the absurdity of it all.
 
Orlando Letters to the Editor: Armed crime watch, taxes and health law - Orlando Sentinel
Armed crime watch

As a homeowner in downtown Orlando, I am uncomfortable with any Neighborhood Watch volunteer who wants to carry a firearm. The program is designed to protect our neighborhoods by alerting the police of any suspicious criminal activity. The volunteer should not take any action to pursue the suspect because volunteers are not trained and do not have the authority to do this.


A citizen who carries a firearm should not be a comfort to anyone, and I do not want this type of citizen in my community. The tragic Trayvon Martin shooting demonstrates how nobody benefits from an armed-citizen watch, including the person who thinks it's necessary to carry a firearm. I bet George Zimmerman now wishes he never owned a gun; I certainly do.

Don Reale Orlando
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I should correct her that Zimmerman wasn't on Neighborhood Watch duty. He was on the way home from errands and like every Florida citizen, he's legally allowed to carry one. But it's a no-no to carry one if you're on Neighborhood Watch duty and he should have been mindful of it when he "switched" to Neighborhood Watch mode.
 
Trayvon Martin George Zimmerman: Judge Jessica Recksiedler assigned Zimmerman case - Orlando Sentinel
At 8:45 a.m. Thursday, Circuit Judge Jessica Recksiedler learned that she had been assigned the George Zimmerman-Trayvon Martin case, one of the nation's most racially divisive murder cases.

Recksiedler, 39, of Sanford, has been a judge a little more than a year. Criminal law is not her specialty. Trial work is.

A Stetson University College of Law graduate, she has been a lawyer for 15 years.

She is a board-certified civil-trial specialist, and during her 2010 campaign, touted her experience in commercial, construction, insurance, personal injury, probate and estate law.

Her election was a surprise. She defeated a former judge, Oscar Hotusing of Brevard County.

She is married to a personal-injury attorney and is the mother of two.

os-jessica-recksiedler-mugshot.jpg-20120412
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*wolf whistle* :naughty:

comment in that article -
Common sense is not so common at 7:20 AM April 13, 2012

"has been a judge a little more than a year. Criminal law is not her specialty. Trial work is."

Oh dear. We really need a training program where a potential circuit court judge should hear a number of misdemeanor cases first, then they can "graduate" to longer, more complicated cases. That's how it works in the State Attorney and Public Defenders offices.

They don't just toss people to the lions.
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she must be relieved to be removed from the trial.
 
Scott Maxwell: So far, Angela Corey looks courageous and savvy in Trayvon Martin case - Orlando Sentinel
Only time will tell whether Special Prosecutor Angela Corey got it right in charging George Zimmerman with second-degree murder.

As I've said before, there's no sense trying to second-guess that call without all the facts.

But the Republican state attorney from Jacksonville has already done a few things that show she's tougher and savvier than the average bear … especially the bears in these parts.

First of all, Corey stepped up to the plate and decided to bring charges herself — instead of using a grand jury. That took guts.

For those who don't know much about these secretive panels — and I include much of the media in that group — grand juries are often used as a cop-out.

They allow prosecutors to present unbalanced evidence and uncorroborated testimony. Most troubling, they let prosecutors to do all this without full accountability, since the proceedings are secret.

There's a reason for the expression that most grand juries "would indict a ham sandwich if the prosecutors so requested."

Corey showed courage and accountability by making the charge herself.

The other thing Corey has demonstrated is an ability to tamp down emotions — something sorely needed in the controversy that followed Trayvon Martin's death.

As evidence, look at the way Corey and the Sanford Police Department handled protesters who blocked the front door to the department earlier this week.

The hoodie-cloaked protesters were ready to be arrested. And the cops had every right to do so.

But instead of slapping cuffs on the students gathered at their front door, the cops simply used the back door.

Afterward, Corey and the cops spoke with the protesters … and they moved.

Situation solved.

No arrests — which cost taxpayers money. No giving protesters the extra publicity they may have sought. And no further inflaming an already touchy situation.

Instead of making national news, the incident didn't make it higher than paragraph No. 24 in a local story in the Sentinel.

Other politicians around Central Florida — particularly those at Orlando City Hall — should take notes.

Obviously the jury is still out on how Corey handles this case in the long run. But so far, Gov. Rick Scott seems to have recruited a courageous prosecutor more eager in pursuing justice than headlines.
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Jiro said:
that's fascinating. but your first sentence is erroneous :lol:
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Steinhauer is correct. The burden of proof is on the state. It's always that way in American courtrooms.
 
Reba said:
Steinhauer is correct. The burden of proof is on the state. It's always that way in American courtrooms.
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Actually the burden of proof does switch when an affirmative defense is used. In this case Zimmerman will probably plea self defense which is an affirmative defense. His burden of proof is lower than reasonable doubt though and the wounds would probably be enough to switch the burden back to the prosecution.
 
Reba said:
Steinhauer is correct. The burden of proof is on the state. It's always that way in American courtrooms.
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Zimmerman does not need evidence to dispute his own testimony.
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why would Zimmerman be disputing his own testimony? Steinhauer must have meant "defend".
 
Jiro said:
Orlando Letters to the Editor: Armed crime watch, taxes and health law - Orlando Sentinel


I should correct her that Zimmerman wasn't on Neighborhood Watch duty. He was on the way home from errands and like every Florida citizen, he's legally allowed to carry one. But it's a no-no to carry one if you're on Neighborhood Watch duty and he should have been mindful of it when he "switched" to Neighborhood Watch mode.
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So, when I am coming home from work or from being out shopping or having dinner and I see a person that appears to be up to no good in my neighborhood does that mean that I am now in "Neighborhood Watch Mode"? I have been there and done that more than once before. I always carry a gun. I have called the cops and have waited and watched prior to their arrival. If I was approached by the suspicious person while I was waiting and they became aggressive then I would use deadly force to defend myself if necessary. I run these scenarios through my mind all the time. Does that make me a vigilante or does it mean that I am profiling? Not hardly! It means that I am mentally preparing for a what if situation.
 
airportcop said:
So, when I am coming home from work or from being out shopping or having dinner and I see a person that appears to be up to no good in my neighborhood does that mean that I am now in "Neighborhood Watch Mode"? I have been there and done that more than once before. I always carry a gun. I have called the cops and have waited and watched prior to their arrival. If I was approached by the suspicious person while I was waiting and they became aggressive then I would use deadly force to defend myself if necessary. I run these scenarios through my mind all the time. Does that make me a vigilante or does it mean that I am profiling? Not hardly! It means that I am mentally preparing for a what if situation.
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He carried his gun when he left his neighborhood on an errand and then returned. Nothing to do about him being on watch. Just so happen he spotted what he thought looked suspicious and reported it.
 
Jiro said:
why would Zimmerman be disputing his own testimony? Steinhauer must have meant "defend".
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I was actually asking you if you had any evidence disputing Zimmerman's statements to the police.


I used the example of Zimmerman giving contradictory evidence to incriminate himself as an example. Why would he do that if he was telling the truth to begin with?

I don't think you got it.
 
airportcop said:
So, when I am coming home from work or from being out shopping or having dinner and I see a person that appears to be up to no good in my neighborhood does that mean that I am now in "Neighborhood Watch Mode"? I have been there and done that more than once before. I always carry a gun. I have called the cops and have waited and watched prior to their arrival. If I was approached by the suspicious person while I was waiting and they became aggressive then I would use deadly force to defend myself if necessary. I run these scenarios through my mind all the time. Does that make me a vigilante or does it mean that I am profiling? Not hardly! It means that I am mentally preparing for a what if situation.
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And I am sure in your line of work, that the mental preparation has insured your safe arrival home every evening.
 
CSign said:
In the post Steinhauer said, "he is innocent". Not, "...until proven guilty."
I perceived that to be him stating that Zimmerman is innocent.
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She (CSign) has a point regarding this. It has more to do with political correctness of word usage than the actual principle behind the fifth amendment.

Take it to example with the Clinton situation many years ago.
By this logic of innocence, Clinton is apparently innocent, because he was never charged or guilty of it - end of story.
However, there are a lot of folks who continue to believe and refute so otherwise. Stating that "Clinton is/was innocent" can definitely cause an argument over present date matters in the issue.

It's a pretty much wording issue(s). Find a better way to state in your opinion the subject will not be charged of anything unless you are looking for a challenge over simple choices of words.
 
airportcop said:
So, when I am coming home from work or from being out shopping or having dinner and I see a person that appears to be up to no good in my neighborhood does that mean that I am now in "Neighborhood Watch Mode"? I have been there and done that more than once before. I always carry a gun. I have called the cops and have waited and watched prior to their arrival. If I was approached by the suspicious person while I was waiting and they became aggressive then I would use deadly force to defend myself if necessary. I run these scenarios through my mind all the time. Does that make me a vigilante or does it mean that I am profiling? Not hardly! It means that I am mentally preparing for a what if situation.
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based on what you said - you are perfectly within your right to defend yourself.
but like I told you - the major difference between him and you is that you have a training and badge... and you're a cop.

Zimmerman doesn't and he's a cop-wannabe.
 
naisho said:
She (CSign) has a point regarding this. It has more to do with political correctness of word usage than the actual principle behind the fifth amendment.

Take it to example with the Clinton situation many years ago.
By this logic of innocence, Clinton is apparently innocent, because he was never charged or guilty of it - end of story.
However, there are a lot of folks who continue to believe and refute so otherwise. Stating that "Clinton is/was innocent" can definitely cause an argument over present date matters in the issue.

It's a pretty much wording issue(s). Find a better way to state in your opinion the subject will not be charged of anything unless you are looking for a challenge over simple choices of words.
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oh snap!

and also... we still hold Casey Anthony guilty even though she was acquitted :hmm:
 
naisho said:
She (CSign) has a point regarding this. It has more to do with political correctness of word usage than the actual principle behind the fifth amendment.

Take it to example with the Clinton situation many years ago.
By this logic of innocence, Clinton is apparently innocent, because he was never charged or guilty of it - end of story.
However, there are a lot of folks who continue to believe and refute so otherwise. Stating that "Clinton is/was innocent" can definitely cause an argument over present date matters in the issue.

It's a pretty much wording issue(s). Find a better way to state in your opinion the subject will not be charged of anything unless you are looking for a challenge over simple choices of words.
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There is a reason that the jury comes back with either "Guilty" or "Not Guilty", that is because the state (sometimes the Feds.) have to prove the charge. It is well known that a "not guilty" does not been "innocent", it means the state has not proved the charge satisfactory enough for a "guilty". Since, as you said, Clinton was never charged end of story. But because he admit to telling a lie he is "gulity" in the eyes of the public.
To much of the public, Zimmerman is and always will be "guilty" just like to much of the public MJ is and always will be "not guilty".
 
rolling7 said:
There is a reason that the jury comes back with either "Guilty" or "Not Guilty", that is because the state (sometimes the Feds.) have to prove the charge.
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and deadlock.

rolling7 said:
It is well known that a "not guilty" does not been "innocent", it means the state has not proved the charge satisfactory enough for a "guilty". Since, as you said, Clinton was never charged end of story. But because he admit to telling a lie he is "gulity" in the eyes of the public.
To much of the public, Zimmerman is and always will be "guilty" just like to much of the public MJ is and always will be "not guilty".
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who is MJ?
 
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