[CNN] George Zimmerman is not guilty of murder in the death of Trayvon Martin, a Florida jury decided late Saturday.The fact that Zimmerman fired the bullet that killed Martin was never in question, but the verdict means the six-person jury had reasonable doubt that the shooting amounted to a criminal act.
The jury -- made up of all women -- had three choices: to find Zimmerman guilty of second-degree murder; to find him guilty of the lesser charge of manslaughter; or to find him not guilty.
The jurors deliberated for 16½ hours total, including 13 on Saturday alone, before delivering their verdict.
| Extensive details at the link. |
| Legal Insurrection (Andrew Branca and William Jacobson) and TalkLeft (Jeralyn Merritt) have been superb through the entire pre-trial and trial phases with excellent legal analysis. They offered information, review and critical thinking that the media certainly never provided. With regard to Mr. Zimmerman's defense team, this is why you pay lawyers $400 an hour: they know what they're doing and have the backbone to stand up to pressure. And with regard to the state: this never should have gone to trial, and never would have if Mr. Martin and Mr. Zimmerman had been of the same race. |