Suspect in Martin Case to Appear in Court

[maddezmom]

Source: NYT

Suspect in Martin Case to Appear in Court

SANFORD, Fla. — George Zimmerman, a former neighborhood watch volunteer arrested on murder charges in the fatal shooting of Trayvon Martin, an unarmed 17-year-old, is scheduled to make his first court appearance Thursday afternoon.

Mr. Zimmerman, 28, was charged by a special prosecutor on Wednesday evening with second-degree murder. He is likely to appear with a new lawyer, Mark M. O’Mara, a well-known criminal lawyer, but it is not clear if a judge will set bail, or if Mr. Zimmerman will formally enter a plea.

Mr. O’Mara said in a brief interview on Wednesday night that when the time comes his client would plead not guilty.

Mr. O’Mara also said he hoped that the judge would take up a bond motion at Thursday’s hearing — which is expected to be brief — but that he expected that the issue of bail might have to wait for a more extensive hearing in the near future


Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/13/us/george-zimmerman-to-appear-in-court.html

[dipsydoodle]

1. Prosecutors face hurdles in Trayvon Martin case

SANFORD, Fla. (AP) -- Prosecutors face steep hurdles to win a second-degree murder conviction against neighborhood watch volunteer George Zimmerman in the shooting death of unarmed teenager Trayvon Martin, experts say.

Zimmerman was charged after a public campaign to make an arrest in the shooting that galvanized the nation for weeks. Now the prosecutor and her team will have to prove Zimmerman intentionally went after Martin instead of shooting him in self-defense, to refute arguments that a Florida law empowered him to use deadly force.

Zimmerman, 28, who turned himself in at a county jail Wednesday after prosecutor Angela Corey announced the charge, was to appear before a magistrate Thursday and plead not guilty in the Feb. 26 shooting of the 17-year-old that set off a nationwide debate about racial profiling and the rights to self-defense.

"He is concerned about getting a fair trial and a fair presentation," his attorney, Mark O'Mara said. "He is a client who has a lot of hatred focused on him. I'm hoping the hatred settles down ... he has the right to his own safety and the case being tried before a judge and jury."

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_NEIGHBORHOOD_WATCH?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2012-04-12-09-40-30

We have no equivalent of 2nd degree murder ,to the best of my knowledge, in the UK. Having said that even a charge of GBH under Section 18 carries a maximum penalty of life :

Section 18

This section now reads:

Whosoever shall unlawfully and maliciously by any means whatsoever wound or cause any grievous bodily harm to any person, . . . with intent, . . . to do some . . . grievous bodily harm to any person, or with intent to resist or prevent the lawful apprehension or detainer of any person, shall be guilty of felony, and being convicted thereof shall be liable . . . to be kept in penal servitude for life . . .

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grievous_bodily_harm

I don't see there could be any defense here based on the fact that shooting someone is clearly inflicting GBH.

[Frances]

2. Sounds like Zimmerman's lawyer is making Zimmerman the victim

Lawyer: "He is a client who has a lot of hatred focused on him. I'm hoping the hatred settles down ... he has the right to his own safety and the case being tried before a judge and jury."

Suppose Zimmerman were black and he killed an unarmed white man 911 had told him not to pursue. Would anyone have sympathy for the black killer's family and friends?

[dipsydoodle]

3. Its part of job

so that was inevitable. We just have to put up with such shite unfortunately.

[xtraxritical]

4. Shite? It's called justice and it should be the same for all American's.

[jwirr]

5. Agreed - as to the part about his right to be tired before a judge and jury - well that is all the

protesters have been asking for.

[iandhr]

6. Legal Question

Does anyone think the Murder Two charge is a strategy to leverage a guilty plea to Manslaughter?

I know Manslaughter is the charge the homicide detective wanted.