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In reply to the discussion: Witness responds to suggestion that Trayvon lied before getting shot: ‘That’s real retarded, sir’ [View all]dpibel
(2,928 posts)Everyone, on either side, who declares, "This is it! This trial is over," has never been involved in a trial.
What you have is a data point that the defense may decide to emphasize (assuming that, in fact, Nelson/West actually had the insight you did). And when that happens, the prosecution will work to explain it: What is the meaning of "by"? Are those Martin's exact words, or is that Jeantel's recollection/interpretation of his words?
Everybody will argue about it, you bet.
This idea that cases rise and fall on one single clincher is TV stuff. Trials are an aggregation of huge amounts of information. Jeantel is not the only witness. The other witnesses count.
The notion, argued by both sets of online advocates in this case, that any single bit of testimony is the end of the story is, frankly, insane.
There's no "gotcha" moment in a real trial. They're not like the movies. The jurors actually listen to all the evidence. They actually weigh it. They will remember this moment if your hero West actually caught it, because he and his team will pound it like hell in closing argument. But it's just one witness' testimony.
She wasn't there. Her opinion of where Martin was at any given moment is automatically weak. She was on the phone. She wasn't tracking him on GPS. He wasn't giving her a moment-by-moment account. "I'm now at the intersection of X and Y. Now I've walked 50 feet."
I understand that you are very excited to have cracked the case, and that it will now assuredly come out the way you like.
I'd suggest that you wait.
Really. The defense hasn't even put its case on yet.
It's very early to be rendering a verdict.