Regardless of the outcome of the trial of George Zimmerman, there will be heated debate after the verdict. Zimmerman fatally shot unarmed teenager, Trayvon Martin, last year when he was walking home from a convenience store. The African-American teenager went to the store to buy candy and iced tea, then took a shortcut through Zimmerman’s housing community to get home sooner, and avoid the rain.
That would be Trayvon’s last night alive.
My prediction is that George Zimmerman will be convicted, at the very least, of the lesser charge of manslaughter in this case. I don’t think there’s a reasonable person on the planet who could argue that Zimmerman did not approach Trayvon Martin with extreme prejudice. You can see the masterful closing arguments by State Attorney John Guy, in the video below.
http://youtu.be/p2jLnUI0l4E?t=1m17s
It’s worth noting that Mr. Zimmerman’s defense attorney, Mark O’mara, was quoted as saying, and I’m paraphrasing here, “…this is the jury I wanted.” Of the all female jury, five white and one “other” racial background, almost all are mothers. It’s unclear why Mr. O’mara feels this jury was best suited to acquit his client; was it the absence of any Black folks on the jury, or did he believe an all female jury would be more sympathetic toward his client, George Zimmerman.
If you’d like to examine exactly what the jurors can consider when they deliberate, here’s a link to the jury instructions given by Judge Debra Nelson in the case.
Wether you believe George Zimmerman is guilty or innocent, there is still one undeniable, tragic truth: 17 year-old Trayvon Martin will never be able to tell his side of the story. He is dead. Sybrina Fulton can never hold her son in her arms again. Tracy Martin will never see his son grow up, go to college, get married or have sons of his own.
Regardless of the verdict, what we should be asking is… why did this happen??
