How do you think the Zimmerman trial will end

[gopiscrap]

your guess based on testimony so far?

26 votes, 1 pass | Time left: Unlimited
	guilty of second degree murder
	1 (4%)
	guilty of manslaughter
	5 (19%)
	guilty of assault
	0 (0%)
	hung jury
	3 (12%)
	not guilty
	17 (65%)
	other
	0 (0%)
	guilty of aggravated battery
	0 (0%)
	guilty of battery
	0 (0%)
	guilty of littering (snark)
	0 (0%)
	guity of disturbing the peace (snark)
	0 (0%)
	1 DU member did not wish to select any of the options provided.
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[Cirque du So-What]

1. Pass

I've given up on prognostication where a jury's decision is concerned. I've been surprised and outraged too many times in the past to attempt predicting how a jury will vote.

[brush]

2. Does the jury have the discretion to find zimmerman

guilty of manslaughter and not second degree murder?

I've always wondered about that and if the prosecution may have overcharged.

[premium]

3. Yes,

Manslaughter is the lesser included charge.

[Jenoch]

7. The interesting thing about the lesser charge

is that I have recently read on another thread that under Florida law, the sentence for 2nd degree murder with a gun and manslaughter with a gun are the same, 25 years to life. So Zimmerman needs to be acquitted or he will spend many years in prison.

[premium]

10. Yeah, that's interesting,

so, if it's the same sentence, why didn't the DA charge him with the easier charge to prove?
My theory is that public pressure was so great that the DA caved and is going for it, which they may very well lose.

I've testified in enough criminal trials to know that this is not going good for the prosecution.

[kudzu22]

11. Except self-defense is an affirmative defense to manslaughter as well

So if they buy the self-defense angle, they won't convict at all. They'd only go for manslaughter if they decide GZ didn't have an "evil mind" or whatever the other piece of murder II is.

[Recursion]

4. Does FL require unanimity with a 6-person jury? (nt)

[MineralMan]

9. I believe so. I think that in criminal cases,

all jury verdicts must be unanimous.

A hung jury is a real possibility in this case.

[premium]

13. You're correct,

it must be a unanimous decision in a criminal trial, just one juror holding out will result in a hung jury.

[denverbill]

5. Not guilty, but he will lose a civil suit.

Florida's laws are going to let him off the hook. But he is 100% responsible for Trayvon's death. If he had simply reported to the cops instead of chasing him around in the dark, Trayvon would still be alive.

[michreject]

18. Is that an option?

Many states don't allow for a civil trial after a not guilty verdict has been rendered in a criminal trial.

[Llewlladdwr]

30. I don't think Florida allows a civil suit if Z is found not guilty. nt

[avebury]

6. I waver betwen hung jury and innocent.

I personally think that he is guilty of Murder 2 but think that the DA over reached by not going for manslaughter.

I think that the jury will not be able to let go of the fact that there are cultural and generational differences between themselves and the girl on the phone withe Martin. The DA's office has allowed to much of Zimmerman's statements to go unchallenged. Too many witnesses are parroting Zimmerman's words. The guy that wrote the book is just delivering hearsay testimony. They are letting everybody under the moon give Zimmerman's testimony which puts Zimmerman in the position of not having to get on the stand. It is Zimmerman's right to not testify but it is the DAs job to try to push Zimmerman into having to get on the stand.

The DAs should have picked a fixed number of important, undeniable points and keep hammering away on them. Those points are the ones that they should keep coming back to over and over in order to reinforce them.

The only thing that would help the prosecution is if they have some analytical and/or logical thinkers on the jury. The potential problem for the Defense with allowing all there witnesses to keep harping on Zimmerman's story (stories) is that an analytical thinker will start noting the inconsistencies, figure out the BS, and start thinking - Now wait a minute. The more I keep hearing Zimmerman's story the more I keep thinking he is full of sh*t and I don't believe him.

[WinkyDink]

12. "Acquitted" does not equal "innocent" in the eyes of the law.

[premium]

14. Correct,

all acquitted means is that the prosecution couldn't prove it's case beyond a reasonable doubt.

[customerserviceguy]

28. What judicial decision

would constitute "innocent"? I'm having trouble thinking of one.

Of course, if GZ were to prevail, you could have one of those things where the Federal Government steps in, and charges GZ with violating Martin's civil rights. A second bite of the apple, like what happened with Rodney King.

[moondust]

8. This is Florida.

Anything can happen.

[Marrah_G]

15. No idea- who knows what is in the jury's mind

[michreject]

16. It's looking like a not guilty

The prosecution hasn't did a very good job.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

17. I'm wavering between an acquittal and manslaughter and hoping for the latter.

[rollin74]

19. probably a not guilty verdict

imo the prosecution hasn't even come close to proof beyond a reasonable doubt for 2nd degree murder

a manslaughter conviction is possible but unlikely due to a generally weak case as presented so far.

the prosecution's own witnesses seem to be helping the defense more than the state

[geek tragedy]

20. he'll walk--young black lives are considered cheap in the US, especially the old confederacy. nt

[Bake]

21. He walks. Scot-free. Period.

Shouldn't, but he will.

Bake

[zipplewrath]

22. Tend to agree

When this first happened, because of the lack of any real eye witnesses, I was pretty sure that ultimately George was gonna walk. The problem with Florida law is it is a real possibility that both Treyvon AND George could have killed the other and BOTH would have been "justified" under Florida law. Martin could have claimed an threat by an armed man, and George could have claimed an attack by Martin. In either case, Florida law makes it difficult for the prosecution to prove "beyond a reasonable doubt" that they were doing anything other than "defending themselves against a reasonable belief they were under a deadly threat". It is why in so many states you DON'T have "stand your ground" laws. To avoid this situation, the law insists that your primary behavior should be to avoid physical confrontation, especially that which could result in death. Therefore George is guilty of something akin to "reckless endangerment" at the very least for engaging Martin in an armed conflict. Your first duty is to AVOID armed conflict, not rely upon it.

[customerserviceguy]

29. Scot free except for one thing

He'll have to live like Salman Rushdie for the rest of his life, no doubt there will be a target on his back.

[rollin74]

23. kick

[TorchTheWitch]

24. no way to tell

We're only a few days into the trial, and there's no way to know what the jury is thinking or will think when it's time to deliberate.

[pipi_k]

25. It's a

crapshoot.

I honestly have no idea how it will end.

One thing I do believe, however, is that IF he's acquitted, those jurors' ears are going to be burning for quite some time as DUers who believed otherwise accuse them of being racists.

[jberryhill]

26. The judge will bang a gavel

[Incitatus]

27. deadlock nt