General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: Enough of the bs. Let's cut to the chase, shall we? [View all]AtheistCrusader
(33,982 posts)"He or she reasonably believes that such force is necessary to prevent imminent death or great bodily harm to himself or herself or another or to prevent the imminent commission of a forcible felony; "
A capable defense attorney is going to present that statute, along with any evidence or testimony that Trayvon swung at him, and show the jury the FBI UCR showing the number of people beaten to death every year, to plant that seed of reasonable doubt.
He doesn't have to whip Zimmerman for him to be cleared under that statute. And it's not even part of SYG. My state has similar wording, and we don't have SYG at all.
I agree, from the publicly available facts, Trayvon had the right to stand HIS ground. But that moment of physical contact, and who it was initiated by, is what is going to drive the jury's decision.