04-30-2013, 02:33 PM
From today's pre-trial hearing:
1. Zimmerman will not file for immunity prior to his trial; jury selection begins June 10th. The defense does not want to give the prosecution a glimpse into their case by having such a hearing prior to trial. The door is still open for an immunity petition after closing arguments.
The "Stand Your Ground" law allows the use of deadly force as long as the defendant can prove the following factors:
=He was not engaged in an unlawful activity.
=He was being attacked in a place he had a right to be.
=He reasonably believed his life and safety was in danger as a result of an overt act or perceived threat committed by someone else toward him.
2. Judge Nelson ruled that there was no discovery violation by the prosecution, as the defense contended. But, she agreed to consider monetary reimbursement to the defense for the time they spent investigating Witness 8's false claim that she was in the hospital to explain not attending Trayvon's funeral. De la Rionda (DLR) explained that in reality she didn't want to see Trayvon like that and DLR claims that he simply forgot to tell the defense about the fabrication. Weak oversight/move by the prosecution, imo.
3. Judge Nelson and the attorneys will meet this afternoon in a closed hearing to discuss jury selection issues.
4. Next hearing is scheduled for May 28th.
Tweets from court here:
http://www.hlntv.com/article/2013/04/29/...al-hearing
Defense attorney, O'Mara's press statement after the trial:
“This case has taken on a huge significance well beyond the facts of the case. Trayvon Martin was not profiled because he was black. George is not a racist. It was an event where two lives intersected and one of them got extraordinarily aggressive. The evidence supports that was Trayvon Martin, who had no injuries but for the fatal gunshot,” said O’Mara. “Criminal immunity is going to be granted to George by the jury and that is what we are looking towards. So in that context, talking about immunity when we know we’re going to have a jury trial is irrelevant. It truly is."
1. Zimmerman will not file for immunity prior to his trial; jury selection begins June 10th. The defense does not want to give the prosecution a glimpse into their case by having such a hearing prior to trial. The door is still open for an immunity petition after closing arguments.
The "Stand Your Ground" law allows the use of deadly force as long as the defendant can prove the following factors:
=He was not engaged in an unlawful activity.
=He was being attacked in a place he had a right to be.
=He reasonably believed his life and safety was in danger as a result of an overt act or perceived threat committed by someone else toward him.
2. Judge Nelson ruled that there was no discovery violation by the prosecution, as the defense contended. But, she agreed to consider monetary reimbursement to the defense for the time they spent investigating Witness 8's false claim that she was in the hospital to explain not attending Trayvon's funeral. De la Rionda (DLR) explained that in reality she didn't want to see Trayvon like that and DLR claims that he simply forgot to tell the defense about the fabrication. Weak oversight/move by the prosecution, imo.
3. Judge Nelson and the attorneys will meet this afternoon in a closed hearing to discuss jury selection issues.
4. Next hearing is scheduled for May 28th.
Tweets from court here:
http://www.hlntv.com/article/2013/04/29/...al-hearing
Defense attorney, O'Mara's press statement after the trial:
“This case has taken on a huge significance well beyond the facts of the case. Trayvon Martin was not profiled because he was black. George is not a racist. It was an event where two lives intersected and one of them got extraordinarily aggressive. The evidence supports that was Trayvon Martin, who had no injuries but for the fatal gunshot,” said O’Mara. “Criminal immunity is going to be granted to George by the jury and that is what we are looking towards. So in that context, talking about immunity when we know we’re going to have a jury trial is irrelevant. It truly is."