06-27-2013, 09:30 PM
The jury can consider the lesser charge of manslaughter. This is the verdict that I would have bet on before trial. So far, nothing presented in testimony convinces me otherwise.
I think that the state will likely be able to convince the jury that George's actions don't constitute self defense, but I don't think the prosecution has the ammunition to prove that Zimmerman acted with a depraved mind to intentionally kill Trayvon Martin unless there's some smoking gun forensic evidence we haven't seen/heard yet. The five previous 911 calls may convince the jury that George profiled Trayvon as suspicious, but they won't be enough to equate to "depraved mind". IMO.
DeeDee was a better witness for the prosecution than I thought she'd be when I read her depo a while back. I thought, due to her seeming slowness in processing and articulating, that she might get chewed up on cross-examination or be easily led to agree with whatever anyone threw at her - ultimately making her an asset to the defense. That didn't happen, imo.
She has the issue of lying about her age and why she didn't go to the hospital, but she she knows what she knows (in her mind) and she stuck with it; she was tougher than I expected. The "get off me" that she claims she heard from Trayvon could have really helped the state in discrediting George's version of events, but since she didn't mention it in previous interviews (for whatever reasons), I think the jury may disregard that claim. I don't think DeeDee wanted to help one side or the other and I found her credible, attitude and all. But, I can see how others wouldn't, including some on the jury. She's a wash; no benefit to either side unless the jury puts a lot of stock in Jayne Sardyka's witness account and believes that DeeDee's account supports it. Jayne was the only really strong prosecution witness so far. IMO.
The "creepy ass cracker" statement: IDK. It cuts both ways. "Creepy ass" leads me to believe that George was following Trayvon (not looking for a street sign) and possibly looking to take Trayvon off guard. The "cracker" part the defense is using to suggest that there was racism on Trayvon's part and reason for Trayvon to attack George. I think that's a stretch for the jury, but you never know what they'll latch on to.
I think that the prosecution has a long way to go and the remainder of their case needs to be more convincing to get anywhere near Murder 2.
I think that the state will likely be able to convince the jury that George's actions don't constitute self defense, but I don't think the prosecution has the ammunition to prove that Zimmerman acted with a depraved mind to intentionally kill Trayvon Martin unless there's some smoking gun forensic evidence we haven't seen/heard yet. The five previous 911 calls may convince the jury that George profiled Trayvon as suspicious, but they won't be enough to equate to "depraved mind". IMO.
DeeDee was a better witness for the prosecution than I thought she'd be when I read her depo a while back. I thought, due to her seeming slowness in processing and articulating, that she might get chewed up on cross-examination or be easily led to agree with whatever anyone threw at her - ultimately making her an asset to the defense. That didn't happen, imo.
She has the issue of lying about her age and why she didn't go to the hospital, but she she knows what she knows (in her mind) and she stuck with it; she was tougher than I expected. The "get off me" that she claims she heard from Trayvon could have really helped the state in discrediting George's version of events, but since she didn't mention it in previous interviews (for whatever reasons), I think the jury may disregard that claim. I don't think DeeDee wanted to help one side or the other and I found her credible, attitude and all. But, I can see how others wouldn't, including some on the jury. She's a wash; no benefit to either side unless the jury puts a lot of stock in Jayne Sardyka's witness account and believes that DeeDee's account supports it. Jayne was the only really strong prosecution witness so far. IMO.
The "creepy ass cracker" statement: IDK. It cuts both ways. "Creepy ass" leads me to believe that George was following Trayvon (not looking for a street sign) and possibly looking to take Trayvon off guard. The "cracker" part the defense is using to suggest that there was racism on Trayvon's part and reason for Trayvon to attack George. I think that's a stretch for the jury, but you never know what they'll latch on to.
I think that the prosecution has a long way to go and the remainder of their case needs to be more convincing to get anywhere near Murder 2.