to me it should be a binary decision based on the burdens in a criminal trial. frankly nothing on the news convinces me that the prosecutor came anywhere near to overcoming his burden. ... here is what looks like an accurate rundown of the burdens of proof in a criminal trial. Read more at http://www.inquisitr.com/837405/geo...y-due-to-burden-of-proof/#YZPdzLxkMlIKdTvs.99 n a criminal case the Burden of Proof for whether George Zimmerman is acquitted or declared guilty of second degree murder or manslaughter depends entirely on if Zimmerman shot Martin because he reasonably believed using lethal force as a form of self defense was the only way to protect himself from âimminent death or great bodily harm.â The prosecution has to prove âbeyond a reasonable doubtâ that George Zimmerman did not believe this to be the case, which is why there is such a focus on whether George Zimmerman had a âdepraved mind, hatred, malice, evil intent or ill willâ toward Trayvon Martin. It doesnât matter in this case who initiated the conflict or whether itâs possible George Zimmerman could have shrugged off the alleged beating Trayvon Martin gave him. The prosecution has the task of disproving self defense beyond a reasonable doubt. And so far the testimony has been extremely conflicting, with many of the prosecutions own witnesses providing information that helps George Zimmermanâs case. So while the jury likely will say George Zimmerman is not guilty they might find him guilty of some other minor gun control charges in Florida or Federal law. Read more at http://www.inquisitr.com/837405/geo...y-due-to-burden-of-proof/#YZPdzLxkMlIKdTvs.99
I don't know a damn thing about Florida law, but most places, not all, in a criminal case you need a unanimous decision from the jury to convict, otherwise you get a mistrial. I would anticipate that Zimmerman will either be found not guilty or at worst get a mistrial. This is such a weak case for the prosecution I can't imagine them wanting to retry a mistrial. If they don't come back in less than 24 hours then my guess is it is because they're divided and there is going to be a mistrial. I watched some of the trial, and what little I saw looked like a classic self-defense situation. I can't see how anyone, in this particular case, could end up without some doubt. But I thought the O.J. case was cut and dried,and he walked. In that case, after the trial, one of the jurors was asked how they dealt with Ron Goldman's blood being found in O.J.'s Bronco? The juror said "Yah, but it wasn't that much." So who knows what strange things a jury might come up with. There is only one thing I am positive of, and that is that the criminal justice system in the U.S. is ultra fucked up.