As attorneys for George Zimmerman shocked court watchers by essentially passing up an opportunity to have his case thrown out at a hearing in April, prosecutors had to make the embarrassing admission that one of their main witnesses, Trayvon Martin’s girlfriend, told a lie during her testimony. Many of the pre-trial machinations in Zimmerman’s second-degree [...]
Final Report of Florida Task Force Supports ‘Stand Your Ground’ Law
February 22, 2013 | Posted by
A Florida task force commissioned by Gov. Rick Scott favors the state’s ”stand your ground law,” reporting that the law is fine as is. The self-defense law garnered national criticism last year, particularly in the murder case of Sanford, Fla., resident George Zimmerman. Zimmerman shot and killed 17-year-old Trayvon Martin, claiming that the unarmed Martin [...]
Florida Judge Upholds June Trial Date For Trayvon Martin Case
February 5, 2013 | Posted by
The murder trial against George Zimmerman for the shooting death of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin will proceed as scheduled, after a Florida judge denied a request from defense attorneys to delay the trial for five months. Led by attorney Mark O’Mara, Zimmerman’s defense team asked for the June 10 trial date to be pushed back so [...]
Sybrina Fulton Partners With Democratic lawmakers To Repeal ‘Stand Your Ground’ Law
January 17, 2013 | Posted by
Trayvon Martin’s mother, Sybrina Fulton, joined with Democratic lawmakers in Florida to seek the repeal of the Stand Your Ground law that George Zimmerman is using as a defense after killing the youth last February. Fulton appeared at a press conference yesterday in Tallahassee with Florida state Rep. Alan Williams and state Sen. Dwight Bullard, [...]
Michael Dunn, Killer of Jordan Davis, Charged with 1st Degree Murder
December 14, 2012 | Posted by
Florida’s “stand your ground” law may get its second stringent test in court now that a Florida grand jury has decided to indict 46-year-old Michael David Dunn on a first-degree murder charge in the death of teenager Jordan Davis, 17. Dunn opened fire on a car containing Davis and three other teens, firing eight or [...]
Trayvon Martin Case: What Does George Zimmerman Bloody New Photo Mean?
December 4, 2012 | Posted by
What do you do if you are George Zimmerman fighting a second-degree murder case for killing unarmed teenager Trayvon Martin and you are low on funds for your defense team? You release a new ‘shocking’ bloody photo of yourself to prove your innocence and bribe the public to contribute to your defense fund by promising [...]
‘Stand Your Ground’ Law Racial Application Revealed Via Study
June 7, 2012 | Posted by
An examination of 200 cases in which Florida’s Stand Your Ground statue was invoked found that when the victim was black, the defendant in the case was allowed to escape conviction 73 percent of the time. In comparison, those who used the self-defense statue in cases with white victims walked free 59 percent of the [...]
White Floridians Back ‘Stand Your Ground’ Law
May 25, 2012 | Posted by
Even in the face of national scrutiny, Stand Your Ground is not backing down in Florida: A poll released Thursday shows that Florida voters still back the law with a strong majority—56 percent in support and just 35 percent opposing it. The law, which authorizes citizens to match “force with force,” is at the center [...]
Marissa Alexander Sentenced to 20 Years in Controversial Florida Case
May 11, 2012 | Posted by
As expected, the judge in the controversial Marissa Alexander case sentenced the Florida mom to 20 years in prison for firing a warning shot into the ceiling to ward off her abusive husband, who was in the midst of assaulting her once again. Through Florida gun crime laws, the 20-year sentence was the mandatory minimum [...]
Trayvon’s Murder Triggering Stand-Your-Ground Changes In Florida
May 1, 2012 | Posted by
TALLAHASSEE — Fort Lauderdale Democrat Sen. Chris Smith unveiled a series of recommendations to lawmakers Monday from a panel he formed following the death of Miami Gardens teen Trayvon Martin. The 15-member group of lawyers, cops and academics stopped short of calling for a full repeal of the measure, but suggested several tweaks. These are: [...]
