USA Today said:
SANFORD, Fla.--George Zimmerman, the man accused of murdering Trayvon Martin, was found not guilty of second-degree murder and manslaughter on Saturday.
The verdict is the culmination of a case that captured the nation's attention and will undoubtedly be imprinted in America's history. For Zimmerman, it means trying to recapture his life after he was at the center of a national maelstrom over racial profiling, state gun laws and what constitutes self-defense.
The not guilty verdict means the jury of six women found that Zimmerman justifiably used deadly force and reasonably believed that such force was "necessary to prevent imminent death or great bodily harm" to himself — Florida's definition of self-defense.
Zimmerman showed no emotion as the verdict was read. After the verdict was read, he smiled slightly and shook hands with one of his lawyers.
The unidentified jurors decided Zimmerman didn't "intentionally commit an act or acts that caused death" or demonstrate a "depraved mind without regard for human life" --Florida's definitions of manslaughter and second degree murder, respectively.
In a press conference after the verdict, Zimmerman attorney Mark O'Mara said his client will now need to get on with his life.
"I think he's going to be great. I think he is still worried. Hopefully everyone will respect the jury's verdict," O'Mara said.
He offered his sympathies to Trayvon's parents for the loss of their son. But he said despite the national protests that erupted after the shooting, the case had nothing to do with civil rights.
Zimmerman's brother, Robert, told CNN's Piers Morgan that his brother was processing the reality that he is free.
"He has some decompressing to do," he said. "Our family was emotional. We are exonerated as a family and George is exonerated as a defendant. It's going to take us some time to heal."
For all the euphoria on Zimmerman's team, prosecutors and Trayvon's family faced a huge letdown. Trayvon's parents were not in the courtroom when the verdict was read.
Trayvon's father Tracy posted on Twitter, "Even though I am broken-hearted, my faith is unshattered. I will always love my baby Tray ... even in his death I know my baby proud of the FIGHT we along with all of you put up for him."
The family's attorney Benjamin Crump thanked all the protesters nationwide who "put their hoodies up and to everybody who said, 'I am Trayvon.' " He urged supporters to remain peaceful, despite the verdict.
Lead prosecutor Bernie De la Rionda said, "I am disappointed in the verdict but I respect it. We accept the jury's verdict."
My own feeling is this. I have followed the trial closely...each day. The Jury clearly looked at the evidence, which was overwhelming for the defense and Zimmerman.
Zimmerman's nose was broken and his face was bruised and bloodied after the confrontation. He had cuts and bruises on the back of his head. He had grass stains on the back of his shirt and pants. Treyvon had no injuries from the fight, except the gunshot wound. There were scrapes on his knuckles. And he had grass stains on his knees. All of this was supported by the fiorensic evidence and was not challenged.
It is clear who was delivering a beating, and who was receiving it. An eye witness indicated Treyvon was on top of Zimmerman and hitting him. Clearly, the one who was screaming histerically, and terrified for help, was the one being beaten, not the one on top doing the beating.
In almost all cases, the prosecution witnesses, under cross examination, gave testimony that ended up supporting Zimmerman's story.
It is tragic that things happened like they did. But neither person had broken any laws, or committed any crime, and could have walked away from this up until the time one of them decided to sucker punch the other in the face, break his nose and knock him down. Even then Treyvon could have walked away and had very little long term personal consequence. But when he began beating Zimmerman on the ground as he did, he took a path that led to his death. Zimmerman finally shot, and the forensic evidence showed that Treyvon was shot at close range, with the bullet traveling upward through his body (and his heart) while Zimmerman was on the ground.
There simply was not evidence of any hate crimes. There was simply no evidence of murder or negligence. The jury decided that Zimmerman was defending himself.
We know now that Zimmerman, an Hispanic male, mentored young black kids in his spare time. No racist there at all.
No, it is tragic that a 17 year old young man was killed. He was not a "little" kid. He was 6' 2" tall, 170 lbs, and was quite muscular and fit as a high school football player. Zimmerman was 5'9", also weighed around 170 lbs, but was not in good shape and over weight.
Would Zimmerman have died that night? We will never know. But he clearly thought he was in great danger, and he was definitely being beat up. So he finally pulled his gun and shot in self defense.
I pray the country can move on from this. This case was trumped up by politicians, the Media, and those seeking a racial cause. The local police had already pretty much determined what this jury found and that is why Zimmerman was released after being taken to the police station that night. These types of things happen fairly often in this nation of 350 million.
For example, shortly before this event, a black man, who was being stalked by 4-5 white thugs, was at home one night when these thugs came to his house and began calling him names, and throwing rocks at his home from his drive way. He was safe in his home. It was secure and he was armed. He did not have to go out. But they were on his property and he decided to go out and confront them. There was an argument. One of the young men, about 19 years old, charged the man yelling that he was going to hurt him. The man shot...and the 19 year old died.
That man was not tried. He was not arrested for murder or manslaughter. Everyone knew these kids were on his property and up to no good. He could have stayed inside, but he decided to confront the evil on his property and when attacked, he defended himself. I have no problem with it...and believe more Americans should send such messages to criminals when they are threatened. 911 takes on average 9 minutes for anyone to get there. Usually by that time, it is over.
That above case happened in Florida by the way...and there was no outcry, no demands to punish that man for killing the much younger man. It was clearly self defense...as was this case with Zimmerman.
