Nearly a year and a half after Trayvon Martin was shot dead in a central Florida neighborhood, a jury found the man who killed him — George Zimmerman, who argued that he fired in self defense — not guilty.The fact that Zimmerman fired the bullet that killed Martin was never in question, but the verdict means the six-person jury had reasonable doubt that the shooting amounted to a criminal act.
The verdict caps a case that has inflamed passions for well over a year, much of it focused on race and gun rights.
The jurors deliberated for 16½ hours total, including 13 on Saturday alone, before delivering their verdict. Five of the women are white, one is a minority.
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When he learned his fate, a quiet Zimmerman had little visible reaction. His face was mostly expressionless. He turned and shook the hand of one of his attorneys before sitting back down, only openly smiling after court was adjourned. His parents, Robert and Gladys Zimmerman, were seated nearby, but Martin’s parents were not in the courtroom.
Defense attorney Mark O’Mara said a short time later that he and his team were “ecstatic” with the verdict.
“George Zimmerman was never guilty of anything except protecting himself in self defense,” O’Mara said.
Trayvon Martin’s father, Tracy Martin, took to Twitter to thank those who have supported his family and vowed they will continue to fight.
“Even though I am broken hearted my faith is unshattered I WILL ALWAYS LOVE MY BABY TRAY,” he tweeted.
The jury — made up of all women — had three choices: to find Zimmerman guilty of second-degree murder; to find him guilty of the lesser charge of manslaughter; or to find him not guilty.
Earlier in the day, the jury had asked the court for clarification on its instructions regarding manslaughter. Such a query couldn’t even have been posed a few days ago: Judge Debra Nelson ruled Thursday, over the defense’s vehement objection, to include manslaughter as an option for jurors, in addition to a second-degree murder charge.
To convict Zimmerman of manslaughter, the jurors would have had to believe that he “intentionally committed an act or acts that caused the death of Trayvon Martin.” That charge could have carried a sentence of up to 30 years in prison, though the jury was not told of that possible sentence.
For second-degree murder, the jurors would have had to believe that Martin’s unlawful killing was “done from ill will, hatred, spite or an evil intent” and would be “of such a nature that the act itself indicates an indifference to human life.”
Ultimately, they believed neither. And that means Zimmerman can walk free.
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Scores who had gathered outside the Sanford, Florida, courtroom hoping for a guilty verdict reacted in disbelief after word of the decision trickled through the crowd. Hours earlier, they had given speeches, singing songs and chanting, “We want justice.” Some appeared angry, others appeared sad.
Zimmerman supporters also rallied in the courtyard during the day, holding signs saying “Self-defense is a basic human right,” “Not enough evidence,” and plainly “Not guilty.” They had an entirely different view of the case: that Zimmerman had been wrongly implicated, that he’d just done what he could to save his life.
Florida State Attorney Angela Corey defended the second-degree murder charge that was filed against Zimmerman, telling reporters late Saturday that the allegations “fit the bill” for the charge.
“We believe that we brought out the truth on behalf of Trayvon Martin,” Corey told reporters shortly after the verdict was announced.
One of her prosecutors, Bernie de la Rionda, expressed disappointment with the jury’s decision, but acceptance as well.
“It’s not perfect, but it’s the best of the world,” he said of the jury system. “And we respect the jury’s verdict.”
The response from NAACP President Benjamin Todd Jealous struck a far different tone.
“We are outraged and heartbroken over today’s verdict,” Jealous said in a statement, vowing to pursue “civil rights charges” in the case. “We stand with Trayvon’s family, and we are called to act.”
Don West called the prosecution of his client “disgraceful,” adding, “I’m thrilled the jury kept this tragedy from becoming a travesty.”
“But it makes me sad that it took this long, under these circumstances, to finally get justice,” he added.
His colleague, O’Mara, struck a different tone. He made a point to compliment local law enforcement authorities and, especially, the jury and all the time and effort they put into the process.
“They listened they took notes, they were as engaged as anyone else in the process,” O’Mara said. “And it made for the type of verdict that we had to have.”
http://edition.cnn.com/2013/07/13/justice/zimmerman-trial/index.html?hpt=hp_t1
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