“Trayvon got himself killed when he didn’t go straight back to the apartment. Instead, he decided to confront the stranger.” He also could have been caught and Z could have decided to try and search him and use his gun to hold him till the cops arrived. We have too little to go on. http://bcclist.files.wordpress.com/2012/03/trayvon-martin-george-zimmerman-path.jpg
I have seen a version of this neighborhood chart with Zimmerman parking his car and starting to follow Martin on the same path (not taking a shortcut), turning around when told to break off by the 911 operator to return to his car (and meet the responding officers), then being overtaken from the rear by Martin who has doubled back to confront him.
The catch, search, hold scenario has Zimmerman way outside the bounds of a neighborhood watch member and acting more like a security guard/police officer. Possible, but it doesn't jive with Zimmerman's reported response to the 911 operator (he broke off and turned around) or what the father's girlfriend reported Trayvon saying to her on the cellphone(he was going back (to confront) which implies he was aware of being followed, not intercepted. Being followed puts Zimmerman on the Trayvon path behind him.
Again, Trayvon had only to go home to still be alive.
