Yes they can return a verdict on a lesser included offense, but I don't expect that to be relevant to this case.
The case will turn entirely on whether Zimmerman was justified in using deadly force to defend himself.
The same justification is equally applicable as a defense to manslaughter as it is to second-degree murder.
Do you think she is trying to strech out the clock until after Nov. and hope for a new DoJ?
This arrest will keep the riots down for a bit...
Zimmerman’s attorney Mark O’Mara sounds very confident.
I would be confident too if I were him, given the reported facts.
Most of the speculation on these threads and in the media about the case has nothing to do with the relevant legal issues.
The case will turn on only one issue, who initiated the physical aspect of the altercation and whether Martin was on top of him beating him when he used his gun.
The state will have to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Martin did NOT initiate the physical contact and Martin was not on top of him beating him when Zimmerman used his gun.
I simply don’t see how it is possible for the state to prove that beyond a reasonable doubt based on any facts publicly reported.
The best thing for Zimmerman may well be a long trial in which the true facts get a full public airing notwithstanding the efforts of the MSM. Obviously, there is a risk of a biased and unreasonable jury, but that is Zimmerman’s best shot for the long run in wanting to be able to live a reasonably normal life after acquittal.