On February 26, 2012 neighborhood watch captain George Zimmerman shot unarmed 17 year old Trayvon Martin in a gated neighborhood of Sanford, Florida. Trayvon Martin was walking back from the convenience store when he was shot and killed. George Zimmerman told police he killed the teen in self-defense after a tussle. Zimmerman was taken in custody but released and no charges were filed. Later Martin’s parents created a petition for Zimmerman arrest. The incident sparked a national outcry and triggered an examination of the role race, guns and drugs play in America today.
Today the case is still national news. The lawyer that is representing the Martin family is Benjamin Crump. Crump has been by the family side since day one. Mark O’Mara is the attorney that’s representing George Zimmerman. Zimmerman is being charged with second degree murder and his trial is set for June 10, 2013. Attorneys for Martin have accused Zimmerman of racially profiling Martin and shooting him “in cold blood”. Zimmerman’s lawyers says the ‘Stand Your Ground” Florida passed in 2006 does not apply in Zimmerman’s case. Judge Debra Nelson ruled that Trayvon Martin’s familiarity with guns, his marijuana use and fights he may have been in cannot be brought up in Zimmerman’s trail. She also denied a request to take the jury to the crime scene. Also jurors will remain anonymous and will be referred to by numbers only during the trial.
A potential juror questioned Thursday voiced strong support for accused killer George Zimmerman, saying Trayvon Martin was "looking for a reason to fight" when he was "confronted by someone just trying to protect their neighborhood. Zimmerman charged with second-degree murder in the shooting death of the Florida teen last year, says he acted in self-defense. Jury selection stretched into its fourth day Thursday, with about 20 potential jurors already in the pool of candidates to be interviewed in the next round, where attorneys will be able to ask more...