TRAYVON MARTIN CASE: George Zimmerman Trial Begins – Self Defense, Racial Profiling, Opening Statements & More – Breaking News

By Geno McGahee

We have made it beyond the Casey Anthony and Jodi Arias trial and now we are at the next media bonanza: The George Zimmerman Trial. The case has several elements going in, including a look at gun laws and racism. Zimmerman is accused of second-degree murder in the shooting death of Trayvon Martin, 17, and much of the public has made up their mind. Many, including several politicians that put on hoodies in tribute to Martin, have decided that Zimmerman is a terrible racist that shot Martin in cold blood. The emotions are high, but the facts are going to be presented and we will get a verdict.

The opening statements were made to the jury today and Prosecutor John Guy came out swinging, saying: “Good morning. Fucking punks. These assholes get away,” but he was using the words of Zimmerman. The defendant remained emotionless as members of Martin’s family would occasionally break down during the proceedings.

There is already a lot of infighting going on outside of the courtroom. The attorney for Zimmerman is threatening to show pictures of Martin and enter them into evidence should the character of Zimmerman be put on trial. The pictures show marijuana plants, guns, and Martin allegedly smoking marijuana. This is a far cry from the initial reports of who Martin was. Initially, the picture released by the media at large was of a 13-year-old Martin, obviously trying to paint the picture that Zimmerman killed a child rather than a young man.

Zimmerman was on neighborhood watch. He phoned 911 and he was told that he did not have to pursue Martin, who was coming back from a convenience store. He pursued him anyway and that’s when the fight took place. There may be some dispute as to the fight’s particulars, but it’s safe to say that Martin gave better than he got. Photos after the fact support Zimmerman’s story that he was beaten to both his face and back of the head, with a witness noting that Martin was on top of him in a “ground and pound” style. This fight ended with the gunshot from the accused and has opened up this trial, which is being tried as much outside the courtroom as it is inside of it.

Defense Attorney Don West attempted to connect with the jury, but failed miserably. He told a knock-knock joke that went as follows: “Knock knock. Who’s there? George Zimmerman. George Zimmerman who? Good, you’re on the jury.” He later admitted that it was a bad joke and that there would be no more of them.

The defense is “self defense,” but the odds of Zimmerman walking seem slim. From the outside looking in, he seems to have been a frustrated and angry guy and got more than he bargained for when he pursued the not-so-squeaky clean Martin, ending with what was self-defense in a way, but he should have never pursued it to begin with. This is a tough case and there’s a lot of gray area. Stay tuned…it’s going to be a very interesting trial.

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