Breaking: George Zimmerman to be Charged in Trayvon Martin Shooting
Posted: April 11, 2012 Filed under: Breaking News, Crime, racism | Tags: Angela Corey, FL, George Zimmerman, homicide, racial profiling, Sanford, Trayvon Martin 28 Comments
Florida Special Prosecutor Angela Corey
Florida Special Prosecutor Angela Corey will hold a press conference at 6PM today to announce state charges against George Zimmerman, who admitted to shooting Miami high school student Trayvon Martin on the evening of February 26 as he returned to the home of his father’s fiancee in a gated community in Sanford, Florida. Sanford Police released Zimmerman the same night, apparently believing his claim that he killed Martin in self-defenst
Multiple news sources are saying there will be charges filed against Zimmerman, but not what crime he will be charged with. Corey had told reporters on Tuesday night that she would give them three hours notice before she announced new details in the Trayvon Martin case.
The prosecutor’s ruling is certain to provoke controversy in Sanford, Fla., where shooting took place and across the country.
Zimmerman, 28, a white Hispanic neighborhood watch captain, shot and killed Martin, who was 17 and black, on Feb. 26 after following the teenager for several minutes.
The special prosecutor’s ruling came one day after Zimmerman’s legal team quit because they had lost contact with him, and suggested that the pressure of the case had “pushed him over the edge.”
His lawyers said that Zimmerman was no longer in Florida and ABC News has learned that prosecutors do not know his exact location.
I’m hoping that Corey knows where Zimmerman is. His former attorneys had said earlier that he would willingly turn himself in if a decision were made to charge him. Will he follow through on the promise now that he has reportedly gone rogue?
State tuned. I’ll update this post with any new information that I can find.
peej
Carissa
ecocatwoman
mablue2
Mama Lopez
peggysue22
quixote
skydancingguestblogger
Mona (aka Wonk the Vote)
Sky Dancing 
If I were the betting sort – I bet Zimmerman will plead — not guilty by reason of insanity. He seems to be building support for that based on his behavior and how people are respondind to his public actions.
Zimmerman’s whereabouts are unknown. He could be in Peru.
NYT says that Angela Corey e-mailed an announcement to news orgs, as she promised last night. NYT says it’s not yet clear if Zimmerman will be charged. ABC,. CBS, and NBC also say sources are saying he will be.
My guess is that she wouldn’t be announcing it so quickly if she were going to let Zimmerman off the hook. That would be a PR nightmare!
Per Mediaite:
UPDATE: The Miami Herald is reporting that there will only be one criminal charge filed. Via Herald writer Frances Robles:
Frances Robles @RoblesHerald
Source telling Miami Herald that there will be just one criminal charge filed.
I don’t see that in the Frances Robles story.[Sorry it does say that. I missed it the first time through]. They would be smarter to file more than one charge, like manslaughter and assault with a deadly weapon.http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/04/11/2742694/trayvon-martin-shooter-george.html
I hope the Trayvon Martin family get some peace, and proper justice…
Insanity is a really tough plea. Not knowing right from wrong is hard to prove.
I don’t think it would work either…
One think is just how unbelievably solid Trayvon’s parents have acted throughout this.
I’m remembering the twinkie defends used by the gay hating ex-cop when he murdered the San Fransisco counselman who happened to be gay. With all the “crazy” behavior by Zimmerman — I would be surprised that he would try for the crazy defends. Or how about the Texas defends guys use for killing their wives — she was asking for it.
Zimmerman is used to gaming the system — his dad is a judge. Crazier things have happened — like that outrageous twinkie defended.
Eric Holder vows thorough, independent review in Trayvon Martin case.
http://www.thegrio.com/specials/trayvon-martin/eric-holder-vows-thorough-review-in-trayvon-martin-case.php
The best bet for justice is via Federal charges. Then there are the civil law suits — and a huge judgement against the home owners association where Trayvon Martin was killed — as well as the police Dept and officers involved — THAT would send a message.
On MSNBC, they’re saying that Zimmerman is probably already in custody. I don’t know what that’s based on.
Savannah Guthrie says they may be in the process of picking him up right now.
BB – thank you again for following this case and keeping us informed.
You’re very welcome.
Wow. This case just gets crazier and crazier.
Surprise, surprise: Charles Manson denied parole again.
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jHcCkX6AEy-EdTDVRjYOdewXfGMg?docId=199d87f0b5074499a46982742a8d5b8e
Official tells AP that the prosecutor knows where Zimmerman is and that he will be arrested rather than allowed to turn himself in.
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gon2Pm5Gj-kfBQ9dp44NEyMGGcBw?docId=01d13e13504949afbe6ef32f464bd1d6
The AP is reporting he has a new lawyer, he’s turned himself in and he will be charged with 2nd degree murder.
If you don’t have TV it will be live on TPM:
http://livewire.talkingpointsmemo.com/entries/watch-live-zimmerman-charges-announced-at-6-pm
HLN reports that new attorney for George Zimmerman is Mark O’Mara (I think that’s the name). They’re still speculating on the charges. Some think it should be second degree murder. But we don’t know what the evidence shows yet. They have probably analyzed the trajectory of the bullet. If it shows Zimmerman is lying, it could be second degree.
Zimmerman has voluntarily surrendered himself in Tallahassee.
Mark O’Mara’s web page
http://www.markomaralaw.com/
Zimmerman has been charged with second degree murder, and is in custody. Corey gave a kind of schoolteachery lecture on constitutonal right and why she can’t discuss the facts of the case.
That is good to hear that he is charged and in custody. I fell asleep and missed the press conference. I am so glad that it can move along accordingly through the courts.
Trayvon Martin’s mom: “We simply wanted an arrest” – CBS News
I’m just glad the family has some peace that the man who killed their child is behind bars and charged with murder. I can’t even imagine the agony of losing a child whose only mistake seems to be not being a familiar face to George Zimmerman.
I think the timeline of Zimmerman’s 911 call, the witnesses who were on the phone to 911 when the screaming & gunshot was heard (screaming that has been judged by experts not to be the voice of Zimmerman) and the time of the documented call of Trayvon’s girlfriend, who was an ear witness to the events just prior to the shooting, is what likely proved that Zimmerman was the aggressor. I’m anxious to see the forensic evidence, bullet trajectory, blood splatter, DNA, etc, because that is probably damning as well. I expect a plea deal so that Zimmeran can avoid trial and the possiblity of life in prison.
Zimmerman has been arrested for a couple of violent episodes in the past and the charges were reduced or dropped, that sounds very suspicious to me, especially his assault on a law enforcement officer. Domestic violence and assault of an officer would have been felony charges and if successfully prosecuted Zimmerman wouldn’t have been walking around with gun on his hip that night, at least he wouldn’t have been packing legally. This guy seems to me to be a cop wannabe or just a plain old vigilante, He needs to be punished and taken off the streets. I know I shouldn’t pre-judge, but how can a person not prejudge when so much information has been leaked? At least my prejudgment, unlike Zimmerman’s, won’t kill anyone.
I really hope there is justice in this case. Otherwise, it seems to me that there is open season on anybody walking down the street if someone doesn’t like us. Like the guy who saw my bumpersticker that said “If you don’t like abortions, don’t have one”. He might have attacked me. Or somebody might see me and decide my daughter is the result of a ‘botched abortion’ (she’s retarded) and decide to prevent another such atrocity. These new laws put us all at risk.