RE: Atheists, George Zimmerman and the burden of proof
February 5, 2014 at 8:20 pm
(This post was last modified: February 5, 2014 at 8:23 pm by Isun.)
The first quote was from the written instructions from the Judge to the jury for deliberation. The 2nd quote was from one of the jury members. So, yes it is apparent that "stand your ground" had an affect on the verdict for killing an innocent individual walking where he belonged.
If George Zimmerman was not engaged in an unlawful activity and was attacked in any place where he had a right to be, he had no duty to retreat and had the right to stand his ground and meet force with force, including deadly force if he reasonably believed that it was necessary to do so to prevent death or great bodily harm to himself or another or to prevent the commission of a forcible felony.
http://media.cmgdigital.com/shared/news/...ctions.pdf
And consider it they did. According to the most outspoken juror, known only as Juror B-37, Stand Your Ground was key to reaching their verdict. She told CNN's Anderson Cooper in an interview that neither second-degree murder nor manslaughter applied in Zimmerman's case "because of the heat of the moment and the 'stand your ground.' He had a right to defend himself. If he felt threatened that his life was going to be taken away from him or he was going to have bodily harm, he had a right."
http://www.motherjones.com/kevin-drum/20...rman-trial
If George Zimmerman was not engaged in an unlawful activity and was attacked in any place where he had a right to be, he had no duty to retreat and had the right to stand his ground and meet force with force, including deadly force if he reasonably believed that it was necessary to do so to prevent death or great bodily harm to himself or another or to prevent the commission of a forcible felony.
http://media.cmgdigital.com/shared/news/...ctions.pdf
And consider it they did. According to the most outspoken juror, known only as Juror B-37, Stand Your Ground was key to reaching their verdict. She told CNN's Anderson Cooper in an interview that neither second-degree murder nor manslaughter applied in Zimmerman's case "because of the heat of the moment and the 'stand your ground.' He had a right to defend himself. If he felt threatened that his life was going to be taken away from him or he was going to have bodily harm, he had a right."
http://www.motherjones.com/kevin-drum/20...rman-trial
