George Zimmerman's fate is now in the hands of six jurors.
They are the ones chosen to decide whether his claim of self defense in the murder killing of an unarmed teenager is justified.
Legally, their only job is to decide whether the state has proven beyond a reasonable doubt that Zimmerman was not justified in killing Trayvon.
To find that he was justified they'd have to first find that the murderer was in fear for his life. The only evidence provided that he was in any such fear was the word of the murderer himself.
The word of the murderer cannot, must not and should not be trusted. It was proven that he lied time and time and time again. Not inconsistencies that one sees as a result of the retelling of an incident but big lies. Huge lies. Self-serving lies. Lies designed to cover the truth of what happened on the night of February 26, 2012.
Debbie Hines from Legal Speaks outlined some of his most glaring lies:
Zimmerman says Trayvon Martin came after him by ambushing him from behind bushes after he was returning to his car and attacked him. Detective Serino testified that the area where the fight occurred shows that Zimmerman was still pursuing Trayvon Martin.
Zimmerman’s best friend, Mark Osterman, who picked Zimmerman up from jail, testified that Zimmerman told him that Trayvon grabbed his gun and that he was able to break Trayvon’s grip and fire the gun. Zimmerman told the police that Trayvon attempted to grab for his gun. And DNA analysis shows there was no DNA of Trayvon Martin on the gun.
The screams and cries for help on the 911 call may be the most damaging inconsistency that Zimmerman faces...Detective Serino, in what appears to be an attempt to probably assist Zimmerman with his shaky version, asks him if the screams on the 911 tape were his voice…stating “the screams are yours right?” Zimmerman responded they don’t sound like me. And former neighbor and witness Jane Surdyka testified that she heard the screams of a boy screaming for help immediately before the shot occurred.
Zimmerman says that Trayvon Martin repeatedly beat him while holding his nose and mouth. That leaves one arm free while Zimmerman would have the use of both of his arms to defend himself and scream for help.
Zimmerman claims self- defense and that Trayvon Martin attacked him and repeatedly slammed his head into the concrete 20 to 25 times until he felt like his head might explode. Chief Medical Examiner Rao testified on direct examination that the injuries seen in the photos sustained by Zimmerman are superficial wounds and could likely be sustained with one impact. They are not life threatening wounds and no great force was used,
We await the jury's verdict. That verdict will tell us whether it is ok for a teenager - armed with $40.00 in his pocket, his cell phone, a bottle of iced tea and a pack of skittles for his younger sibling - has the right to leisurely stroll through a community. That, as teenagers are wont to do, he can be talking on his cell phone while kicking at pebbles and dragging his feet and just minding his own damned business without a wanna-be cop jerk getting in his face and messing with him. The jury will decide if young black teenagers have the same right to individuality as their white counterparts. That they can live without having to carry the burden of every dumbass who ever shared the color of their skin.
We await the jury's verdict.
3:56 PM PT: 6:54pm: Jury ask for clarification about manslaughter charge.
To me this is a hopeful sign. Keeping fingers crossed.