The folks at The Last Refuge have, as I do, a pro-Zimmerman basis. Nobody knows exactly what happened that night except for the two principals involved, and one of them is dead. The only factual narrative came from the man who pulled the trigger, George Zimmerman -- factual in terms of being the account of a witness to everything that happened in those last few minutes of Trayvon Martin's life. That does not mean it is a true account.
There is physical evidence to support Zimmerman's narrative in that he clearly suffered blows to the face and injury to the back of his head. He appears to have had reason to fear for his life and, if so, was justified in shooting Martin.
What we can never know for certain is who initiated the attack. Most likely it was Martin, but I can't be absolutely sure. I also don't know if Zimmerman did anything to provoke Martin.
And neither does the prosecution.
This is why Zimmerman should never have been indicted. There is no evidence to suggest that he started the fight, that he pursued Martin, or that he was somehow the aggressor. Not one single shred. Despite what the media has poured out over the last year, despite Obama's interjection of race and the nationalization of the incident, not one single fact exists to contradict George Zimmerman's account of what took place.
The witnesses for the prosecution, including the star witness, Rachel Jeantel who claims to have been on the phone with Martin, have done nothing to undermine Zimmerman's story, even corroborating it in some cases. Ms. Jeantel testified yesterday and is back on the stand today under cross-examination by defense attorney Don West. It appears that the State's main point is that Ms. Jeantel claims she heard someone, possibly Martin, shouting, "Get off! Get off!", before the phone went dead. She is also the source of the claim that Martin thought some "creepy ass cracka" was watching and following him.
However, her testimony seems to add credence to the idea that Zimmerman was, for some period of time, unaware of Martin's whereabouts, consistent with his statements to the police dispatcher. Martin was in the "mail area" of the townhouse complex near his home, which he could have reached and entered without encountering Zimmerman. It seems Martin may have chosen to turn back and approach Zimmerman. Though Zimmerman was, by that time, on his way back to his vehicle after the dispatcher's suggestion that he need not attempt to locate or follow the suspicious person he had reported.
What it really comes down to is that we have a very weak case based not on facts or eyewitness testimony or circumstantial evidence but on the concept of justice for a dead black teenager who was shot by a man with a Latin American heritage and a European-sounding name. It is "necessary" for George Zimmerman to be found guilty of murder. The State's prosecutors know this; the court knows this. It is possible that the jury of six women knows or will know this, and that they will find so, completely despite the absence of evidence. George Zimmerman may spend the rest of his life in jail because he is unable to prove that he is not a racist looking for an opportunity to kill a boy who looked like Barack Obama's son might, and, frankly, even if he could prove it, I'm not sure it would make any difference.
As I often say, we have a legal system not a justice system. Justice may prevail in this case, but, if I were Zimmerman, I would not count on it.
Come to think of it, I am George Zimmerman.
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