June 24th, 2013
01:45 AM ET

The Zimmerman trial: What you need to know

Opening statements begin Monday in the trial of George Zimmerman, a neighborhood watch captain accused of fatally shooting 17-year-old Trayvon Martin on February 26, 2012, in Sanford, Florida.

Zimmerman is charged with second-degree murder. He says he shot the unarmed teen in self-defense.

A jury of six women will decide Zimmerman's fate, which has already drawn some scrutiny from the public about whether he will get a fair trial.

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Filed under: Crime • Justice • U.S.
soundoff (260 Responses)
  1. chrissy

    Lol @ Portland tony, im not shocked at the "c" word but i am offended that a young woman condones someone using it. I only posted the definition that my daughter gave me of that word.

    June 27, 2013 at 5:08 pm | Report abuse |
  2. chrissy

    @ Pete, mean and nasty??? And unfortunately im NOT shocked about the "C" word. Im dismayed that ANY woman would be ok with it tho. And i was being sarcastic with that definition i posted of it, it was given to me by my daughter.

    June 27, 2013 at 6:35 pm | Report abuse |
  3. chrissy

    @ Pete, mean and nasty??? And unfortunately im NOT shocked about the "C" word. Im dismayed that ANY woman would be ok with it tho. And i was being sarcastic with that definition i posted of it.

    June 27, 2013 at 6:37 pm | Report abuse |
    • BOMBO

      I often put them in my soup, or melt cheese onto them.

      June 27, 2013 at 7:35 pm | Report abuse |
  4. BOMBO presents Things We've Learned From the Zimmerman Trial so far

    Creepy A- C-er is NOT offensive. Funny. I thought it WAS offensive. But what does a white Canadian know.

    June 27, 2013 at 7:11 pm | Report abuse |
  5. BOMBO presents Things We've Learned From the Zimmerman Trial so far

    If you write a letter in cursive, you won't be able to read it later. Even though it's your own handwriting.

    June 27, 2013 at 7:12 pm | Report abuse |
  6. BOMBO

    What we've learned so far:

    Cr- is NOT offensive.
    If you write a letter in cursive, you will not be able to read it later, even though it's in your own handwriting.
    Modern phones are great. You can discern the sound of a mic dropping onto wet grass.
    Also, you can not only discern the sound of a punch, you can actually tell WHO is getting hit.
    If you speak incoherently in depositions and at trial, no one can call you a liar, because they can't understand you.

    June 27, 2013 at 7:28 pm | Report abuse |
  7. BOMBO

    hello

    June 27, 2013 at 7:28 pm | Report abuse |
  8. BOMBO

    What we've learned so far:

    Cr- is NOT offensive.

    June 27, 2013 at 7:28 pm | Report abuse |
  9. BOMBO

    What we've learned so far:

    Modern phones are great. You can discern the sound of a mic dropping onto wet grass.
    Also, you can not only discern the sound of a punch, you can actually tell WHO is getting hit.
    If you speak incoherently in depositions and at trial, no one can call you a liar, because they can't understand you.

    June 27, 2013 at 7:30 pm | Report abuse |
  10. BOMBO

    What we've learned so far:

    If you write something in your own writing, you will not be able to read it later.

    June 27, 2013 at 7:31 pm | Report abuse |
  11. BOMBO

    Really, if this is the best the persecution – er – prosecution has, they should just give up now and save the Florida taxpayers some money.

    June 27, 2013 at 7:32 pm | Report abuse |
  12. BOMBO

    I've said it before and I'll say it again. The local authorities got it right when they decided not to charge. They knew this case was unwinnable. Then the politicians got involved.

    June 27, 2013 at 7:37 pm | Report abuse |
  13. BOMBO

    In order to convict someone of murder, you have to be sure. Probably isn't good enough. What do I think probably happened? Two guys got into a dispute. Neither would back down. One of them was bigger, stronger and younger than the other. But the other guy had a gun.

    June 27, 2013 at 7:57 pm | Report abuse |
  14. chrissy

    @ BOMBO, so in your country its acceptable for grown men to shoot TO KILL, not disable teenagers???

    June 27, 2013 at 8:12 pm | Report abuse |
    • BOMBO

      Not at all. If a fight ensued and there are no credible witnesses who can testify that Zimmerman was the aggressor, then it is difficult to find either party criminally responsible for the fight. Add in that you can legally carry a gun (your country, not mine) then things can end badly.

      June 28, 2013 at 12:29 am | Report abuse |
    • flamespeak

      There is no such thing as 'shoot to disable', that is a hollywood myth. If you fire a weapon at someone it is always meant to kill them. This is basic information for anyone who has dealt with firearms seriously at any point in their lives.

      July 1, 2013 at 6:27 am | Report abuse |
  15. chrissy

    And this idiot wannabe cop should have been booked imediately! I watched his first interview with the media last night and he was tripping over his big mouth many times!

    June 27, 2013 at 8:16 pm | Report abuse |
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