George Zimmerman's lawyers just announced they are no longer representing him and have been unable to contact him since Sunday. Zimmerman himself contacted the special prosecutors offices and requested a meeting, but was told no because he needs to be represented by an attorney. He also called Sean Hannity and had a conversation with him that has not been disclosed. His lawyers did say in their press conference that Zimmerman is not in Florida.

Zimmerman's lawyers also say they believe he is innocent and acted in self defense as they will be able to show if and when they need to come forward with the evidence.
http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/lookout/...203437097.html

A tidbit, perhaps tangentially related to the instant case, on how the mainstream media, in this case the Washington Post, mislead the public regarding Florida's stand your ground law.
Stand Your Ground | Why the Washington Post is wrong about Stand Your Ground laws | The Daily Caller

I'll probably catch it for this, but isn't doing things his way instead of how he was instructed to perform his neighborhood watch function what got him into this mess in the first place?:duck: Apparently, he doesn't listen to anyone.

As far as I know, CMANN, even if a shooter such as Zimmerman did act in self-defense (which has or has not yet been proved), they are still going to be responsible for their own legal fees. These legal fees can easily hit $50,000 to well over $100,000 - and those are not covered by insurance, Medicare, or Social Security! Those are your out-of-pocket fees.

If I am mistaken in the responsibility for the charged person to pay their own legal fees under the "castle law" or "stand your ground" law, let me know and please show me in the laws where it says a shooter does not have to pay for legal defense. Thank you. Friendship with me has nothing to do with this.

So would any person, some just won't admit it!

:thumbup: Any surprise that was omitted?

Nothing to catch, but it's not yet factually known what exactly happened afterward - only assumptions and fabrications!

You'll find exactly what the law states in Title XLVI - Chapter 776.032 of the 2011 Florida Statutes.

Ref: Statutes

If Zimmerman head was being slammed to the concrete,sure did not look like it when he was getting out of the police car. Hospital nope.Could be Trevon Martin was standing his ground when be followed by this guy. Glad Jackson and Sharpton got invovled with this,sounds like Sandford Police would have done nothing. These men brought attention to the lack of action on this case. Do not think just minorities are protesting this from the pictures I have seen on TV.

Thanks for the link, Skyguy. I think the information says, though, that if someone were sued for wrongful death and it was proven they acted in self-defense, that the reasonable attorney fees would be awarded to them.

I was talking of the attorney fees that a person would have to spend in order to have it proven the death was in self-defense. I don't think those are covered but I am no attorney.

The court shall award reasonable attorney’s fees, court costs, compensation for loss of income, and all expenses incurred by the defendant in defense of any civil action brought by a plaintiff if the court finds that the defendant is immune from prosecution as provided in subsection (1).

Special Prosecutor Angela Corey just announced that she will hold a press conference within 72 hours to announce new details.

Attorney news conference? + Talking a Hannity? = Weird.
 

A weird turn of events. You couldn't make some of this stuff up.

In any event, dumping lawyers who who would give a crazy news conference like those guys did might not have been a bad move on Zimmerman's part, but doing it before finding replacement lawyers and also talking to Sean Hannity certainly were not the smartest moves.

Since, as the evidence in this case seemed to show Zimmerman acted in self-defense. The police evidently believing this took no action. Hence, the legal fees. However Zimmerman could have been subjected to civil lawsuits. Is the civil lawsuits that the law protects against. If there were evidence of wrongdoing on the part of Zimmerman there would be no protection of any kind under the law. What has happened is that the race baiters are now trying to change the playing field for their usual racist reasons.

I in no way believe that Zimmerman got up that morning and said "*********." I do believe that he shot a man in self-defense because of his testimony the supporting evidence and the lack of evidence to the contrary. I just wish that the race baiters leave the poor guy alone. Stop trying to influence the justice system. Let the case be settled.

It's no wonder that the guy is in hiding. A bounty is on his head that apparently our attorney general and his Justice Department don't seem to find the illegal. People want to punish him because he shot a black man.

I stand by letting the case the result without the influence of a clearly prejudiced community.

Those are my thoughts.

P.S. Self-defense is not a crime. It is not the responsibility of Zimmerman to prove his innocents. The burdon of proof is on the state.

"Leave the poor guy alone"??? Wow ......"Since the evidence in this case ,Zimmerman acted in self-defense? Not defense you mean offense. Race Baiters? You mean all the photos on TV of all races of people protesting.

I'm not convinced Trayvon is the innocent boy the news media has made him out to be. At the same time, I'm definitely not convinced he deserved to die. I can easily see a teen being followed and getting the adrenaline going. Then, the person following starts to turn around. Adrenaline, hormones and general male machoness take over. Comments are probably made on both sides. Trayvon may have attacked (probably did) but not enough to do serious damage. Zimmerman goes down. Zimmerman is also macho and no punk is going to knock him to the ground. Out comes the gun and Trayvon is dead.

So, if this scenario is even halfway correct, did Zimmerman commit a crime given Florida's laws? I think so (okay, hope so) but not sure what laws might have been broken. What would have happened if Zimmerman had announced (in a friendly way) that he was Neighborhood Watch and just wanted to know if Trayvon was lost or something rather than following him? Would Trayvon have attacked Zimmerman if Zimmerman had told him that he'd called the police and they were on the way? There are so many things Zimmerman could have done to defuse the situation before it hit the point that he was probably attacked. I doubt Zimmerman wanted to defuse the situation. He wanted to prove he was a man and he did and a boy died.

The reality is that few teenage boys would have acted much differently than Trayvon did. They are at an age that they have to prove they are men and that means you don't follow them without some sort of a confrontation, not if they think they have the upper hand and when someone turns around and starts to leave, they think they're safe. Stupid? Yes. Arrogant? Yes. Murderous? No. Deserving of death? No!!! Zimmerman started this mess. Zimmerman ended this mess. Hopefully, there will be some sort of punishment for the death of this boy.

That makes a lot of sense. You are trying to reason things out by yourself rather than just following something you heard on TV. Good for you. What you say is very very probable.

As Avogado posted....it gets muddier and muddier. Now George Zimmerman's lawyers quit and have a news conference?

If everyone doesn't calm down we are gonna have a race war.

Because black youth across the country hit the headlines every day being murdered and murdering each other, it makes people pre judge. Because people are frightened they think these gun laws are keeping them safe. I don't know. I just don't know.

This is a very tough call. I think it is gonna get way uglier and I am beginning to fear personally what the outcome will be. I fear widespread violence and people who are innocent witll be harmed big time and killed.

This has to stop escalating.

Sanford seems to be handling this mess fairly well.
 

when all gets said and done there were only two people present who know exactly what happened and why or why not. And one of them is no longer able to speak.

All the rest...the media...the lawyers pro/con....the man on the street...the race players Jackson/Sharpton (who have mysteriously vacated the scene)...the politicians...the celebrities...the forums....all have NOTHING but their respective biased opinions.....

unfortunately the media validates any or all of the above based on their sensationalism quotient....

Right now the side taking and ballyhooing by those not directly involved is akin to nothing more than sporting event like jousting....and about as superficial.

btk

PROOF?

How many times do I have to say it. It was self-defense until proven otherwise!

:censored:

"PROOF" Somebody has to take their head out of the sand.Teen shot and killed. Your "BOY" George acting pretty strange now, Insanity plea possible? What do you think?

It is very hard to actually get an insanity defense to work. Cannot really see anything though that would allow George Zimmerman to use one. His behavior now is irrelevant to his state of mind when he shot Trayvon Martin which would be the issue with respect to any insanity plea. http://criminal.findlaw.com/criminal...y-defense.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Insanity_defense

Florida law with respect to the insanity defense-- http://www.flsenate.gov/Laws/Statutes/2011/775.027

Why can't some people understand that Zimmerman was told by the police operator NOT TO GO AFTER Martin? If he had just reported what he saw to the police and let the matter up to the police, this killing would not have taken place.

Zimmerman took the matter into his own hands after being directed by the police not to follow Martin.

Holy Crap! The Black Panthers have a price on his head!! I would have been gone a long time ago. Seems like a very SANE thing to do.
What's with the word boy in quotes supposed to mean?

You can get a policy from the NRA to cover this type of thing.

Who said people don't understand what the police told Zimmerman? Nobody I know including myself. What it seems that way too many people don't understand is that under the US Justice System of our country, a person is ALWAYS presumed innocent until proven guilty, and so far there had not been a shred of "evidence" made public that can lead to that conclusion... just opinions, fabrications and conjectures! It's time for the justice system to be allowed to do their job without extreme intimidations and for the media and public figures to be scrutinized and held financially responsible for inflammatory comments like I heard on the TV yesterday where a reporter referred to Zimmerman as a "murderer" instead of an alleged murderer! Whatever happened to the use of the word alleged before someone is found guilty of something?

if there was nothing but racist driven hate as well as prejudgement as well as the media hyping every fly spec to get this guy and there was still not enough evidence to arrest....how likely is it some of you would just be wandering around the area to see what could happen.

All of you would do just like he is. He has not been judged by the law to warrant an arrest. Like it or not he is a free man. He has been judged, tried and found guilty as well as bountys having been put on his head. If it was any of you would be out hiding under a rock as well.

His lawyers make a spectacle of no longer representing Zimmerman. Spouting off much more information and fuel for the media and the rest of the condemers. They did not do their client any service by using the words...we can't find him...that is very stupid and inflammatory and of course the evening news and way too many of you have picked up on the erroneous phrasing and once again extrapolating, with no facts, the man's guilt. The lawyers were not out trying to find Zimmerman. They were unable to communicate with him. And oh by the way while the "couldn't find" Zimmerman, they were aware Zimmerman was in touch with other folks.

The lawyers spun an inaccurate yarn and the gullible sheeple have run with the story and made up a new set of accusations. How would you like to be the object of as much hate? Would you be front and center telling your side of it?

I like many others will wait for real evidence and due process and hope those with the racist, lynch mob attitude do not prevail.

Lynch mob mentality.....nothing more.

btk

Slanted news coverage and posts based thereon
 

I am not defending Zimmerman, just attacking the disgracefully slanted media coverage of the incident and uninformed public comments based on that coveage. Contrary to what the media has almost uniformly reported and you have just stated, the police did not direct Zimmerman not to follow Martin. Please read the transcript.

The police dispatcher, in fact, told Zimmerman that the police didn't "need" ZImmerman to do that. That is hardly the same as "directing" him not to.

If you are going to make a very serious allegation against Zimmerman or anybody else, you should get your facts straight. Why don't you wait until the investigators and prosecutor do their job before making allegations that may turn out to be unfounded?

Facts? Aren't they all but extinct and irrevelent in most if not all forms of today's activism? Just saying!

Facts, why do they matter?
 

Agree. Certainly the anti-Zimmerman lynch mob is not letting the now-publicly-known facts (or lack thereof) influences their rush to judgement.

NBC News is reporting that criminal charges will be filed against George Zimmerman later today. Not saying what charges. They also reported that FDLE is not concerned about locating Zimmerman.

The Zimmerman charges news conference will be in Jacksonville.
 

If that's what happens, that will be good if the charges are honestly based on evidence and not political pressure!

It was apparent to me when the special prosecutor stated she would make the decision without calling a grand jury that Zimmerman would be charged. No one would want to stand up on his or her own to the lynch mob mentality fomented by the disinformation generated by the mainstream media and the race baiters. Hopefully, the full story based on the actual facts will come out and this will be settled in time. I found this discussion quite interesting. Trayvon's parents are to be commended for how they are dealing with their great loss among other things.

PopModal - Video - Ann Coulter on Geraldo: Media lying about Trayvon Martin case

[QUOTE=skyguy79;478127]Facts? Aren't they all but extinct and irrevelent in most if not all forms of today's activism? Just saying![/QUOTE

Agreed.

As far as the Feds go, do you really trust the AG who speaks glowingly of AL Sharpton and would not investigate the New Black Panthers voter intimidation charges to impartially investigate this case? Zimmerman: sucks to be him.

[quote=CMANN;478234]Are you saying that the career FBI employees, the FDLE and the special prosecutor Angela Corey are not to be trusted? Surprised you're not leading a posse of Zimmerman supporters to Sanford from The Villages with your signs "We Support George".

[quote=CMANN;478234]It didn't take long for the thread to take this turn. Less time than thought it would.

When is the goverment going to investigate Sharpton and Jackson for making a circus of this shooting like the Tawanna Brawley case and the four I believe lacrose players in S.C or N.C and never appologized for their rascist comments against the police which one commited suicide and the four young players whose life was destroyed because of Sharpton and Jackson.
All these clowns do is pressure the big company's like Kentucky Fried Chicken on picketing them and in return get free franchises.
If these two were put in their place we would have less racial problems in this country.

This thread is not about Rev Al Sharpton or Rev Jesse Jackson. It is titled Trayvon Martin. Feel free to start your own thread any time. If it weren't for the parents asking Rev Sharpton to get involved, we never would have heard about this case and George Zimmerman would get away with it.

did you ever think that Zimmerman might be innocent ? The reason Sharton and Jackson was brough up because they are involved in the the racial tone of this case otherwise this case would of been over with ( could I include Obama in this too).

Since the Duke LaCrosse incident happened 6 years ago there probably won't be an apology forthcoming, if one was even due.

In any case, not sure what it has to do with the title of this thread.

:22yikes: but I do :agree: