Jack Dunphy · April 12, 2012 at 2:16pm

As expected, George Zimmerman has been arrested and charged in the shooting death of Trayvon Martin.  When Al Sharpton and the No Justice, No Peace Hallelujah Chorus demand a scalp, rare indeed is the politician whose spine is so stiff that he dares not deliver one. 

It appears that in filing the second-degree murder charge, special prosecutor Angela Corey hopes to pressure Zimmerman into taking a plea to some lesser charge, such as manslaughter.  But I stand by my earlier prediction that, unless some new facts emerge, Zimmerman will not be convicted of any crime. 

And then what? The mob has been appeased, if only for now.

Comments:


Paul A. Rahe

I appreciate your commentary. Your instincts dovetail with mine and give me the confidence to think that I might just be right. There is a lot about what has happened that reminds me of the Duke Lacrosse Players Case. Let's hope that Zimmerman gets a judge with backbone who will insure that he gets a fair trial.

GypsyNuke
Joined
Mar '11
GypsyNuke

There is no final outcome or verdict that will satisfy this mob.  Acquit and we'll see riots; convict, the sentence will be too lenient; plea bargain and again we'll see riots.  And for this powder keg brought to us by the likes of Sharpton and Jackson et al, the United States Attorney General is proud.  As Peggy Noonan once wrote, "where are the adults?"

KC Mulville
Joined
Jan '11
KC Mulville

If we listen to the Grievance Lobby, the frustrations and injustices that lurk beneath the American surface have always been there, and this Zimmerman episode is just the spark to light the consuming armageddon-like fire that we all know is coming.

Or, translated ...

  • Sharpton's ratings were down.
  • MSNBC needed something better to talk about.
  • The New York Times wants to portray Republicans as being at war with diversity.
  • When Obama is in the news, his popularity goes down - they needed something to divert attention.

Joined
Apr '11
Viator

"Angela Corey, special prosecutor, thanks the Martin family attorneys  at press conference"

"It is Trayvon's family who are the victims in this case" Angela Corey

Angela Corey seems to have a close relations ship to the Martin family and their several attorneys.  Does Zimmerman even have an attorney at this point?

I expect a media circus timed perfectly for the election.

http://www.breitbart.com/Breitbart-TV/2012/04/11/Prosecutor-Cheerfully-Zimmerman-In-Custody-2nd-Degree-Murder-Charge

Mel Foil
Joined
Jun '10
etoiledunord

Jack Dunphy:

....It appears that in filing the second-degree murder charge, special prosecutor Angela Corey hopes to pressure Zimmerman into taking a plea to some lesser charge, such as manslaughter.  But I stand by my earlier prediction that, unless some new facts emerge, Zimmerman will not be convicted of any crime. 

And then what? The mob has been appeased, if only for now.

Then the question is, will Spike Lee get the jurors' addresses right when he retweets those?

Blake
Joined
Oct '10
Blake

Legal question: When the inevitable riots come and innocent people are killed or maimed following Zimmerman's likely acquittal, will NBC be held responsible for causing foreseeable harm to others by intentionally creating racial animosity in others?The chain of causation is obviously pretty tenuous there and probably sets a horrible precedent, but I think someone would be justified in filing suit against NBC if they suffer harm in a race riot -- assuming it can be proved that a rioter was motivated by the belief that Zimmerman is a racist, and received that impression from watching NBC.Does anyone know if a suit like that has ever been allowed? Sort of like a "dram shop" theory, without the element of intoxication.

Whiskey Sam
Joined
Jul '10
Whiskey Sam

Is it even possible to get an unbiased jury at this point with all the distorted media coverage?  This will not end until Zimmerman is found guilty or dead.  It is a mob mentality right now, and our government is openly encouraging it.  Why do continue to tolerate it?

TucsonSean
Joined
Jun '10
TucsonSean

I disagree.  The police officer's in the Rodney King case should never have been convicted, but they were.  when a race riot is in the offing, there will be a white man lynched, innocent or not.  It is natural fear of a mob.

iWc
Joined
Mar '11
iWc

Zimmerman did a lot wrong: he opened his mouth.

If he had simply lawyered up right after he pulled the trigger, and not said *anything*, then the cops would be unable to build a case at all. Doubt me? Watch this!

Mel Foil
Joined
Jun '10
etoiledunord
Whiskey Sam: Is it even possible to get an unbiased jury at this point with all the distorted media coverage?  This will not end until Zimmerman is found guilty or dead.  It is a mob mentality right now, and our government is openly encouraging it.  Why do continue to tolerate it?

What distorted media coverage?

Image64
~Paules
Joined
Jun '10
~Paules

Key word:  Postponed.

Nick Stuart
Joined
May '10
Nick Stuart

It was obvious Zimmerman would be indicted as soon as the prosecutor announced she would not be using a grand jury. She couldn't risk the grand jury returning without an indictment.The state and the feds will bring their bottomless resources to bear until Z is convicted of something, anything.


Joined
May '11
ctlaw

Jack,

Forensic evidence should establish:

1) whether Zimmerman was (a) on his back on the ground or (b) standing when he fired; and

2) whether the shooting was at (a) extreme close range (contact shot) or  (b) at a distance.

If both are (a), then I concur. If both are (b), then it gets grayer.

A further issue is whether there is any insanity/incapacity issue resulting from the head trauma Zimmerman suffered. Even if a reasonable uninjured person in Zimmerman's position would have  thought Martin had broken off his attack (and was no longer an imminent danger), does the injury defeat intent?

Corey said: “It is the search for justice for Trayvon that has brought us to this moment.”It's one thing to make such a statement when it is clear a crime was committed and one is merely searching for the perp. She was brought in to determine whether a crime was committed. If, instead, she was searching for justice for Trayvon, then the outcome was preordained.

Here's a question for Ms. Corey. If Martin had not died, would you have charged him with something between battery and attempted murder? If not, why? 

Your thoughts?

Edited on April 12, 2012 at 5:03pm
Misthiocracy
Joined
Aug '10
Misthiocracy

May I assume that Angela Corey is an elected official in that area?

My uninformed opinion (Googling takes so much work, ya know?) is that it would have gone to a Grand Jury otherwise.

An elected official would be loathe to send it to a Grand Jury out of fear of looking weak in front of the voters.

10 cents
Joined
Dec '11
10 cents

I do not know the facts of the case so this hypothetical may have nothing to do with it.  I was wondering what Jack Dunphy would do in the situation of being beaten and a struggle over a handgun.

  1. How do you regain control over a situation that has gotten out of control?
  2. Do you take the beating and hope for the best?
  3. Do you use the gun because in the heat of the moment you believe your life depends on it?

PS  This is such a sad case for the families involved. It also shows us that things can go from a walk at night to violence and death in a matter of minutes even in a gated community.  Sobering.

James Gawron
Joined
Dec '10
James Gawron

Jack,

As I have said before, since O.J. we are into quota-based affirmative Justice.   Didn't matter that O.J. was guilty we should let him off anyway due to historical imbalances.

This will be the first quota-based affirmative Lynching if Zimmerman isn't aquitted.

Regards,

Jim

Jack Dunphy

In response to 10 cents' question, if I'm involved in an altercation and the suspect attempts ro pull my gun from my holster, my only assumption has to be that he intends to shoot me with it. If he manages to get the gun out, it becomes a contest to see who can control the gun and then use it for its designed purpose.

Edited on April 12, 2012 at 6:57pm

Joined
Dec '11
Guruforhire

It could be dismissed with a pretrial motion:

http://reason.com/blog#article_157321

Mendel
Joined
Mar '11
Mendel

Mr. Dunphy, you have written here several times that you do not believe "Zimmerman will ever be convicted of any crime" related to this case.  Is this because you believe that Zimmerman acted in self-defense and was justified in his shooting, or because you believe the evidence will always be insufficient to convict regardless of what actually happened?

I ask because I have been appalled at the eagerness of both sides of the commentariat to jump to a verdict based on such sparse evidence.  As a police officer, do you find the public evidence a) sufficient and b) trustworthy enough to reach a conclusion on Zimmerman's innocence or guilt?  I, admitedly an imbecile in these matters, certainly do not.

Edited on April 12, 2012 at 8:00pm
10 cents
Joined
Dec '11
10 cents
Jack Dunphy: If I'm involved in an altercation and the suspect attempts ro pull my gun from my holster, my only assumption has to be that he intends to shoot me with it. If he manages to get the gun out, it becomes a contest to see who can control the gun and then use it for its designed purpose. · 10 minutes ago

Life is messy. After the fact everyone knows what to do. In the stress and craziness of events people react with incomplete knowledge and have to live with the consequences.

My question is:

How do you not second guess yourself after the fact when all the information comes in?  Are you able to let go or does it always eat at you?

PS I went to college with a guy who later became LAPD. He told me that he struggled for his life over a gun with a suspect on a freeway. He came out "safe", but suffered from PTSD because of it. He told me that it surprise him because he thought mental illness was for weaklings. I guess he could not let go of that situation.


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