RIP Trayvon Martin

....and George Zimmerman gets his gun back

My prayers and condolence extended to the Martin Family for yet another loss.

Update: George Zimmerman - A Reasonable Person No

Zimmerman Mug Shot

Update: Juror B37 - Two members of the all-female jury believed Zimmerman was guilty of manslaughter, while one felt he was guilty of second-degree murder.  The woman said Zimmerman “shouldn’t have gotten out of that car” In the end, they set him free to get his gun back.

"Defense attorneys on Wednesday called one of their last witnesses as they started winding down their case. Public safety consultant Dennis Root testified that Martin was in better physical shape than Zimmerman, and that the neighborhood watch volunteer wasn't any athlete.

"He would find himself lacking when compared to Mr. Martin," Root said of Zimmerman."

Reasonable Person:  The decision whether an accused is guilty of a given offense might involve the application of an objective test in which the conduct of the accused is compared to that of a reasonable person under similar circumstances. In most cases, persons with greater than average skills, or with special duties to society, are held to a higher standard of care. For example, a physician who aids a person in distress is held to a higher standard of care than is an ordinary person.

Therefore would a reasonable person, who is fat/out of shape, ignore police instructions not to follow an individual who was younger and in better physical shape? Would a reasonable person leave the safety of his/her car to hunt an individual he/she defines as suspicious to law enforcement?  Should this person be held to higher standard because he has more than 100 college credits toward a degree in criminal justice. The prosecutors pointed out that George Zimmerman should have known various ways to properly identify a potential threat and follow the directions of a 911 dispatcher. The defense noted that Zimmerman's class training was on full display that night, and that he dealt with Trayvon according to the letter of the law in criminal justice and self-defense.

The reasonable person standard is by no means democratic in its scope; it is, contrary to popular conception, intentionally distinct from that of the "average person," who is not necessarily guaranteed to always be reasonable. The reasonable person will weigh all of the following factors before acting:

the foreseeable risk of harm his actions create versus the utility of his actions;
the extent of the risk so created;
the likelihood such risk will actually cause harm to others;
any alternatives of lesser risk, and the costs of those alternatives.
Taking such actions requires the reasonable person to be appropriately informed, capable, aware of the law, and fair-minded. Such a person might do something extraordinary in certain circumstances, but whatever that person does or thinks, it is always reasonable.



BUT Zimmerman was not fat/out of shape at the time of the shooting as evident by his mug shot. On the contrary at the time of the shooting, (This work was created by a government unit of the U.S. state of Florida and is in the public domain under Florida law. Florida's Constitution and its statutes do not permit public records to be copyrighted unless the legislature specifically states they can be.)
Born October 5, 1983
Ethnicity Caucasian
Height 5 ft 7 in
Weight 185 pounds

Vero Beach woman pulls gun, poops in kitchen after finding hubby with another woman

http://blogs.tcpalm.com/off_the_beat_will_greenlee_blog/2013/01/-a-33-year-old-woman-and.html

Brandon Jackson Attacked By Group and He Goes to Jail

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 54,856 people, 19,417 households, and 15,048 families residing in the Jackson Township, NJ. The racial makeup of the township was 88.90% (48,765) White, 4.86% (2,664) Black or African American, 0.10% (57) Native American, 2.95% (1,616) Asian, 0.03% (18) Pacific Islander, 1.27% (696) from other races, and 1.90% (1,040) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 7.83% (4,295) of the population.

Brandon Jackson, who at age 21, was convicted by an all-white jury in New Jersey and sentenced to 12 years in prison for attempted murder. October 2006, his mother said Brandon was attacked by a group of more than 12 white men after helping his employer move furniture into her home in Jackson Township, New Jersey. Jackson held a three-inch work pocket knife in self-defense, forcing the group back, but that it was the homeowner’s call to police that would finally force the group to stand down. Jackson sustained injuries in the back of his head, and knees and even had a fingernail bitten off.  While the police report listed the episode as a “racial offense,” Jackson was charged with aggravated assault and for carrying an illegal weapon. The men reportedly began stomping and kicking Brandon while yelling, “Kill the ni**er!”

Gloria Fisher Brandon’s mother stated that the prosecutors ignored much of the evidence that would have absolved her son, including statements by the homeowner, who verified Jackson’s version of happenings.

Man Kills Teen Because of Loud Music

Police say 45-year-old Michael David Dunn shot 17-year-old Jordan Davis as he sat in the back seat of SUV.  The killing of a teenager in what police say started as an argument over loud music at a Jacksonville, FL gas station. Davis was sitting in a parked SUV with three other teens, when Dunn parked next to their vehicle and made a comment about the loud music the group was playing. Dunn apparently got into an argument with Davis, who was sitting in the back seat. Dunn's attorney claims that are when her client reached for a gun he had in the glove compartment of his car, loaded it, and fired. During the dispute, Dunn allegedly took out a gun and shot into the vehicle, striking Davis twice. The vehicle had been shot at least 9 times in total, but no one else was injured.  The teens had no weapons. 

Dunn’s statement:  "They were blasting some rap music. And he said he rolled down his window, pulled up on the passenger side, and rolled down his window and asked, would you mind turning that down? And said it very politely."

“The attorney says the teenager in the front seat turned down the radio. But then she says her client heard the teens cussing at him, making threats. She says Dunn rolled down his window and said, "He said excuse me, are you talking to me?"

"Firing at the car, because they're showing him a gun, and he can't see their hands," she said. "And he doesn't know. They're about to blast him in the face with a shotgun, as far as he knows."

Jacksonville Sheriff's Office says investigators did not find a gun, or drugs, in the SUV.

Police Report

Arrest Report -  Police arrested Dunn the next day in Brevard County, which is about 170 miles away from Jacksonville, FL.

A license-tag number and eyewitness accounts led Jacksonville, FL Sheriff’s Office detectives to arrest a Brevard County man, Michael Dunn in connection with the fatal shooting of a 17-year-old Jordan Davis at a Gate Food Post store on the Southside, police said.

Anyone who witnessed the shooting or has information is asked to call the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office at (904) 630-0500 or email at JSOCrimeTips@jaxsheriff.org.

To remain anonymous and receive a possible reward, contact Crime Stoppers at (866) 845-8477 or email them at rewards@fccrimestoppers.com

Save Terrance Williams - Done

Update 9/28/2012: Execution of Terrance Williams halted after judge says prosecutor suppressed evidence 

The supporters are not advocating that Williams be freed. The recommendation is that Gov. Corbett commute Williams’ death sentence to life without parole. The widow of murder victim Amos Norwood is a supporter.

The story:  The leader of Philadelphia Catholics, Archbishop Charles J. Chaput, and others contend that jurors in the original trial would have spared Williams’ life had they heard evidence of abuse that might have been a mitigating factor, but wasn’t put before them.  Some jurors have said they voted to condemn Williams on the mistaken belief that state law permitted parole under a life sentence for first-degree murder.

Williams was sexual abused by Norwood since age 13. According to change.org,  "throughout his childhood, Terry suffered prolonged violent physical and sexual abuse from older males. Born into poverty with a violently abusive mother and absent father, Terry faced abuse and neglect in his home that made him vulnerable to sexual predators. He was first raped by an older boy when he was only six years old." After years of suffering unimaginable horrors, when he was 17- and 18-years old, Terry killed these two men who abused him for years– and now faces death.  As a teenager, Terry became acquainted with two middle-aged men who used their influence as a church leader and as a sports booster to get access to young boys.

Terry’s tragic history of abuse was never presented at trial.

Terrance at 18 when he committed murder

130,348 Signatures NEEDED Go to change.org

Bold & Brazen: Zimmerman attorneys renew plea for donations

The statement, posted online to the official website for Zimmerman’s legal defense, contains some of the most urgent language yet from a team whose regular, often restrained remarks over the Internet and social media have become part of the fabric of this case. You supporters run out and donate read more. The man lies and still ask for more $$$$