...In this case, Rachel Jeantel One year after being out as unable to read or write in the George Zimmerman murder trial, Trayvon Martin's friend Rachel Jeantel is a changed woman after graduating from high school. Her speech on the stand often detracted from her testimony, as the then 19-year-old used terms such as ‘creepy’ and ‘cracker’ to describe Zimmerman, whom she said was aggressively following Martin before their phone call was silenced during the scuffle. It was during a break in Jeantels car crash of a testimony that her attorney, Rod Vereen, decided that he was going to help her. She did all of that for Trayvon. She was the one who went to court to justify the Trayvon Martin case, as she was telling the defense people of...
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...On February 6th, 2012, Trayvon Martin was shot and killed by George Zimmerman while on his way home. This event sparked national outrage, as many believed Martin, a black teenager, was a victim of racial profiling. Months later, Zimmerman was charged with second-degree murder, and thus began the case State of Florida v. George Zimmerman. This case made national headlines, and many were unhappy with its ruling. Ultimately, this case is incredibly significant due to what occurred, the laws involved, the evidence presented, the final verdict, and the case’s lasting impact. The circumstances of the crime are what made this crime and this case such a national headline. The victim, Trayvon Martin, was walking home after purchasing snacks from the local 7-Eleven when George Zimmerman, a neighborhood watch volunteer, saw him and became...
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...In the case of of George Zimmerman nobody's exactly sure what to say occurred. Some argue that it was self defense. Some argue he was simply using his stand your ground right. Regardless of what people think there is still lots of controversy surrounding it all. Through this essay I will analyze how the actions of George Zimmerman compare to the actions of Hester in The Scarlet Letter by explaining exactly what happened on the night of February 26, 2012, the events of the trial that led to Zimmerman being free, and Zimmerman’s life after the trial. On the night of February 26, 2012 Trayvon Martin went into a 7-Eleven to buy some candy and a drink. He had the hood of his sweatshirt on when he entered the store. He paid the cashier and walked out with...
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...way or portraying what is going on the world today. Based on three mass media sources ABC, NPR radio, and The New York Times the main topic being discussed today is the Zimmerman trial case. George Zimmerman was a security guard is accused of killing an innocent 17-year-old boy who was a different race than George in self-defense reasoning. George accused the African American boy of having a weapon who shot the boy, which ended up killing him. Community was in uproar over this situation that lead to this controversial debate: did he shoot the boy out of defense or out of racial hate? These three media sources each have their own interpretation on the Zimmerman case after a recent worldwide interview with George that demonstrates the medias standpoint and the personal values that affect individuals. With the recent scandal of George’s release from jail on bail, his first televised interview to the world, included important points of the segment that led to subjective reasoning. During certain points in the interview, Zimmerman mentions that the whole incident happened for a reason and that reason was “all in God’s plan.” Zimmerman is being accused of second-degree murder who is out of jail today and making statements that will be used in his trial for evidence. During the segments of the interview, Zimmerman even took back his comment on if he ever regretted the situation, which led him to say no he did not. The point of the interview was so that people understood his reasoning...
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...beaten her several time prior to this incident. Her estranged husband did indeed have a history of domestic violence. Marissa shot the gun, which she was licensed to use, into the air. She never had any intentions on doing anything but scaring the man away from her. Marissa was prosecuted and charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, even though no was injured. Marissa thought that since the facts seemed so clear she would go to trial and prove her case. Her attorneys used the stand-your-ground law as her defense. The law simply meant that if you were in a life of death situation you can take any means necessary to protect yourself. Before she went to trail the prosecutor offered a plea deal of 3 years but Marissa did not accept. The judge quickly threw out that defense and Marissa was sentenced to 20 years in prison with no parole. Her family is currently trying to appeal the sentence but with little money they are having a hard time finding an attorney to take on this case. The second offender is a man named George Zimmerman, a white male that resides in a suburban...
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...CRIMINAL JUSTICE MAY 29, 2014 I have chosen the State of Florida vs. George Zimmerman as the first part of this paper. Why was Zimmerman charged and tried at the state level, and then face the possibility of Federal charges? Is this not “double jeopardy”? The court that will try a case is decided by jurisdiction, jurisdiction being defined as “(1) the legal authority of a court to hear and decide a certain type of case; (2) the geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases “ (Definitions, n.d.). Also we must clarify state and federal jurisdiction. Federal court jurisdiction is limited to the types of cases listed in the Constitution and specifically provided for by Congress. For the most part, federal courts only hear cases in which the United States is a party and cases involving violations of the U.S. Constitution or federal laws. There are others, but those are the ones relevant to this paper. State courts have much broader jurisdiction, they preside over cases most individual citizens would be involved in and most criminal cases involve violations of state law and are thus tried in state court. Being as Zimmerman was charged with second degree murder, he was tried in a state court. Zimmerman was found not guilty by the jury, so case closed, correct? U.S. Attorney General Holder stated that after the trial that the Federal Government would investigate the possibility of charging Zimmerman with a civil rights violation, or the Federal “hate crime” law. The...
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...primarily on the shooting of the teen. Martin unarmed was shot by Zimmerman who was also known for being well trained in martial arts and much larger than the teen appearing to Zimmerman to be involved with drugs. However, there was no proof of the drug relation, only a statement from Zimmerman. (Williams, 2013) His parent stated that was not something Trayvon was involved in and could not believe he would have the dugs on him or dealt with such a thing. (Kaufman, & Lindner, 2013) The trial was in the state of Florida where they allow a jury of as low as half in major criminal cases. (Williams, 2013) Martin being and African-American and Zimmerman a Hispanic man. The point of racial profiling. Impacts of public order. The trial was based upon the actions of a 28-year-old 200 pound, white man following 17 years old 158 pound, the black teenagers. Not to mention the fact the teen was stereotyped as a thug. As Zimmerman was a political figure. In 2006, a similar case was presented convicting John White for manslaughter; he did, however, own many weapons. (Williams, 2013) After an argument started Zimmerman went to reach a cell phone to call 911 and Martin took action as the appearance of Zimmerman was reaching for a gun. Zimmerman was punched in the nose, face, and head. Hitting his head into the concrete several times. Trayvon was killed from the shooting. His wound was in the back of his head. Zimmerman states the action he took was self-defense. Since he was killed there...
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...TRIALS AND VERDICTS Laura Caudle Introduction to Criminal Justice Professor Karina May 24, 2014 Trials and Verdicts The supreme court of Philippines blocked a move by the defendant to try and pay bail as well as to enter a plea bargain in which he could then buy his freedom and go free without getting a full sentence for his crimes. The defendant in this case was a senior general who had been charged with several graft cases and he is former military comptroller Major General Carlos Garcia. The Supreme Court was the best jurisdiction to take over this case because it has the highest authority to handle cases ion the entire nation of Philippines. As such, it has the ability to preside over cases involving highly influential people and large amounts of money, in which courts with lower authority could be easily corrupt. Moreover, judges in lower courts may be intimidated, or their authority undermined. In this case, the defendant faced charges against the government and as such, the government wanted stricter punishment for theMajor General Carlos Garcia so that he could serve as an example to the rest of the nation for involving in such atrocious crime. According to the Court, the Major General was accused with squandering money from the government during his term in office as the top finance official. During this time, the accused is said to have stolen an a sum of money not less than three hundred million pesos, which is equivalent to $6.99 million, and which...
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...Heather Fontaine The topic that I have chosen for the subject of my debate paper is the trial of George Zimmerman. On February 26, 2012 a man that was unknown at the time was about to be the center of controversy when he shot and killed a 17 year old boy named Trayvon Martin in Sanford, Florida. The man in question George Zimmerman was a patrolman for the local neighborhood watch in his area. Trayvon Martin was visiting his father who lived in a gated community one of which is where the shooting occurred. That morning Zimmerman had noticed a male lingering in the neighborhood, he then called the non-emergency line to report this. While on the phone with the police the dispatcher informed Mr. Zimmerman not to follow the individual and that police were on their way. When the police arrived moments later they did not find a male lingering in the neighborhood what they had found was Trayvon Martin on the ground lifeless he had been shot in the chest. As the police walked the crime scene, the items that were found were a cell phone, ear buds, iced tea and a bag of skittles, no gun. The only person that was holding a gun was Mr. Zimmerman, this was to be the only gun found at the scene. This sparked outrage within the town, state and country. Mr. Zimmerman was charged with murder and arrested, he had non-life threatening injuries to his head which were treated. Mr. Zimmerman was questioned for many hours, after being questioned the police department released him due to...
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...Trayvon Martin’s case Why do media always have to be racist in every news? Media tend to pay more attention to the news about African-American got murdered. In Trayvon Martin’s case, he was an African-American teenager who was shot by the neighborhood watch, George Zimmerman. The media described Zimmerman as ‘white Hispanic’ who shot a black boy without suggesting that he might did that to protect himself. So why do media keep calling Zimmerman as a ‘white Hispanic’? It is because they believe that sensationalism can attract more readers. Trayvon Martin was a 17-year-old high school boy who was shot after having an argument with the neighborhood watch, George Zimmerman. After the shot was fired, polices arrived and found Martin shot dead by Zimmerman. Zimmerman was taken to the police station for questioning but was released later due to lack of evidence. Zimmerman claimed that he shot Martin because he was self-defending from a violent young boy. After several weeks of protesters and misleading news, Zimmerman was soon charged with murder. The trial began on June 10, 2013 and on July 13 the jury released him. Two years later, the department of justice declared that there...
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...Sanford, Florida (CNN) -- The man at the center of a firestorm over his shooting of an unarmed Florida teenager has launched a website, warning supporters about groups that falsely claim to be raising funds for his defense and soliciting donations for himself. "I am the real George Zimmerman," declares the website, set up over the weekend. "On Sunday February 26th, I was involved in a life altering event which led me to become the subject of intense media coverage. As a result of the incident and subsequent media coverage, I have been forced to leave my home, my school, my employer, my family and ultimately, my entire life. This website's sole purpose is to ensure my supporters they are receiving my full attention without any intermediaries." Zimmerman's "life altering event" was the fatal shooting of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin, an act that the neighborhood watch volunteer told Sanford, Florida, police was an act of self defense. Zimmerman has not been charged with a crime in Martin's death, a fact that has provoked demonstrations and calls that he be prosecuted for killing the teen. George Zimmerman posts new website Lawyer: Zimmerman's website is a luxury Legal experts discuss Martin Case Zimmerman attorneys say media unfair The statement posted on therealgeorgezimmerman.com warns viewers that "some persons and/or entities have been collecting funds, thinly veiled as my 'Defense Fund' or 'Legal Fund.' I cannot attest to the validity of these other websites as I...
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...Trayvon Martin was only 17 years old, when he was gunned down and shot to death by George Zimmerman. Mr. Zimmerman at the time was the neighborhood watch on patrol for anything suspicious. He noticed a young African American male, now known as Trayvon Martin. He described Trayvon as a ‘thug’ walking alone with a hoodie over his head. Mr. Zimmerman then made a call to 911 dispatcher. He was concerned about an unknown male walking in a neighborhood he did not belong to. Despite being told several times to not follow the teen, Mr. Zimmerman ignored those warnings and continued to follow after the teen. At some point Trayvon and Mr. Zimmerman became physical with one another. At some point through the struggle, a gun was drawn shooting Trayvon Martin to death....
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...of Phoenix August 2, 2013 Media bias is the bias of journalists and other people working within the media industry. These reporters are supposed to report facts and remain bias so the public is receiving factual information and not information formed by opinions. While reporters do report facts and information they are given, they also report interviews of witnesses, who will give their personal opinion, which is hearsay. The case of Trayvon Martin and George Zimmerman, in Florida, has been taking over the media. From the time of the crime, all through the jury selection and the trial, every aspect of our media has been taken over by this case. Zimmerman was accused of murdering Trayvon Martin, a teenager, during a patrol of a neighborhood watch. While the media outlets were providing the facts they were given, they were not reporting all of the facts. Not all were accurate, and a lot of the information that was being reported was based on what other people thought, or the opinions of others. During the trial, new information was given while some information that had been reported at an earlier date was left out. The media reporters are reporting what they are given, but at the same time on shows such as CNN, there are several people, normally other journalists, that are giving their own personal opinions on the case. These shows are aired live, on national television; this gives the public factual information but also the opinions of these reporters, which can cause...
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...The jury is made up of 6 people, all of which are female. Eventually George Zimmerman is found to be non-guilty of second-degree murder and of manslaughter. He’s acquitted of all charges and is free to go on his merry way. After some time, one of the jurors does an interview detailing the process of finding George non-guilty. She said that in the heart of all the jurors, it was obvious that he should be found guilty. However, by the law of Florida, there was no way that they could convict him. It’s the sad truth, sometimes guilty people walk free because of a loophole in the...
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... (1) The Verdict Acquittal of George Zimmer stirred up a lot of emotions around the globe. The Trayvon Martin’s verdict became very frustrating, angering, and predictable based on the lack of evidence, had Trayvon shot Zimmerman would there had been a six week wait for his arrest? No there would not have been a wait. I believe Trayvon would have been arrested immediately, charged and doing his time by now. How did Zimmerman get away with such a thing? I believe because his father had been a judge. Where are the witnesses? And what happen to the original 911 call Zimmerman made where the dispatcher had told Zimmerman to stand back and not to pursuit the suspect that looks suspicious because the police is on the way? Why wasn’t it presented in the trial. Why didn’t Zimmerman obey the law? Well I feel because he is a neighborhood watchman who wants to be a wanna be cop. I understand Zimmerman frustration and all with the burglaries and people in their gated community being held captive in their own home by black guys and as Zimmerman stated it’s punks like him (Trayvon) who always gets away, and at that point I believe that’s when Zimmerman had taken the law into his own hands. The media play’s their role as well into the madness. Just by watching the media it can be very misleading and sometimes...
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