Zimmerman Prosecutor Beams A Smile As She Announces Murder Charges, And New Snapple Flavor, "Crangerine"

Presser: Man, did she smile a lot. I know if I were the prosecutor in what I termed a murder, possibly incarcerating a man for his entire life, I'd be brightly beaming too.

Was she here to announce murder charges, or a new Guilt-Free Tiramisu that won't go straight to your thighs?

I would call her "giddy as a schoolgirl" but that would denigrate the seriousness of purpose of schoolgirls.

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AP says second degree murder, and he is in custody.

Second degree murder is the most he could have been charged with, as he wouldn't fit first degree.

Here's second degree:

(2) The unlawful killing of a human being, when perpetrated by any act imminently dangerous to another and evincing a depraved mind regardless of human life, although without any premeditated design to effect the death of any particular individual, is murder in the second degree and constitutes a felony of the first degree, punishable by imprisonment for a term of years not exceeding life or as provided in s. 775.082, s. 775.083, or s. 775.084.

So, they're not even going for some kind of lesser charge. They are charging him with the most serious murder charge they can.

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Is this real new information?

Corey’s office released a statement saying it would hold a news conference “to release new information regarding the Trayvon Martin shooting death investigation” at 6 p.m. Wednesday in Jacksonville, Fla.

I suggest it might be a claim that Zimmerman's flight from the jurisdiction constitutes "consciousness of guilt," rather than, oh, what's the word for it, white knuckled fear for his survival.

One possibility suggested by RD (I think) is that Zimmerman said something contrary to his legal interests when he phoned the prosecutor -- a walk-back from his previous story, for example, when confronted with evidence against it -- which would indeed be new evidence, and relevant.

Another possibility -- as I've said, if you can pin down Zimmerman's actual movements, you might be able to infer if he was walking back to his car, or still tracking Martin, when the confrontation occurred. That doesn't prove Zimmerman initiated the confrontation, but if he was still tracking Martin when he said (I believe he said this, at least through family members) he was walking back to his car, that would undermine his story.

But I'm guessing it's just the "No longer in the jurisdiction, he must be guilty" thing.

posted by Ace at 05:25 PM

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