Day #6 (Week #2) Zimmerman Trial - Open Discussion Thread

Today, June 17 is DAY #6 (beginning of 2nd week) of the scheduled State of Florida V. George Zimmerman case. Continuing jury selection. [First Week Summary HERE]

Jury selection is expected to continue with the “Frye Hearing” set to resume at 4:00pm with the defense providing their expert to discuss whether the cries for help heard on the 911 call can be identified. Nelson is expected to rule on whether this information is presented to the jury during trial, or whether it is too conflicting to have divergent experts dispute each other.

During the Friday hearing one potential jurist slipped close review: Prospective Juror G81

G-81 : An African American male in his 30′s or 40′s, who lives less than 1/2 mile from the scene of the shooting and often brought his kids to play in a park just across the street from the complex. A complex political character, he listens to both Ed Schulz of MSNBC and Bill O’Reilly of Fox News. G81 portrayed the two sides of the case uniquely, saying his friends saw it either as a “tragedy” or “typical” depending on which side they were on. He recalled that Martin looked 14 or 15 in the photos he saw. When asked to expand on this, he pointed to the fact that too many African American males die violently each year in this country, and have since the days of Jim Crow and even slavery. G81 also saw the case not just from whether Zimmerman “did the right thing” but whether the Stand Your Ground law in the state was a good law. On how the media portrayed the episode he said “At first it was a shock that a young man was shot and it was permissible here in Florida.” He thinks the case will be decided based on whether Zimmerman properly met the limitations of Stand Your Ground. (link)