kbp wrote:
In my mind, the most convincing single piece of evidence that the prosecution has is George reaching for ____ (cell phone), which a juror might believe was when Trayvon saw the gun, assumed George was reaching for it, and attacked in self-defense.
chipbennett wrote:
Reaching for one's pocket simply does not constitute imminent use of unlawful force. Thus, regardless of what Martin thought regarding such action, the belief that Zimmerman was reaching for a gun would not be a reasonable fear.
The great irony there is that for BDLR to attempt such an argument would concede Zimmerman's self-defense claim by default, since there is no logical way to claim that reaching for one's pocket constitutes imminent use of unlawful force, while simultaneously claiming that Zimmerman did not have reasonable fear of imminent risk of life or great bodily harm at the time he used deadly force.
John_Galt wrote:
Zimmerman reaching for cell phone perceived as gun justifies physical assault.
OK, then how about Trayvon reaching for waist band? And what about Trayvon reaching for holstered gun?
Careful fellas, I was only pointing that out because Bernie strikes me as defending Trayvon more than he does as prosecuting George..
George says he reached for ____. The jury can take that as a fact if it choose to consider it.
George also told us when Trayvon noticed his gun. How did George know when Trayvon first became aware of the gun?
Is it possible that Trayvon saw it prior to hitting George …and that he reached for it when the opportunity first came about?
If, just after the confrontation started…
…George saw Trayvon reach for a gun and shot him in response, what would his defense be?
or
…Trayvon saw George reach for a gun and shot him in response, what would his defense be?
Is it possible for Bernie to somehow point out that George might not be correct in his guess at when Trayvon first saw his gun, it might have happened before the attack?
I see chances for Bernie to build that reasonable doubt for Trayvon's defense, though the totality of the evidence is certainly in George's favor. If the goal is a show trial that leaves the door open for a civil case, then that method could work out for Bernie.