A potential juror on Thursday suggested the slain teen “was a pot smoker and aspiring “street fighter” who was “going down the wrong path.”
The woman interviewed on Thursday–on the fourth day of jury selection in the second-degree murder case–said she believed George Zimmerman was a law-abiding gun owner who shot the teen out of self defense.
Consequently, most of the potential jurors questioned so far have said they haven’t made up their minds on the facts of the case. At least 20 have been selected to move on to a further round of questioning. So far, lawyers in the Zimmerman case have selected 20 possible jurors to move onto a new round of questioning; they are seeking a pool of 30. From those, they will try to pick a panel of six jurors and four alternates.
Because prosecutors say Zimmerman “profiled” the unarmed teen from Miami Gardens as he walked in a gated Sanford community in February 2012, and then shot him in the chest during a struggle, this case has sparked racial and civil rights turmoil in Sanford as well as rallies in several U.S. cities. This incident has definitely shed a harsh spotlight on Florida’s self-defense law.
During trial preparation in recent months, the details of Trayvon’s life have been part of a Zimmerman defense strategy to paint the teen as less than innocent. Last month, Zimmerman’s defense released a slew of text messages and cell phone images extracted from the teen’s phone showing Trayvon as a tough-talking teen who tried to arrange the purchase of a weapon as well as the purchase of marijuana. Also Zimmerman’s defense looked at Trayvon’s records that show he was in a lot of fight in school over the years.
George Zimmerman’s trial started Monday with lawyers questioning potential jurors about the effects of the massive publicity associated with the case.
For more information go to the Miami Herald link: “>http://www.miamiherald.com/2013/06/13/3449262/potential-juror-george-zimmerman.html”>
