Considering the statutes and the evidence, criminal charges were ridiculous. One of the state's own witnesses, Jonathan Good testified that it appeared the black combatant was on top and winning the confrontation.
http://trayvon.axiomamnesia.com/peop...immerman-case/
I never recalled seeing any media coverage about that bit of testimony. Strange. They then called a voice recognition expert who testified that it couldn't be done digitally, then the parents and relatives of both Zimmerman and Martin testified that the screams were from their own relatives. The state should never miss an opportunity to call a grieving mother as a fact witness. That was a pretty low blow.
Anyhow, had this not been a high profile case with the world watching and the potentiality of riots, it should have been a directed verdict (the judge should have reached a finding that the state hadn't met its burden) at the halfway point of the trial.
The last witness the defense put up was very damaging to the state's case and really tarnished the credibility of the state's experts. Dr. Vincent J.M. Di Maio is a nationally recognized forensics expert.
http://www.local10.com/news/george-z...z/-/index.html
He testified how the injuries were consistent with what Zimmerman had been saying all along. Does all of that prove Zimmerman innocent? Nope. But it does give rise to lots and lots of reasonable doubt.
The law is what it is. People shouldn't be angry at Zimmerman, they should be upset with the NRA and its supporters. This case is a prime example of prosecutorial misconduct. Maybe the public spanking will slow Florida's prosecutors down in prosecuting these sorts of things just because the news stations are making a big deal out of it. The Obama administration could have used this as an opportunity to lead this country away from some of its ridiculous gun laws. Instead, we're hand wringing over racial stuff? In the trial, there was never a bit of evidence to suggest race had anything to do with anything that night, but that's all some folks want to see.
For many years, most jurisdictions recognized a duty to retreat before the use of deadly force would be justified. Maybe instead of the current conversation, let's talk some about that. At least that can be fixed by just passing a statute.