I think it was the right decision.
I was worried that the jury would be swayed by their fear of public reaction. When I first heard about the case I wasn't sure what to think. They were showing the pic of a kid who looked 12. This guy was 17 and far from the innocent looking kid that they tried to make everyone believe was the one who was killed. Still oesn't mean he deserved to die. I think a lot of 17 yr olds are little punks and think they know better, doesn't mean they're bad people, or deserved to get shot.
Zimmerman wasn't the one using racial slurs -- Martin was. Zimmerman had injuries that backed up what he said happened. The girl who said she was on the phone with Martin was revealed to have lied about what she heard AND about writing out what happened.
So even if you think he is guilty, there was definitely enough evidence brought forward to have enough reasonable doubt that he shouldn't have been charged with anything. I think Zimmerman probably should've chosen to do things differently, I think him carrying a gun was a bit much (but it WAS his legal right) and was probably too quick to pull the trigger. But nothing that he did adds up to 'murder'. But I do not think he deserved to spend the rest of his life in jail. And I think the jury made the right decision. |