VIDEO COMMENTARY:
As we come back out live, we are now joined with one of our legal experts, Enrique Latoison. Enrique, talk to me about the fact that there was such a mixed reaction. Are you surprised by that?
I’m not surprised by the mixed reaction. I mean, this case was a very traumatizing case from the very beginning. There were a lot of emotions that were brought about this case. There were racial points that were put into this case from the very beginning. The prosecution had an uphill battle from the very beginning in this case. I do believe that the public outcry led to the charges to Mr. Zimmerman in this case but in the end it was a very, very difficult case for the prosecution. I think a lot of legal experts agree that it was a difficult case. There was a lot of reasonable doubt that was built into this case. In the end, the prosecution could not tell the jury exactly what happened.
Earlier in the day, the jurors, the panel, they came in, they had this question about manslaughter, how it was categorized. Do you think that maybe at that point they had already made their decision?
I think the point when they came back and started asking about manslaughter that they were definitely not going to convict the second degree murder at that point. I thought at that point they were hanging on possibly a compromise verdict or a verdict that was filled with emotion actually. But, I think the evidence in this case was reasonable doubt. If the prosecution themselves cannot actually tell the jury exactly what happened, how is the jury supposed to say beyond a reasonable doubt that Mr. Zimmerman did not believe he was in eminent danger of serious bodily injury or death and took immediate reaction because of that situation.
What happens with George Zimmerman now? I mean, he had kind of a relaxed response, he walked out, didn’t say much.
His life is never going to be the same. I mean, there are going to definitely be civil suits in this matter and definitely what’s going to take place is, you know, he’s never going to have a life where he can be safe or feel as though he’s going to be able to walk the streets and not have this pressure on him. He’s always going to be known for the case and there’s going to be civil suits and if he had already not depleted his resources, he’s definitely going to have to deal with that issue.
Well, thank you so much for joining us this evening. So, you heard there’s some mixed reaction here, the verdict not guilty. We are live from South Philadelphia.
Contact Enrique Latoison
(610) 999-1439