George Zimmerman Trial: The Evidence Points Toward a Guilty Verdict

According to the Los Angeles Times, the family of Trayvon Martin is gearing up for a "rough road" ahead as the trial sets to begin. It is expected that there would be a great deal of media attention on the trial because the killing of Trayvon was highly controversial when it occurred.

As in every trial, the two most likely resolutions are either guilty or not guilty. During the trial, the lawyers of George Zimmerman will try to help their client beat the charges by relying on legal maneuvers. The big question, then, is the following: Which of the two parties that are involved in the case would be vindicated at the end of the trial. But an examination of the evidence, thus far, does show that Zimmerman targeted Trayvon; even more importantly, Trayvon ended up being shot dead. Therefore, it would be a shocking outcome if Zimmerman were found not guilty.

Following the untimely death of Trayvon, there was a great deal of public outcry. This uproar was caused by the fact that the Sanford Police department decided not to arrest Zimmerman without conducting a thorough investigation. Because of the outcry, the governor appointed a special prosecutor to conduct a more comprehensive investigation. This prosecutor brought charges against Zimmerman after an in-depth investigation.

Having his back against the proverbial wall because of the evidence against him, Zimmerman's lawyers are getting ready to assassinate Trayvon's character. This strategy has been in full display during the pre-trial hearings. In the course of those hearings, Mark O'Mara sought to convince the judge that he should be allowed to portray Trayvon as a pothead and troublemaker with thuggish tendencies. But the judge forbade him to make such characterization in his opening statement.

Although he was not successful in convincing the judge in allowing him to attack Trayvon's character in his opening remarks, O'Mara is still hoping that he could do so during the trial itself. Since it would be very difficult to refute the evidence that would be presented against Zimmerman, one of the key strategies of his defense team to help him beat the charges would be to vilify Trayvon

Despite the campaign to paint Trayvon negatively, it would be a big challenge for the defense team to get an acquittal. There is some key evidence that incriminates Zimmerman. First, he was pursuing Trayvon even though he was not doing anything wrong. Second, he continued his pursuit although he was told explicitly by a 911 operator to stop doing so. This pursuit showed that he was engaging in racial profiling. Since he presumed that Trayvon must have been doing something wrong, Zimmerman was more likely to initiate the confrontation that eventually led to the death of a 17-year-old.

Because of the evidence against his client, the defense team would attempt to question the character of Trayvon as a diversionary tactic. But this deliberate strategy of seeking to detract the jury's attention from the real evidence will likely fail. After all, Zimmerman who was armed with a gun decided to follow a teenager who was not doing anything wrong and he most likely instigated the confrontation that ensued. More damningly, he pulled the trigger that took the life of a High School student who was only carrying a bag of skittles and some ice tea. Taking into account all this incriminating evidence, it would be highly unlikely that the trial would result in an acquittal.