Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
There need not be life threatening injuries, nor does Zimmerman have to prove that there were. Zimmerman's injuries are probative evidence that he had been assaulted and battered. His defense was that he reasonably feared that subsequent injuries would be life threatening or would cause grievous harm.
The extent or severity of Zimmerman's injuries bear no weight in assessing his state of mind.
This is correct, but not the whole picture. Zimmerman's state of mind has to be based in part on his judgment of Trayvon Martin previous to the physical altercation. Earlier in the encounter, Zimmerman exhibited paranoia about Martin, calling the police on him, referring to him as a suspect and following him around. Martin, a guest resident in the complex, did nothing to warrant any of these behaviors. Zimmerman, otoh, showed his judgment of Martin to be false. What is more, the judgment was false in a specific way: Zimmerman judged Martin to be more of a threat to the community than he actually was. In actuality, Martin was simply going to go home. Therefore, there is a precedent of Zimmerman judging Martin falsely, in exactly the same way that he is suspected of judging Martin falsely vis a vis the altercation. Zimmerman judges Martin falsely first as an imminent threat to the community, and then later he judges Martin as an imminent threat to his person. There is, then, more, of a reason to believe that Zimmerman misjudged Martin than to believe that he judged correctly.
It may not hurt Zimmerman's case, but it sure as hell doesn't help that he declined treatment. A full assessment of the severity of the injuries could have been made by an independent party. Instead, you have this:
Quote:
Jurors also heard from Dr. Valerie Rao, a medical examiner, who concluded after studying photos that Mr. Zimmerman's injuries were "very insignificant" and that scrapes on the back of his head could have come from just one strike against the sidewalk. Her testimony cast doubt on Mr. Zimmerman's claim that Mr. Martin struck him repeatedly, causing him to fear for his life.
So a medical examiner studied photos and made a conclusion. It just doesn't seem sound.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
