Jacksonville Criminal Defense Lawyer Blog
Like everyone else across the country, I have been following the coverage of the Trayvon Martin case and investigation. Even more so after Jacksonville’s own State Attorney, Angela Corey, was assigned to the case. Although heartbreaking, the investigation has also brought national attention to so-called “Stand Your Ground” laws.
Under Florida’s Stand Your Ground Law, an Orange Park resident is justified in using deadly force against another person if he or she reasonably believes the force is necessary to prevent “imminent death or great bodily harm to himself or herself or another person. . . .” The problem with the law is that once a shooter invokes self-defense under the Stand Your Ground Law, the police must find evidence to disprove the shooter’s story before they can arrest him.
Analyzing the Trayvon case, if the police can establish that the voice shouting for help in the infamous 911 call belongs to Trayvon Martin, it could potentially suffice as enough evidence to arrest Trayvon’s shooter, George Zimmerman. If they find the voice belongs to Zimmerman, then police likely will not arrest Zimmerman. However, an adequate prediction cannot be made without more facts and because neither the Sanford police nor Duval County Prosecutor Angela Corey is releasing information, further analysis would be speculative.
The Florida Stand Your Ground Law presents a tricky legal analysis and as an Orange Park Criminal Defense Lawyer, I do not like to make conclusions that are not based on hard facts. Therefore, if you are involved in one of those tricky cases, call an Orange Park Criminal Defense Lawyer to discuss your case, represent you in court, and to make sure your rights are being protected.