(MintPress) – George Zimmerman was the talk of the nation in February 2012 when he shot and killed Trayvon Martin, using Florida’s controversial “Stand Your Ground” law as a defense. The case caused widespread debate regarding the merits of the law, stemming from model legislation with ties to the American Legislative Executive Council (ALEC).
Yet when Zimmerman’s attorney this month indicated his client would step down from that defense, choosing instead to allow a jury of his peers to decide if he was guilty of second degree murder, the issue largely went unnoticed.
Under the stand your ground defense, Zimmerman’s fate would have been decided by Circuit Court Judge Debra Nelson. The switch in defense style now places Zimmerman’s future in the hands of a jury, which will decide whether he will face a minimum 25-year sentence for second-degree murder.
There’s a twist to this, however. Mark O’Mara, Zimmerman’s attorney, maintains that his team still could seek a new stand-your-ground hearing despite the scheduled April 29. As noted by The Guardian, O’Mara’s comment comes after acknowledgement that Judge Nelson has cleared the calendar for two weeks after the expected trial start date.
“As you know I’ve been counting,” O’Mara said at a hearing Tuesday. “We’re only at 96 days (from trial) right now. So that only gives us time to really get ready for one hearing. And that’s going to be a jury trial where he gets acquitted. George wants to have a jury of his peers decide the case.”
The defense’s case now is certain to rely on proving Martin was in danger at the time the single shot was fired. A Guardian report indicates the defense plans on calling Witness 8, the name given to the teenage girl who said she was talking to Martin at the time of his confrontation with Zimmerman. Her testimony had been key to the prosecution, as she claimed she was on the phone with Martin through the entire ordeal, until the scuffle ensued and the phone went dead.
The 16-year-old claimed Martin told her he was running from “this crazy looking white dude.” The teenage girl claimed she heard Martin running and heard Zimmerman confront the boy, asking him what he was doing in the neighborhood. That was the last she was alleged to have heard before the phone died.
While she claimed to have been in the hospital at the time of the phone call, the state attorney’s office confirmed there are no medical records to confirm this. The defense is expected to use this to show the jury she lacks credit.
The prosecution team is reportedly shocked by the switch in directions. It now has just more than 90 days to prepare for trial.