Trayvon Martin Prosecutor: Investigation Continues, No Grand Jury
Monday, April 09, 2012
The special prosecutor investigating the Feb. 26 shooting death of Florida teen Trayvon Martin announced this morning she will not be taking the case to a grand jury this week.
Her investigation continues and the decision regarding use of a grand jury — which she had previously indicated she might not employ — shouldn't be viewed as an indication of whether charges will or will not eventually be brought, State Attorney Angela Corey said in a statement released by her office, according to The Orlando Sentinel.
Martin, 17, was killed by 28-year-old neighborhood watch volunteer George Zimmerman.
Zimmerman says he shot the teenager in self defense. Martin's family and supporters say evidence that Zimmerman followed the boy indicates Martin was a victim of racial profiling, and that local authorities should have arrested the shooter. The case has sparked a national conversation about race and racial profiling.
The Associated Press adds that:
"The announcement means the decision on charges now rests solely with Corey, who had a reputation for not presenting cases before grand juries if it wasn't required. Under Florida law, only first-degree murder cases require the use of grand juries."
Update at 1:55 p.m. ET. A Statement On Behalf Of Martin's Family:
"We are not surprised by this announcement and, in fact, are hopeful that a decision will be reached very soon to arrest George Zimmerman and give Trayvon Martin's family the simple justice they have been seeking all along," attorney Benjamin Crump says in a statement emailed to reporters. "The family has been patient throughout this process and asks that those who support them do the same during this very important investigation. "
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Source: NPR
Comments [1]
Dismissing the grand jury does not leave the case in limbo. Rather it frees the prosecutor to charge as she sees fit.
Based on the repeated and excruciating screams heard a minute or so before the shot is fired, Zimmerman had the opportunity not to shoot Martin. Since he shot him anyway, the prosecutor has enough evidence to bring a murder charge -- this is so even if we assume that Zimmerman was initially punched and knocked down. Martin’s “help, help” pleas show that Zimmerman later got the upper hand, and could have waited for the police make the arrest. Instead, he shot an unarmed man pleading for help. This is enough to show criminal intent and a murder charge is therefore in order.
As for race, it had nothing to do with Zimmerman’s decision to shoot -- though it may have been a factor in his pursuing Martin at the outset. It certainly was a factor in the perfunctory investigation that followed. Nonetheless, Zimmerman, did not shoot Martin because he was black. He shot him because he was angry. So angry, in fact, that he could not hear Martin’s desperate pleas for help.
Great anger, even when provoked, does not justify the killing of another human being.
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