@farmerman,
Quote:Inconsistency doesn't necessarily mean deception.
But when you get inconsistencies, and contradictions, it does raise suspicions about his truthfulness. Why should there be any inconsistencies and contradictions in Zimmerman's accounts? His only motivation to be untruthful, or to stretch the truth, would be some awareness of guilt on his part.
The police did have suspicions about Zimmerman from the start, and they did try to shake his story. The chief investigator did feel Zimmerman exaggerated the extent of his injuries, which he thought looked only "minor"--so they did wonder about Zimmerman's need to use deadly force, particularly after he followed this kid, toward whom he had some animosity, based on his profiling of him.
And then it turns out that the "suspicious character" was a teenage guest at that housing complex, who was simply coming back from the store, when Zimmerman set this whole tragedy in motion. That also raises questions about how much Zimmerman distorted everything about Martin in his accounts (and possibly even in his own mind), in order to make the shooting fit in with his perception of a criminal type, and in order to make his accounts more convincing to the police.
But the police couldn't shake his story, and there just wasn't enough evidence to confirm their suspicions--no one witnessed what went on before the fight broke out, Martin was dead, and Zimmerman's account was all they had. And that's why they wound up not charging him--there were lots of unanswered and troubling questions about this shooting, but no way to get them answered because the evidence just wasn't available.
And what I think we're seeing in this trial are the reasons they couldn't charge him right away--the evidence that this wasn't self defense is not firm or clear-cut enough to be confident of a successful prosecution. That's why the defense can score off the prosecution witnesses. The state is making a case for second degree murder or manslaughter, but that case really hinges on Zimmerman's mind-set toward Martin and the credibility of his accounts, and those are difficult evidentiary factors to put forth to a jury, particularly without having the defendant on the stand.
They do have some evidence about mind-set from Zimmerman's 911 calls and the fact he followed Martin, and they have Jeantel's testimony that Martin was trying to avoid him, and not looking for a fight, and said, "Get off me," when Zimmerman confronted him, suggesting it was Zimmerman who provoked or instigated the fight, and they have evidence that Zimmerman's injuries were minor and insignificant when he fired the shot. But, while there are contradictions and inconsistencies in Zimmerman's accounts, I think they don't have enough additional evidence to prove he was lying in those accounts to completely void his claim of self defense. And, given Florida law, they would have to completely void that claim.
I think it's better that this case did wind up in court, because of the troubling unanswered questions about this death, but I don't think we will get satisfactory answers to those questions because there doesn't seem to be a way to ferret them out. This was a totally avoidable and needless death, no matter how much Zimmerman chooses to see it as, "God's plan", and, whether due to his over-zealous desire to not see this punk get away, or his impaired judgment in so rapidly profiling Martin, or to his impulsively in not being able to wait for the police, or to his just plain reckless indifference for Martin's welfare, Zimmerman is responsible for creating the conditions that led to this needless death. Being able to hold him legally responsible for that death is a different matter. The state is trying hard, very hard, but they are so far hampered by a lack of enough evidence to completely void his self defense claim--and Florida law requires them to do that.
Watching this trial I can now understand why Zimmerman wasn't charged sooner.
If the jury knew about Zimmerman's lying to his lawyer, and the court, about his assets, so he could get a lower bail, and the elaborate scheme he and his wife devised to shift his assets between accounts to conceal them, and how they discussed this plan using code while Zimmerman was incarcerated and awaiting bail, I wonder how they would view this man's character and his credibility. He's a very accomplished and brazen liar, but the jury won't know about that...
