Letters: Rehasing the Zimmerman case

Re “Verdict not a surprise to some,” July 15

The state of Florida does not have a third option it could have used to prosecute George Zimmerman such as the one a few states have, including California. We have an “imperfect self-defense” provision in our criminal code, effectively Door No. 3 that can be picked by California prosecutors.

This provides that the person killing another in self-defense made the wrong decision in assuming that his life was in immediate peril, and that the defendant bears some responsibility for overreacting.

The biggest hole in most self-defense laws is that they have no provision for what led up to the killing. Zimmerman created the situation that he said he found himself in. Trayvon Martin’s death came about because Zimmerman stalked the teenager before their confrontation, against the advice of the police dispatcher.

Ernest Salomon

Santa Barbara

I think Florida overcharged in the first place and failed to meet the burden of proof. With both Martin’s and Zimmerman’s mothers testifying that the voice screaming for help before the shooting was her son’s, how could a jury give either’s account greater weight?

I wonder how many people protesting the verdict have actually been in a jury box.

Michael Pell

Los Angeles

I have two questions.

First, if a white teenager had been arrested for burglary in Zimmerman’s community, would he have suspected another white teenager of being up to no good?

Second, had the roles been reversed — if Martin, a black teenager, had shot Zimmerman under similar circumstances — would the shooter have been jailed immediately?

After answering these questions, can you doubt that this confrontation and shooting were race-related?

Katharine Greenebaum

Los Angeles

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