George Zimmerman admitted to killing Trayvon Martin on the night of
February 26th, 2012 in a gated community in Sanford, Florida, but claimed he acted in self-defense
and that he was the one crying out for help. Zimmerman was free for
approximately 45 days, but due to public outrage, was eventually arrested and
charged with second-degree murder. If
convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of life in prison without the
possibility of parole.
Second degree murder in Florida is defined as: “The unlawful
killing of a human being, when perpetrated by any act imminently dangerous to
another and evincing a depraved mind regardless of human life, although without
any premeditated design to effect the death of any particular individual, is
murder in the second degree and constitutes a felony of the first degree,
punishable by imprisonment for a term of years not exceeding life.”
Had Zimmerman been charged and found guilty of a federal
hate crime involving murder, he could have potentially faced the death penalty. In a
federal court, the prosecution would have to prove that Zimmerman acted with
hatred toward the victim and killed Trayvon Martin because he was African
American.
On the night Zimmerman shot Trayvon Martin, a panicked male
voice was heard by dispatchers crying for help when a woman called 911 to
report the incident. Then a gunshot was heard that took Trayvon Martin's life. He was only 17.
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