George Zimmerman Trial Jury Selection Begins: Where The Case Stands
15 months ago George Zimmerman shot and killed unarmed 19 year old Trayvon Martin in a gated community in Florida. The case gained national and global attention raising debate about race, gun use, and violence. Today the juror selection has begun for the Trial of Zimmerman that is expected to last a month. If Zimmerman is convicted of second degree murder he faces life behind bars.But how will the six jurors be picked?Experts are already saying that it is going to be exceptionally difficult to find members of the public that don’t already have opinions about the case that has stopped and divided the nation. The pool of 500 candidates will be grilled on various issues before being selected.The sort of questions they will be asked will be in regard to race, their views on gun ownership, their own experiences with violence or assault and whether they will be sympathetic to Zimmerman. The court will also examine how much knowledge they have about the case, which has been under the media spotlight for well over a year.For their privacy they will never be photographed in the courtroom and will be referred to by a number not their name. They have the daunting task of deciding whether or not George Zimmerman, shot Martin in an act of self-defense or a callous act of murder.Prosecutors will argue that Zimmerman who was serving as a neighborhood watch volunteer shot unarmed Trayvon Martin at close range in second degree murder. The defense however will state that Zimmerman acted in self-defense after being attacked by the teen.It is unclear at this point in time if Zimmerman will take to the stand in his own defense. 15 months after Trayvon Martin was killed the jury selection has begun. It is unclear however how long the nation will continue to wait for the answer of why the teen was killed- was it an act of self-defense or was it murder?