The parents of Trayvon Martin may finally get what they desire: justice for their murdered son.
According to media reports, a special prosecutor will decide this week whether to bring charges against the self-appointed neighborhood watch volunteer (Zimmerman) who admitted to killing the teen in late February in Sanford, Fla., a northern suburb of Orlando.
The case could be taken up as early as Tuesday by a grand jury that is expected to convene in Seminole County, Fla. Angela Corey, the special prosecutor, has to make one of three choices: File charges, drop the case or send it to a grand jury.
Two prosecutors are working to determine whether there was sufficient evidence to bring charges against 28-year-old Zimmerman. Special prosecutor Angela Corey admitted that she has never used a grand jury to decide on charges in a justifiable homicide case.
“We do a thorough investigation. We make that decision ourselves,” she said.
It is unclear if prosecutors have interviewed Zimmerman. In late March, Corey told HLN that prosecutors had yet to speak to him, nor did her office know where he was. However, Zimmerman’s attorneys say he is available anytime to talk to the special prosecutor. Zimmerman’s legal team, plus family members and friends, have recently mounted an aggressive campaign in efforts to exonerate the white Hispanic whose killing of Trayvon Martin has ignited racial firestorm nationwide.
While some details are sketchy, particularly the last seconds of Martin’s life, this is what is known so far: Martin, wearing a hoodie, ventured out from his father’s fiancee’s home in Sanford to get a snack at a nearby convenience store. As he walked home with a bag of Skittles and an Arizona iced tea, he was shot and killed by Zimmerman.
We know that Zimmerman willfully ignored police dispatcher requests that Zimmerman not follow Martin.
We know that Zimmerman’s attorneys interpret the 911 call differently, and say the operator did not order Zimmerman not to follow, which is incredulous to most listeners of the 911 call.
We also know that Sanford police questioned Zimmerman and released him without charges, despite the fact that one detective wanted to charge Zimmerman with manslaughter.
We know that Zimmerman says he killed Martin in self-defense after he said the teen punched him and slammed his head on the sidewalk, according to an Orlando Sentinel report that was later confirmed by Sanford police.
We know that one of the responding officers reported that he saw a wound on the back of Zimmerman’s head and a bloody nose, and noted that his back was wet — indicating he had been lying in the grass, according to the police report.
We know that an enhanced copy of a surveillance video showing him in police custody after the shooting appears to show a bump, mark or injury on his head.
–terry shropshire
