George Zimmerman, the neighborhood watchman who shot and killed Trayvon Martin, is scheduled for an arraignment on May 29th. So far, he has not entered a plea.
His lawyer has requested that any future records in the case, including witness statements and identifying information, be completely sealed in order to prevent the case from being tried in the media. The prosecution agreed, but will release a two-page affidavit supporting the state's second degree murder charge.
Of course, that's assuming that the charge sticks. According to the Miami Herald, former Miami U.S. Attorney and author of Spinning the Law Kendall Coffey suggested the prosecution might not stay with the charge through trial. Mostly because a jury could, under some circumstances, toss the second-degree murder charge and convict of a lesser charge, such as manslaughter. This is because in order to prove Zimmerman guilty of second-degree murder they will have to show that he acted with a depraved mind when he shot Trayvon.
“This is an aggressive charge,” Coffey said. “And there are times when an aggressive charge gives more incentive for the defendant to seek a plea. The vast majority of cases don’t go to trial and end in a plea.”
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