Zimmerman Free; Sherriff appeals for calm

[MichaelMyers]

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories...07-13-22-07-59

After a year and a half of living as a hermit, George Zimmerman emerged from a Florida courthouse a free man, cleared of all charges in the shooting of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin.

His brother said the former neighborhood watch volunteer was still processing the reality that he wouldn't serve prison time for the killing, which Zimmerman, 29, has maintained was an act of self-defense. Late Saturday night, a jury found him not guilty of second-degree murder and declined to convict him on a lesser charge of manslaughter.

However, with many critics angry over his acquittal, his freedom may be limited.

"He's going to be looking over his shoulder the rest of his life," Robert Zimmerman Jr. said during an interview on CNN.

Who in your view is responsible for the horror of death in this case?

[metternich1815]

Personally, I think George Zimmerman was guilty of at least manslaughter. With that being said, the problem is that there just was not enough evidence and the prosecution did a weak job at presenting their case. So, if it had been anything other than Not Guilty, I, honestly, would have been surprised.

[metternich1815]

Note: I do believe that there was enough evidence to show that it is highly likely that Zimmerman at least committed manslaughter, but just not enough to prove beyond a reasonable doubt, as is required in U.S. courts.