Wow- a literal interpretation of the self defense law could lead to disastrous consequences

[AnotherMcIntosh]

26. Once double jeopardy attaches, a defendant cannot be tried again even if a jury does not follow the

judge's instructions and decides that the phrase "reasonably believe" is an open ended one with no real definition.

The phrase "reasonably believe" is one that has been defined by case law over the centuries. This has been distilled down to the definition that the judge will give near the end of the trial. The attorneys may argue over it. And the defense attorney may try to put his own spin on it. He may even try to give the false impression that the phrase means whatever the jury wants it to mean.

The defense attorney, or anyone else supporting Zimmerman, may also want to bring up issues which are not part of the elements which must be proved in order to support a conviction for murder in the second degree. A second degree murder conviction does not require proof of stalking, although the Zimmerman defenders may imply that it does. By then getting into the nuances of stalking, they can claim to disbelieve that stalking was proved, and disbelieve that second degree murder was proved.