I don't think Zimmerman really intended to kill Trayvon. [View all]

[IdaBriggs]

Last edited Fri Nov 22, 2013, 02:46 PM - Edit history (1)

I don't think he was acting like a crazy predator or in a serial killer wanna be fashion.

I think he wanted to be one of the good guys. I think prior to that night he did things that would help him "serve and protect" the people in his community. He took college classes about law enforcement, martial arts classes to be in decent shape/able to defend himself and possibly help others, and learned how to use a powerful tool (gun) that he was told over and over was important, and really not that big of a deal because of the Constitution. He volunteered in his community as a mentor and community watch person. He *cared* about people. (His story might be a different one if he joined the fire department; just saying.)

Like I said, I think he wanted to be a good guy.

Then one night, after he and his wife had been having troubles for a while, he and his wife had a fight. He probably felt depressed, and like a failure because I don't doubt he loved his wife at one point, and yes, I think he felt bad that he couldn't "fix" whatever was going wrong between them. I think he was angry and depressed and frustrated, and then he saw Trayvon.

I don't think "something snapped." I don't think he "hunted him down like a cold blooded killer." I think he wanted to be a good guy, and in his mind, Trayvon was a bad kid who was going to "get away with something" because the last batch had, and I don't think Zimmerman, in his depression at that moment believed the system was working to protect people the way it was supposed to.

I think he wanted to be a hero, and I don't think he really believed anyone was going to die. I think he thought he would "detain" the young criminal and then things would get better.

I believe his gun was out (not in his back pocket) when he approached Trayvon, and I think that decision - not intended to kill, but to intimidate - was where a really bad day went to complete hell not just for him, but also for Trayvon and his family.

I think after the initial shock of the killing he truly thought he had done a good deed (because I think Trayvon did try to defend himself against the "strange lunatic with a gun&quot . And I think he received some coaching on what to say/was smart enough not to say "my gun was already out" because Trayvon *had* to be a bad guy if he was dead, right? Because good people don't kill other good people, and God cannot be that cruel....

But Trayvon wasn't a bad kid - he was scared of the stranger "stalking him" and the two didn't know each other. It was a bad day, and yes, I think the whole thing was Zimmerman's fault for having a gun, most likely out, in the first place. If he'd only been armed with a cell phone, Trayvon would still be alive and the misunderstanding of who these two people WERE - a community volunteer and a kid coming home from the store - would not have turned deadly.

I think during the trial Zimmerman really believed his own narrative - "It was self defense," - and only a fool would want to spend his life in jail. I think he focused on the crisis at hand, and thanks to a good attorney/bad prosecution, he didn't end up in jail for life.

But now, he is broken. He is not a fool, and he knows what really happened. I believe he is haunted by the mistakes of that night (as he should be). He knows Trayvon was a good kid who was scared of him, and he knows the whole thing is his fault.

He killed an innocent teenager. That isn't how good guys behave. He made a mistake in judgment, and he is now completely screwed. I think he is reliving the nightmare over and over again, and either one of two things will happen:

The first and most likely is that it will kill him - suicide or death by cop. Karma is a powerful thing, and the killing of an innocent, even if it is started with good intentions/was an accident, will destroy him.

We are watching that now.

The second option is Redemption. This would involve telling the truth, and him spending his life working to atone for what he did. He would need to admit his culpability, explain his wrong, apologize over and over again, and pray for forgiveness, all while working to honor the life he took by making his mean something by educating others to prevent them from making the same mistakes he did.

The second is a harder road, and frankly, unlikely. The brutal and painful honesty required in acknowledging mistakes made and poor judgment exhibited involves acknowledging self deception as well as vulnerability and fear. Pride feeds karma; to make a humble request for redemption is near impossible when the wheel of fate is crushing you.

I feel sorry for George Zimmerman. I feel sorrier for Trayvon Martin and his family. I will keep watching the story, not because I think Zimmerman is a wanna be serial killer, but because he is a fellow human being, and I am curious which path he will take - will he choose pride and death, haunted to the end by the blood of an innocent, or will he choose truth and redemption, and a life of atonement?

My opinion. Your mileage may vary.