Zimmerman Charged With 2nd-Degree Murder of Trayvon Martin 4/11/2012 Angela Corey's press conference

[JDPriestly]

7. Yes. But this prosecutor is explaining how it is supposed to work.

I think she made a good statement. We shall see what really happens.

I am uncertain from what the prosecutor said as to whether due to the Stand Your Ground law the issue of an affirmative defense, in other words, Zimmerman's claim that he was justified in killing Trayvon in self-defense will be heard first, before other issues are decided.

Seems rather awkward to me because by pleading self-defense, a defendant essentially admits having committed the act -- here the killing. Wouldn't it be better to require the prosecutor to prove first that the defendant committed the unlawful act?

Alternatively, the prosecutor seemed to suggest that she had already considered the self-defense issue. How would she have the authority to decide that? Wouldn't the court have to decide? And how can a court consider the self-defense argument without first hearing the prosecutor's case? I can't picture how this would work under the SYG law.

Another problem with the SYG law that has become apparent to me in this case is that we have a defendant who may or may not have committed a crime. Here we know that the defendant shot Trayvon, but in many cases we would not. And in this case, we had a defendant running around without being charged, not communicating properly with his lawyers and talking not only to the press but perhaps also the prosecutor outside the presence of his lawyer.

That is a horrible situation as many commentators have pointed out. No matter the crime, no matter the situation, a defendant, it seems to me, is better off charged and awaiting trial.

If there is an arraignment, then the defendant will either be assigned an attorney or be represented by one he has hired. And once the defendant really has appeared with an attorney, it would be easier for the attorney to explain things to his client and thereby, hopefully, control the defendant. That is far better for the defendant.

I don't have much experience with this particular kind of situation, but this is what I see here.

The SYG law does not seem to work well either for the defendant or the victim.