Questions and Answers in the Trayvon Martin Case
What's next for Zimmerman, plus more.
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Why Did It Take 45 Days for George Zimmerman to Be Arrested? - The Associated Press released a fact sheet breaking down George Zimmerman’s second-degree murder charge, the Martin family’s side of the story, what’s next in the case, plus more. —Britt Middleton Florida special prosecutor Angela Corey said probable cause had to be established before Zimmerman was arrested. Zimmerman maintains he acted in self-defense when he shot and killed Trayvon Martin on Feb. 26. (Photo: Courtesy Fox News)
Photo By Courtesy Fox News
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Is It Normal for Police to Forego Making an Arrest? - Typically, police will make an arrest and allow the courts to decide whether deadly force was necessary. However, in this case, Sanford Police have said they followed protocol by not charging Zimmerman. (Photo: Spencer Weiner-Pool/Getty Images)
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What Evidence Does the Prosecutor Have? - In her press conference announcing Zimmerman’s second-degree murder charge, Corey did not disclose how she arrived at the charge. She said that information would be revealed in court. (Photo: AP Photo/Rick Wilson)
Photo By AP Photo/Rick Wilson
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What’s Next for Zimmerman? - A solemn Zimmerman made his first court appearance in Sanford, Florida, on April 12. He was told his formal arraignment will take place on May 29. (Photo: AP Photo/Gary W. Green, Orlando Sentinel, Pool)
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Who Is Representing Zimmerman? - Just one day after his former attorneys quit, it was announced on April 11 that attorney Mark O'Mara of Orlando will represent the 28-year-old. “He’s frightened,” O’Mara said of Zimmerman, who could face a minimum of 25 years in prison or a maximum of life if convicted. “That would frighten any one of us.” (Photo: AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack)
Photo By AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack
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How Will Zimmerman Plead? - According to O’Mara, Zimmerman will plead not guilty. (Photo: AP/File/ Sanford Police Department)
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What Is Zimmerman’s Side of the Story? - On his website, therealgeorgezimmerman.com, Zimmerman called the shooting “a life altering event,” but said he couldn’t go into details about what happened. “As a result of the incident and subsequent media coverage, I have been forced to leave my home, my school, my employer, my family and ultimately, my entire life,” he wrote.(Photo:therealgeorgezimmerman.com)
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What Is the Martin Family’s Side of the Story? - "George Zimmerman stalked my son and murdered him in cold blood," Trayvon’s mother Sybrina Fulton said in an interview on MSNBC on April 12. The family has said their beliefs are based on a 911 call made by a witness and a cell phone conversation Trayvon had with his girlfriend moments before he was killed. (Photo: Courtesy Fox News)
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Why Has the Case Sparked Debate About Racism in America? - Many critics have decried that Trayvon, a young African-American, was a victim of racial profiling after the teen was fatally shot in a gated community in an Orlando, Florida, suburb. Zimmerman’s father is white, and his mother is Hispanic of Peruvian descent. (Photo: AP/File/ Sanford Police Department, Courtesy Facebook)
Photo By AP/File/ Sanford Police Department, Courtesy Facebook