George Zimmerman was charged Wednesday with second-degree murder 45 days after Sanford police said he shot and killed 17-year-old Trayvon Martin.
Zimmerman, 28, turned himself into authorities. Special prosecutor Angela Corey later announced Zimmerman is being held without bond.
Trayvon’s death made national headlines after Sanford police didn’t immediately charge Zimmerman. Some believed Trayvon was targeted for his race, while others said the media was blowing the case out of proportion.
The controversy began the night of Feb. 26, when police said Trayvon walked to his father’s girlfriend’s house from a store unarmed. Zimmerman called authorities and said he was following a suspicious person. The two fought, and Zimmerman shot Trayvon.
Zimmerman told police he acted in self defense.
UF law professor Michelle Jacobs said if he’s convicted of second-degree murder, Zimmerman could face up to 30 years in jail.
“I’m a little surprised at the charges,” she said.
Jacobs said she originally thought Zimmerman would be charged with manslaughter. Both charges acknowledge the defendant never intended to kill.
She said the two charges differ in the degree of recklessness committed.
For example, she said, if someone threw a heavy object off an overpass at 3 a.m. that killed a driver, the person who threw the object would likely be charged with manslaughter. However, if that same person threw a heavy object at oncoming traffic during rush hour, he could be charged with murder.
She said the difference is there’s a greater chance someone will get hurt in the second scenario, which makes the incident more reckless.
Jacobs said Zimmerman will be in court within 24 hours for his initial hearing, where the charges will be explained.
If the case makes it to a jury trial, Jacobs said the state prosecutor will have to prove Zimmerman didn’t have the right to follow Trayvon and the actions that led to Trayvon’s death were “very” reckless.
Some students said they are disappointed with the overall situation.
Michael Keller, 20, said the media’s attention to the case has become borderline ridiculous.
“Black rights groups turned this into a racist thing,” the civil engineering sophomore said, “when it wasn’t like that to begin with.”
Others celebrated the fact that Zimmerman is in custody.
Vincent Adejumo, a UF Ph.D. candidate and member of the Black Graduate Student Organization, said he hopes the prosecutor was able to gather enough evidence for a conviction.
“It’s unfortunate that it took this long,” the 25-year-old said. “But I’m glad he’s been charged so the justice system can run its course.”
Contact Shelby Webb at swebb@alligator.org.
