Mishaps in and out of the courtroom during Week 1 of #zimmermantrial How the defense ended strong after shaky start with a knock, knock joke that fell flat Analysis by: Attorney David Weinstein "The week ended much differently than it started. Unlike Monday’s opening statements, after today’s testimony, the prosecution no longer has a clear upper hand. Each side built their case and both the defense and prosecution scored some points today. The State used today’s witnesses to bolster their version of the crime bit by bit. They continue to try to establish ill will, hatred and spite, as well as acts that were imminently dangerous to human life. The points that the defense made with these same witnesses will help them in what may be their plan to present their case and keep their client from having to take the stand. The human nature in each of us wants George Zimmerman to take the stand and tell his side of the story and then let the jury decide if he acted in self defense. However, the constitution protects all of us from self incrimination and unlike the state, a defendant is not required to present any testimony or testify in their own defense. Even with the upcoming holiday break, if the pace of the trial stays at its current rate, the State may be able to rest their case at the end of next week. By the way, don’t confuse the jurors refusal to take breaks as a sign that they are not tired. They know that the more breaks they take, the longer the trial will continue. Finally, it’s what the defense team is doing outside of the courtroom that is hurting them the most. Don West’s daughter’s Instagram picture was not a wise choice. Neither was Mark Omara’s decision to appear a number of times this week on Anderson Cooper 360. While not in direct violation of Rule 4-3.6 of the Florida Bar Rules of Professional Conduct, which addresses Trial Publicity, his appearance is occurring while he was in the middle of a trial. This is not something that counsel for one of the parties to a lawsuit should be doing. Fortunately, the sequestration of the jury will prevent their out of court conduct from affecting the juror’s decision of whether or not George Zimmerman is guilty or not guilty." Bio: David Weinstein heads Clarke Silverglate PA’s white collar criminal defense practice. His areas of expertise include corporate compliance, asset forfeiture and recovery, money laundering and fraud cases. Before joining Clarke Silverglate, Mr. Weinstein was an Assistant United States Attorney and an Assistant State Attorney in Miami Dade County. Prior to leaving government practice, he served as Chief of the Public Integrity/National Security section at the US Attorney’s Office. He has 25 years of practice in criminal law and his courtroom experience includes more than 100 jury trials ranging from burglaries and homicides through international money laundering and drug trafficking cases.”
Posted on: Fri, 28 Jun 2013 22:42:16 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015