Summary of Postings on Prosecution of George Zimmerman for Killing Trayvon Martin

This post lists my previous entries describing the statutes that will govern the criminal case against George Zimmerman for the shooting death of Trayvon Martin. These posts analyze the murder and manslaughter statutes, the law of self-defense including "Stand Your Ground" and "Use of Force by Aggressor" statutes, and the investigators' affidavit filed against Zimmerman.

The Interplay of Sections 776.041 (Use of Force by Aggressor) and 776.013(3) (Stand Your Ground) in Zimmerman Case

The "Stand Your Ground" law explicitly provides that a person "has no duty to retreat" if he or she is "not engaged in an unlawful activity." However, another statute entitled "Use of Force by Aggressor" provides that if a person initially provokes the use of force then that person may not claim self-defense unless he or she has "exhausted every reasonable means to escape." I suspect that prosecutors will rely upon this second law in their prosecution of George Zimmerman for the shooting death of Trayvon Martin.