So, with that being said, why would he accept a jury trial?
His attorney might determine that trial before a judge is the best option depending on venue.....the defendant almost always has that choice (depending on state statutes). That too however, carries inherent risks, as in most jurisdictions, you don't get to select the judge. They typically take cases on some sort of rotational system.......and judges have biases just like anyone else.
A good attorney knows how to work a jury......even a hostile one.......and with twelve people, he has an opportunity to hang it, resulting in a mistrial if that's his only shot. With a judge, the defense gets only one bite at the apple, which is why these cases are most often jury trials.
There is going to be a lot of pretrial hurdles that the prosecution is going to have to clear before this case gets to that point......a lot more information is going to have to come out before an actual trial begins. If the prosecution's case is as thin as it appears in the initial bond hearing, there is always the chance that the judge will toss it before the trial.......
I know nothing about Florida law, but generically the next step should be an "evidentiary hearing", where the prosecution is forced to present its entire case so the judge can determine if there is enough solid evidence to even present it to a jury.......that piece should be interesting, especially since the bond hearing resulted in a relatively low bond for the defendant.........based solely on that decision, it appears that the judge is skeptical that the prosecution can prevail.
All of this "agitation" by the race-baiters is a
sword that cuts both ways......it inflames the minority community, and the politicians run for cover, but the politicians won't decide this case.......when the jury pool sees testimony via telephone in bond hearings because of fear on the part of Zimmerman's family, death threats, and bounties placed on him by the NBPP......it pisses them off. No one in this country should have to live in fear from a group of people because of racial tension. That isn't helping the prosecutions case.
Pardon the editorializing........but I suspect that the majority of US citizens are growing damn tired of having to "tiptoe" around a group of people for fear that they might riot, burn down communities, and create general mayhem when they don't get their way, like petulant children......it's way past time for that crap to stop.......it would be reciprocally impossible to select a jury where at least some members don't harbor that opinion.
YMMV.....There is much that we don't know at this point......just speculation......
doc
