Minotaur
Governor
He is the first witness to date who saw it earlier and did say that Trayvon was on top initially in a "ground and pound" position. He seems to be a good witness and this hits at the heart of it. We may never know if Zimmerman pulled out his gun and Trayvon tried to save himself or Zimmerman grabbed him first and Trayvon struggled to get away or if Goode's impressions are correct to what he saw. Whatever it was, Goode seems believable to me without filling in if the gun was already pulled out, or who started it, or if fists were being exchanged. Goode did not see a switch of positions did he? Other witnesses noted the one on top got up and walked away after the shooting so that question is hanging. He may have given an answer so if you heard it, tell me??? But I think this goes to the heart of why Second Degree Murder could be a stretch but that can change as the trial moves on. If indeed the jury can decide on a lesser degree of Manslaughter, it would be a stronger case due to the choices Zimmerman made that night leading up to the death imo. Here is the manslaughter law in Florida:
"Manslaughter by Culpable Negligence: Engaging in “Culpably Negligent” conduct that resulted in the death of another person.
Penalties for Manslaughter: The crime of Manslaughter is classified as a Second Degree Felony and is assigned a Level 7 offense severity ranking under Florida's Criminal Punishment Code.
If convicted of Manslaughter, a judge is required to impose a minimum prison sentence of 9¼ years in prison and can impose any additional combination of the following penalties:
Up to 15 years in prison.
Up to 15 years of probation.
Up to $10,000 in fines."
"Manslaughter by Culpable Negligence: Engaging in “Culpably Negligent” conduct that resulted in the death of another person.
Penalties for Manslaughter: The crime of Manslaughter is classified as a Second Degree Felony and is assigned a Level 7 offense severity ranking under Florida's Criminal Punishment Code.
If convicted of Manslaughter, a judge is required to impose a minimum prison sentence of 9¼ years in prison and can impose any additional combination of the following penalties:
Up to 15 years in prison.
Up to 15 years of probation.
Up to $10,000 in fines."