Fort Lauderdale Self-Defense Cases Impacted by Trayvon Martin Slaying

Will Fort Lauderdale self-defense cases suffer in the wake of the fatal shooting of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin in Sanford?

That’s a concern of Fort Lauderdale criminal defense attorneys. While the facts and implications of the case – which is still under investigation – have been combed through by analysts across the country, one aspect that hasn’t received much discussion is what the effect will be on cases in which there is a legitimate claim of self-defense.

While this case has become racially charged, the fact is self-defense is, and must be, a legitimate defense when a violent death occurs.

For anyone who may have been living under a rock the last month or so, here’s what we know about the Martin case: That Trayvon was walking home from the store with a bag of candy and iced tea in his pocket. George Zimmerman, a neighborhood watch captain, called 911 to report a suspicious person, wearing a hoodie, cutting through yards. The dispatcher instructed him not to follow the suspicious person, but he did so anyway. A confrontation of some sort ensued, and Zimmerman shot Trayvon.

Initially, police declined to press charges against Zimmerman, citing Florida’s Stand Your Ground Law, or Florida defense attorneys fear backlash in self-defense cases, By DAVID OVALLE, The Miami Herald

More Blog Entries:
Fort Lauderdale Police Arrests Put Criminal Cases in Jeopardy, Nov. 3, 2011, Fort Lauderdale Criminal Lawyer Blog