Should a college class be brought into court?
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Could taking a specific college class haunt you in the future?
For George Zimmerman, the man on trial for second-degree murder of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin in Orlando Florida, it has.
Zimmerman’s attorneys are pleading self-defense in the trial, and this week Zimmerman’s former professor took the stand to discuss the criminal litigation course Zimmerman received an ‘A’ in at Seminole State College.
Prosecutors wanted to enlighten jurors about this because last year, in an interview with Fox News, Zimmerman said he was unaware of the Stand Your Ground Law in Florida.
According to Zimmerman’s college professor self-defense was a largely discussed in the course.
“I wanted to teach the class from a practical standpoint where these students can really relate and take something from it and apply it to their own lives. You know with Florida and other states, they have what’s called the Stand Your Ground Law,” U.S. Army Capt. Alexis Francisco Carter said of why he taught his students about Florida’s expansive self-defense law, which allows individuals to defend themselves with deadly force if they feel their lives are being threatened.
To be honest, I have not been following the Trayvon Martin case; and so, I have no strong opinions on whether Mr. Zimmerman is guilty of second-degree murder or not, but I am interested with the fact that prosecutors brought a college class into the courtroom.
While I understand why prosecutors would want to point out that he lied about knowing about the Stand Your Ground law, I do not see why his knowledge of the law would make a difference in the case.
What do you think about prosecutors bringing a college class into a second-degree murder court case? Tell us in your comments. We’re dying to know what you think.