walking while black - Trayvon Martin

[HairOfTheDog]

I still think its a bit of a disgrace that Zimmermans defence has to beg online for donations just so they can try and mount a decent defence.

The government have recently made cuts in the legal aid budget in the UK but all serious cases still get legal aid if required. That means everyone accused gets the right to have a decent and compotent defence whether they are a prince or pauper.

I get what you're saying.

But, Zimmerman chose a private defense and eluded his first pro bono attorneys - he basically went rogue and did interviews, set up a website to solicit money, contacted the state attorneys office...against those attorneys' advice. They may not have been able to operate pro bono all the way through, but George was basically creating his own defense strategy at that time. They dropped him. That's when O'Mara came into the picture.

Zimmerman probably could have chosen a public defender as well.

Definitely, Zimmerman could have avoided trial altogether if he had been willing to testify and cross-examined at a hearing as to his version of events and been granted immunity from the judge using the Stand Your Ground laws. He waived that option to go to trial using standard self defense instead.

It's not that George didn't have other options, this is the defense route he's chosen. IMO.

ETA: Posting at same time as user and Adub.