Trayvon Case: Zimmerman Acquitted

“You have no further business with the court.” With these words, the judge put an end to one of the most exciting trials of the past few decades of American history, which millions followed for weeks on live television: the trial of George Zimmerman, the volunteer guard who killed a 17 year old African American on Feb. 26, 2012 in Sanford, Florida.

Although Trayvon was not armed, Zimmerman, a 29 year old of Hispanic origin, has maintained that he fired in self-defense. After 16 hours of deliberation, the jury of six women supported his claim by declaring him “not guilty.” And so he was acquitted of all charges: that of second-degree murder, for which one risks a life sentence, and manslaughter, for which one risks 10 to 30 years in prison. Zimmerman remained expressionless as the verdict was read, though the tension in his eyes was highly visible, as it was in those of his parents and his wife. Trayvon’s father and mother, who were present in the courtroom for nearly all of the judicial hearings, were not present for the reading of the verdict. Outside a crowd gathered, demanding justice for the African American teenager and shouting furiously of injustice.

The Zimmerman trial transformed into a case that in the end divided, and most likely will continue to divide, America. In many it has raised the question of the racial motivation behind the murder. Protests have been staged for weeks. Thousands of young people traveled to Sanford to express their solidarity for Trayvon’s family. All of them were wearing hooded sweatshirts, just like Trayvon the night he was murdered. It was a surge of widespread indignation highlighted by the fact that, in the beginning, the local police decided not to arrest Zimmerman. Even the president of the United States, Barack Obama, felt the need to intervene, asking for the truth regarding this terrible incident: “If I had a son, he’d look like Trayvon.”

Today, Zimmerman is again a free man. But the decision to acquit him is destined to remain an issue for quite some time. From the beginning, the media wanted to see a racial motive behind the homicide, and it has already started to raise doubts as to why the 17 year old, who left a store with only a drink and some candy in hand and was headed toward his father’s house, was hunted down and killed by a gunshot.