All articles from Patrik Jonsson

Zimmerman won't get his gun back yet, per Justice Department. What's up? (+video)

The US Justice Department wants the George Zimmerman gun and other physical evidence in the Trayvon Martin shooting to be held intact, pending its civil rights probe. That might signal stepped-up activity by the feds, but analysts see reason to doubt they will ultimately file charges.
Feds target 'stand your ground' laws, but what can they do?

Neither Congress nor the executive branch can force states to change their laws, and courts have been skeptical about attempts to strike down stand your ground legislation. At least one juror has said this law was a key factor in the George Zimmerman verdict.
Why Zimmerman verdict might not roll back 'stand your ground' laws (+video)

The US attorney general, Juror B37, and even Stevie Wonder express reservations about self-defense laws like Florida's 'stand your ground' statute, a factor in the George Zimmerman trial. What's the likelihood such laws will be reconsidered?
Zimmerman not guilty: Victory for new kind of civil rights era?

Persecution of lawful gun owners is the new civil rights battle, many Americans claim. George Zimmerman just became their icon.
A Texas end run on Roe v. Wade abortion rights?

Despite fierce resistance from Democrats, Texas Senate Republicans on Friday pushed through a bold anti-abortion bill, becoming the 13th state to ban abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy,
George Zimmerman trial: Six women weigh a silent man’s future

The George Zimmerman jury has resumed deliberations in Sanford, Fla. Six women have an unenviable task: Measure justice in the case of a neighborhood watch captain who kills an unarmed teenager.
Police in Florida warn against riots in wake of a George Zimmerman verdict

As jurors in the George Zimmerman trial began deliberations Friday, officials warn against post-verdict violence and take precautions to stem it. Are conditions ripe for racial unrest? At least one expert doubts it.
Weighty words, charged atmosphere as Zimmerman trial rests with jury

Lawyers' closing arguments in the George Zimmerman trial invoked the Founding Fathers and Martin Luther King Jr. – portentous words for a high-stakes case. Jurors began deliberations Friday afternoon.
Zimmerman trial: For jury, anguished task to resolve death of Trayvon Martin

The Zimmerman trial testimony is complicated and hard evidence scant, but the jury’s choices are basic: Is Zimmerman responsible for the death of a teenager? Or was it precipitated by Trayvon’s own actions?
George Zimmerman trial: Jury can consider lesser charge of manslaughter (+video)

The judge in the George Zimmerman murder trial will give the jury the option of convicting him of a lesser charge, despite objections from the defense. Some legal analysts say prosecutors were not confident of their case for second-degree murder in the Trayvon Martin shooting.
George Zimmerman speaks, but won’t testify in his defense (+video)

The man at the center of the Trayvon Martin murder case told Judge Debra Nelson on Wednesday he will not take the stand – one of several last minute moves by Zimmerman's defense team.
Fight expert: George Zimmerman more like Pee-wee Herman than Chuck Norris

George Zimmerman, on trial for the fatal shooting of Trayvon Martin, trained at a boxing gym but was not deemed competent enough to face someone in the ring, a fight expert testified Wednesday.
Trayvon Martin as pot smoker: What Zimmerman defense stands to gain

The judge overseeing the George Zimmerman trial has ruled that the defense can discuss how marijuana use might have affected Trayvon Martin on the night of his fatal encounter with the defendant. The strategy serves several purposes.
Thomas George Paculis extortion try: Vultures circling over Paula Deen’s crisis?

Former Food Network star Paula Deen is fighting for her culinary empire after admitting to using the N-word. The FBI caught one alleged blackmailer on Friday who demanded $250,000.
George Zimmerman prosecution leaves jury to untangle lies and justification

The State of Florida rested its case Friday against George Zimmerman, on trial for killing unarmed teenager Trayvon Martin last year. The state faces long odds in winning a conviction.
Trayvon Martin case: As prosecution rests, saga captivates Americans

Florida prosecutors on Friday finished laying out their case against George Zimmerman, who faces second-degree murder charges in the fatal shooting of teenager Trayvon Martin. Why is this particular trial so riveting for so many?
Trayvon Martin's mom: It was my son screaming (+video)

Day 19 of the George Zimmerman murder trial began emotionally, with Trayvon Martin's mom, Sybrina Fulton, taking the stand to say the person screaming on a recorded 911 call was 'Trayvon Benjamin Martin.'
Gun grab? No Trayvon Martin DNA on George Zimmerman gun, expert says (+video)

A forensics expert testified Wednesday that no DNA from slain teenager Trayvon Martin was found on the gun George Zimmerman used to shoot him. Zimmerman has reportedly said Trayvon tried to grab the gun as the two fought.
Trayvon Martin case: Zimmerman studied self-defense law, witness says (+video)

A college professor testified Wednesday that George Zimmerman learned in his criminal justice class about Florida's self-defense law. Why prosecutors in the Trayvon Martin shooting are keen to establish that.
USA Update Heat wave scorches Death Valley, America’s hottest of the hot (+video)

A dome of extreme hot weather is baking much of the West, but whether or not the moment is historic will be up to the thermometer at Death Valley’s Furnace Creek, where the world’s hottest temperature – 134 degrees – was recorded in 1913.