http://abcnews.go.com/US/trayvon-martin-killing-lead-prosecutor-
george-zimmerman-walk/story?id=16000239#.T3BJZ2Egdnc
The nationwide clamor for an arrest notwithstanding, the lead
prosecutor in the Trayvon Martin case tells ABC News that
convicting his killer, the neighborhood watch volunteer George
Zimmerman, could prove difficult.
"The stand-your-ground law is one portion of justifiable use of
deadly force," veteran State Attorney Angela Corey said. "And
what that means is that the state must go forward and be able to
prove it's case beyond a reasonable doubt… So it makes the case
in general more difficult than a normal criminal case."
Zimmerman shot Martin dead the night of Feb. 26, after following
him for several minutes. Zimmerman told police Martin looked
suspicious because he was wearing a hoodie, and when he
confronted him the two fought -- ultimately resulting in a
single bullet in Martin's chest.
Trayvon Martin Case: Timeline of Events
Zimmerman claimed self defense all along, and this weekend the
lawyer counseling him, Craig Sonner, told ABC News that he was
likely to invoke Florida's controversial stand-your-ground law
in his defense.
The law affords people enormous leeway to use deadly force if
they feel their life is seriously endangered. Sonner said
Zimmerman felt "one of them was going to die that night," when
he pulled the trigger.
Corey, a veteran prosecutor known for her zealous defense of
victims rights was hand-picked by Florida Gov. Rick Scott for
the job. But she faces other challenges in the case.
While in life Trayvon Martin was barely 17, when it comes to
justifiable homicide his size -- about 6-foot-3 and 150 pounds --
makes him an adult in death.
But with the Department of Justice and the FBI investigating
this case as a possible hate crime, Corey might want to pursue
that as well.
"So it would depend on which charge if any we're able to file,"
she said. "Before we would be able to determine, one, if this is
a hate crime, and two, whether or not that would enhance the
crime."
Corey's team is now reinvestigating a case that the Sanford
Police Department is accused of bungling. Possible police
missteps include failing to administer a toxicology exam on
Zimmerman, not impounding his car, and failing to contact key
witnesses -- like Martin's girlfriend, who was talking to the
teen by cell phone and heard most of the scuffle with Zimmerman
unfold.
ABC News has learned there is tremendous pressure from local and
state authorities for an arrest.
Corey said parts of the investigation might only take a few more
days to complete but charges, if they ever come, could be weeks
away.