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John Edwards : Not Guilty on One Count, Mistrial on Others

Bump and Update: Huge loss for the Government. The verdict is not guilty on one count, jury deadlocked on others. Edwards spoke after court:

While I do not believe I did anything illegal, or ever thought I was doing anything illegal, I did an awful, awful lot that was wrong and there is no one else responsible for my sins," Edwards said on the courthouse steps.

"I don't think God's through with me. I really believe he thinks there's still some good things I can do and whatever happens with this legal stuff going forward, what I'm hopeful about is all those kids that I've seen, you know in the poorest parts of this country and some of the poorest parts in the world that I can help them," he said.

[Original Post Below:]

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George Zimmerman: Adds a Lawyer to Team

Update: Just heard from the state's attorney's office, nothing was released today. But, Mark O'Mara said a former federal public defender has been added to his defense team.

Today is the day new discovery should be available in the George Zimmerman case. Since I'll be at work, readers will likely see it before I do.

Here's an open thread to discuss it, and other matters pertaining the evidence and law in the case. Please, no references to negative information on character that has not been released by the state and which neither party has indicated it will seek to admit.

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John Edwards : Juror Issues

Predicting what is going on behind the closed doors of jury deliberation is like reading tea leaves. Something is going on behind the scenes with the jurors in the John Edwards trial. What that might be is unclear.

The judge held another closed conference yesterday after a juror submitted a note. She also told the alternates they no longer have to report every day, they are now on "standby."

For once, the media seems to be unwilling to speculate. Why? Absence of facts has never stopped them before, especially if they can create a story that someone will be found guilty. [More...]

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George Zimmerman Case: Timelines and Routes

I've generally stayed away from speculative discussions of timelines and possible routes of George Zimmerman and Trayvon Martin the night Travyon Martin was shot, except in relation to the released discovery materials and other material released by the State or City of Sanford.

But we've covered the law and discovery this weekend, and commenters here want to discuss their theories. So here is a thread to do that.

I have put what I think the relevant times are below, as well my latest map showing the possible routes, followed by what I think are the likely possibilities. I don't think we have enough evidence to arrive at a final conclusion, so I don't make one. [More...]

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Zimmerman: The Discovery and the Witnesses

More discovery in the George Zimmerman-Trayvon Martin case will be disclosed to the media on May 31. On June 1, Judge Lester will hold a hearing on the state's motion to seal and prevent public release of some of the discovery. Notice of the hearing was provided to lawyers for the media (order here) who have previously intervened in the case objecting to the state's withholding of information.

The state's motion is here. George Zimmerman's lawyer, Mark O'Mara agrees with the state and is asking for at least 30 days to review the material before it is released so he can decide what objections to make.

O'Mara says he's received thousands of pages of discovery as well as recordings. The documents released to the media consist of 183 pages, some videos, photographs and audio recordings. What's in the rest of the thousands of pages? [More...]

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George Zimmerman: The Most Likely Scenario

As I've written previously, the changes in statements of W-6 (John), W-12 (wife of w-13) and W-2 (the sister without her contacts who saw, and then didn't see, two figures chasing each other) are not a big deal.

Now that I've listened to all of the witness recordings, and most of them several times, I think the most important witnesses are W-11 and W-20, W-13, and W-6. They heard or saw the most, and were in the best position to discern what was happening. None has the whole story, but each of their accounts mesh and each fills in gaps in the accounts of the others, combining to make a coherent and consistent chronology. [More]

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John Edwards: Judge Holds Conference on Potential Juror Issue

Uh-oh. No, I don't think it's the flirting juror. It sounds like some jurors have discussed the case in a small group. The judge held a closed meeting with counsel for 35 minutes today and then sent the jury home with a stern warning:

"All of your deliberations should take place while you are in the jury room and together," Eagles said. "Don't discuss the case in small groups."

Is this related to the coordinated clothing? Four alternates and 2 jurors wore bright red shirts today.

The judge will start court early on Tuesday and make take up the issue again then. If an alternate gets on, the jury has to start deliberating all over. What's transpired so far doesn't count.

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Quinnipiac FL Poll: Majority Favor Stand Your Ground

A new Quinnipiac poll in Florida shows a majority of Floridians still approve of the state's Stand Your Ground law and oppose gun control

Republicans lean heavily in favor of the law, with 78 percent supporting it, while 59 percent of Democrats are against it. Fifty-eight percent of independent voters support the law, while 35 percent are against it.

The poll shows there remains a gender gap on the law as 65 percent of men and 48 percent of women say they support "stand your ground." There is also a major gender gap in Florida over gun control. According to the poll, 62 percent of men are against more gun control. A majority of women surveyed -- 54 percent -- back increased gun control in the Sunshine State.

The George Zimmerman-Trayvon Martin shooting doesn't seem to have changed their opinions. [More...]

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Fed. Judge Rules DEA Warrantless GPS Device Invalid

The exclusionary rule is alive in Kentucky. A federal judge in Kentucky is the latest to rule the DEA cannot place a GPS device on a suspect's vehicle without a warrant. It ordered all evidence suppressed that resulted from the stop of the defendant's vehicle, including the seizure of 150 pounds of marijuana.

In this case, the DEA agents had their fishing poles out to catch Lee,” U.S. District Judge Amul R. Thapar wrote. “Admittedly, the agents did not intend to break the law. But, they installed a GPS device on Lee's car without a warrant in the hope that something might turn up.”

The judge also found that "good faith" doesn't save the DEA's action. There was no evidence apart from the search to support the charges. The defendant, who was facing a 20 year mandatory minimum due to his prior record, should be released from custody. (The feds say they will review the decision and decide whether to appeal.)

The 19 page decision is a good one. I've uploaded it here.

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George Zimmerman: Missing From the Discovery

As Mark O'Mara reminds people on the George Zimmerman website, not all discovery has been provided. Some we will never see.

Things I'd like to know: What time did George Zimmerman leave his house? What route did he take from his house to where he parked his car? How long was he driving before he parked his car and called the non-emergency number to report Trayvon Martin? Where exactly was his car parked? What route did Trayvon take after walking close to GZ's vehicle? [More....]

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Zimmerman: Witnesses #2 and #12

The Orlando Sentinel reports that four "key witnesses" provided statements in March that differed in part from their earlier statements. The Sentinel portrays the changes as "major" and says they are potentially damaging to Zimmerman's case.

The four witnesses the Sentinel lists are witnesses W-2, W-6, W-12 and W-13. Two of them aren't "key" to anything. The other two, W-6 and W-13 are key, but neither changed the most critical elements of their accounts. W-6 didn't budge from his assertion that during the struggle he witnessed (in which someone cried out for help) Trayvon was in black and on top of Zimmerman whose shirt or jacket was red. W-13 didn't change his account of what he saw or what Zimmerman said, he just provided his perception of Zimmerman's demeanor when later asked. [More...]

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John Edwards Jury to Resume Deliberations

Update: No verdict today and the jury may still be discussing the Bunny Money.

The jury will resume deliberations in the John Edwards trial today. MSNBC has graciously provided the full transcripts of closing arguments. The Judge's final jury instructions are here. Attorney and trial watcher for MSNBC Hampton Dellinger explains the possible outcomes here.

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