Prosecutors in the Trayvon Martin case announced late Wednesday afternoon that George Zimmerman will be charged with second degree murder. Zimmerman has been aloud to turn himself in, and is currently being held on no bond until a bond hearing is set to determine whether or not there will be a bond in the case.
Florida special prosecutor Angela Corey seemed up beat while making the announcement, but the press that gathered were quick to remind her that there may have not been an indictment at all without the public outcry in the case.
Angela Corey’s response was that cases are not tried in the public or in the media. She emphatically stated that they’re tryed in the court of law and that not all homicide cases are followed by immediate arrests. Prosecutor Corey says that facts have to be gathered and there has already been too much evidence in the case leaked to the public.
Corey goes on to preference that more evidence will come out in the case and that’s being with-held until trial.
Trayvon Martin’s mother, Sybrina Fulton, expressed appreciation Wednesday evening for the prosecutor’s action. “We feel much closer to justice with the decision to bring charges against our son’s killer. We are thankful to the millions of people around the world who signed the petition on Change.org and called for justice for Trayvon,” she said in a statement. Benjamin Crump, the attorney for Trayvon Martin’s parents, has said for days that he was “cautiously optimistic” that Zimmerman would be arrested and charged in the case. The Martins were in Washington on Wednesday to attend the annual convention of the National Action Network, a civil rights organization founded by Rev. Al Sharpton.
Accused killer George Zimmerman has been secluded for more than 40 days since the incident. The two lawyers who had been representing Zimmerman, Craig Sonner and Hal Uhrig, withdrew from the case Tuesday, saying Zimmerman had taken actions without consulting them. Media reports Wednesday said Zimmerman had retained new counsel.
For the public and justice activists a second-degree murder conviction may not be enough. Many wanted a first-degree conviction citing Zimmerman was seeking a victim. Florida courts undoubtedly avoided another outcry by not charging Zimmerman with the lesser charge of man-slaughter. 
The difference between 1st and Second-degree murder boils down to pre-meditation or “lying in wait” for a victim.
Most states describe Second-degree murder as 1) an intentional killing that is not premeditated or planned, nor committed in a reasonable “heat of passion” or 2) a killing caused by dangerous conduct and the offender’s obvious lack of concern for human life. Second-degree murder may best be viewed as the middle ground between first-degree murder and voluntary manslaughter.
In most states, first-degree murder is defined as an unlawful killing that is both willful and premeditated, meaning that it was committed after planning or “lying in wait” for the victim.
As the case moves forward in the judicial system it will continue to be a flurry of discussions debated and opinions stated. Lets hope that justice is served for Trayvon Martin.
