I Watched 88 Hours of a Murder Trial. Here’s What I Learned.

I just watched the recording of a real life murder trial from over a decade ago. The full length of the video I consumed was just shy of 88 hours.

This trial includes most of the elements that could come into play in a self-defense case.

Over the course of that trial, I heard testimony about carrying a handgun with a round in the chamber, magazine capacity, double-action triggers, manual safeties, inside-the-waistband versus outside-the-waistband holsters, concealed carry laws, handgun training, and the challenges of reholstering a firearm.

There were discussions about boxing, grappling, mixed martial arts, ground-and-pound techniques, physical strength, fighting from your back, head injuries, and the difference between being injured and being in danger of serious injury.

We heard about the legal standards for self-defense, reasonable fear, deadly force, the duty to retreat, stand-your-ground laws, and the circumstances under which someone may legally defend themselves with a firearm.

There were eyewitnesses, earwitnesses, expert witnesses, character witnesses, police officers, medical professionals, forensic scientists, firearms instructors, family members, and friends.

There were recorded emergency calls, police interviews, written statements, photographs, DNA evidence, blood evidence, firearms examinations, autopsy findings, surveillance questions, timelines, maps, and arguments over what could and couldn’t be heard on an audio recording.

There were questions about what you should say to a dispatcher, what you should tell responding officers, whether you should accept medical treatment, how much you should cooperate with investigators, and whether speaking publicly about a shooting before trial is ever a good idea.

And then there was the courtroom itself. Opening statements, cross-examinations, expert testimony, evidentiary objections, discovery disputes, Richardson hearings, motions for acquittal, and arguments over what the jury should be allowed to hear.

The case? State of Florida v. George Zimmerman.

The Zimmerman trial was perhaps the most media hyped self-defense related trial in the history of this country. The entire thing was broadcast on TV and it is the recordings of that broadcast that I just binged in a little less than 15 days with 37 pages of typed notes. Toward the end I was basically dreaming about the trial.

Why I Watched The Entire Trial

I chose this particular trial because for a few reasons. I was talking to a family member about this incident and I made the comment to him that I was very familiar with the case. That I had seen the evidence and knew one of the attorneys who was present. That was mostly true, over the years I have seen snippets of the trial and I have inquired about a lot of relevant details but after I finished that conversation I felt intellectually dishonest. So I decided to watch the entirety of the trial start to finish.

At a professional level, given my profession I can choose to invest this level of time in this kind of education where most American gun owners and concealed carriers cannot. I consider myself an educator after all and I am hoping this education allows me to impart some important lessons to our students.

Why The Zimmerman Trial

The enormous public controversy of this trial is known to many. During the 2 week period I watched the trial almost every person I spoke to in my social circle remembered it and couldn’t believe that “he got away with murder.” This includes some people in the defensive firearm community.

Having a bit of a friendship with Don West who was Zimmerman’s co-counsel I have heard a lot of interesting stories over the years from that trial including information about the extreme misrepresentation of the evidence by the media. I ultimately decided that the only way to really know the evidence and understand the acquittal is to watch the trial.

Additionally, and I don’t think I realized it at the time, this case includes all the various elements that we talk about on a regular basis on our podcast, website, and in our classes. It in so many ways can stand as an example of about any element you think of, when you think of this kind of thing.

So What Now

In the upcoming week or so I’m going to write a series of articles that are intended to deliver key lessons for American concealed carriers that I think can be observed or learned from the Zimmerman trial.

This isn’t about proving that Zimmerman was justified, unjustified, reckless, or simply unwise. Though I’m happy to talk about all those things in person or over the phone with anyone else who is willing to watch the full trial recording.

This is about extracting lessons from analyzing REAL LIFE situations and a case that brings all of it together in one cohesive incident.

As of right now here is what is planned:

• Article 1: Every Decision You Make Could Be Used Against You In Court
• Article 2: Nobody Else Will Know What Happened In Your Gunfight
• Article 3: Bad Decisions Don’t Automatically Make Self-Defense Unlawful
• Article 4: 10 Practical Lessons for Concealed Carriers From The Zimmerman Trial

If you want to go watch the trial yourself you can do that. Here is the playlist I primarily relied on. It was missing a few hearings and other elements I was able to find on other YouTube channels but its the most comprehensive starting point.

Stick around over the next few weeks to learn a little bit more about self-defense, the court of public opinion, and the trial of a lifetime.