Prosecutors Say George Zimmerman Confronted Trayvon Martin

Neighborhood Watch volunteer George Zimmerman profiled Trayvon Martin, pursued him, frightened and intimidated him, confronted him, and then shot him in the ensuing struggle. At least that’s what prosecutors intend to prove in the case against Zimmerman, according to the probable-cause affidavit filed Thursday by Special Prosecutor Angela Corey.

Though this isn’t exactly a major twist in the case (but if you don’t believe me, read the affidavit yourself here), it at least hashes out the rationale for the prosecution’s murder charges. It also gives us a sneak-peek at what the prosecution is planning on unveiling and arguing during the course of the case.

More specifically, the affidavit says that Zimmerman “profiled” Trayvon and ignored a police dispatcher who instructed him to stop and wait for the arrival of an officer. It says that Zimmerman used the phrase “these f—ing punks” in reference to Trayvon. It included the conversation between Trayvon and his girlfriend, during which he said he was being followed and was scared. It says that Zimmerman “confronted Martin and a struggle ensued”, and that Trayvon’s mother was the one who identified her son’s cries for help on the fateful 911 call. The affadavit more or less matches the story told by Trayvon’s parents. “My son was profiled, followed and murdered by George Zimmerman, and there was nothing accidental about that,” his mother told MSNBC.

Absent from the affidavit is Zimmerman’s side of the story. He told authorities that he did stop following Trayvon and that the teen confronted him when he was returning to his vehicle. According to Zimmerman, he is the victim. Trayvon attacked him, pushed him to the ground, and began beating his face on the sidewalk.

Zimmerman is currently being held without bond in “administrative confinement,” away from other inmates. His lawyer has said that he is calm and emotionally stable. “I can interact with him,” the lawyer told reporters. “He’s in a good place.” Neither he nor his lawyer have asked for bail. He is planning on pleading “not guilty”.

So do the prosecutors have it in the bag, or does the defense have something up its sleeve? The fate of the George Zimmerman/Trayvon Martin controversy begins now.