I think the Zimmerman/Martin case has been over sensationalized by the news media. I was originally concerned that it was an example of an overzealous act that wasn't being prosecuted properly because police identified with the shooter as a security person. That might yet be the case, but its no longer my primary concern. My feelings have shifted as I've seen irresponsible reporting and large numbers of people rushing to judgement without support of evidence. As time goes on, the set of problems related to that incident continues to multiply. Beyond whether or not Zimmerman is guilty, did the police properly investigate it or not? Were the charges of second degree murder appropriate or not? If they were, then why didn't this happen immediately and what is being done to address that problem? What if they aren't appropriate, will Zimmerman receive a fair trial? The situation seems to be getting worse and not better. The questions keep multiplying as do the numbers of people who have an unjustifiable confidence in their emotional convictions about the case.

However, this example is still notable:

15-year-old South Texas boy has been charged with nine counts of murder among other charges after a van he was driving crashed, killing nine of the suspected illegal immigrants packed inside.

Barrera said prosecutors would decide whether to try the boy as an adult.

I can't find any reports on this incident that explain why the boy was charged with murder. The article doesn't seem to imply that he intentionally crashed the vehicle. One assumes that its some sort of situation where people are charged with murder if someone dies as the consequence of a crime they are committing, or some other such creative legislating.

The fact remains, on the one hand we have a 15 year old who was immediately charged with murder apparently because he accidentally wrecked a car he was too young to know how to drive. On the other hand, we have a 28 year old who intentionally shot and killed an unarmed 17 year old and was not initially charged with anything.

Its easy to understand why people might feel that this does not add up.

The "prison for some, miniature American flags for others" policy mishmash that our state governments have cooked up doesn't really sit well when consequences don't seem to bear any relationship to intent or even to facts.

Zimmerman Martin case and American Justice