George Zimmerman Arrested, Charged

My article from today's Front Page Magazine:

George Zimmerman Arrested, Charged

By Matthew Vadum

After weeks of agitation by the activist Left, would-be vigilantes across America got their wish Wednesday as George Zimmerman was charged in Florida with second-degree murder in the shooting death of Trayvon Martin.


“Three weeks ago our prosecution team promised those sweet parents [of Trayvon Martin] we would get answers to all of their questions, no matter where our quest for the truth led us,” special prosecutor Angela Corey told reporters in Jacksonville. “And it is that search for justice for Trayvon that has brought us to this night.”

It is far from clear what exactly transpired on that fateful February night in Sanford. At the same time it seems crystal clear that the original version of the story that painted a picture of a fanatical cop-wannabe who, without provocation, brutally gunned down a defenseless young man because he was African-American isn’t quite true.

At trial Zimmerman may be shown to be guilty of something. Lawyers say that for him to be convicted of murder in the second degree under Florida law it would have to be demonstrated beyond a reasonable doubt that the defendant lacked the intent to kill but still acted in such a grossly reckless and negligent manner that the victim died. A jury could also take a pass on “Murder 2″ and convict Zimmerman of a lesser offense. Florida’s “stand your ground” law could come into play and complicate matters. The key issue seems to be whether Zimmerman was in the circumstances justified in using lethal force against Martin.

March Mob Madness

My article from the March 29 Front Page Magazine:

March Mob Madness

By Matthew Vadum

Egged on by professional racial arsonists, virtual lynch mobs have formed across the nation hell-bent on meting out mob justice to the man who shot 17-year-old Trayvon Martin in Sanford, Florida.

Sanford police chief Bill Lee, who handed the investigation over to the state, the Justice Department, the FBI and a special prosecutor, has received death threats.

Although police insist there is insufficient evidence to arrest shooter George Zimmerman who says he shot Martin in self-defense, calls for Zimmerman’s arrest continue to grow.

Demanding “an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth,” Mikhail Muhammad of the virulently racist New Black Panther Party offered a $10,000 bounty for the “capture” of Zimmerman. Muhammad called for 5,000 black men to hunt him down.