In Trayvon Martin case, what was the responsibility of the prosecuting attorney?

A prosecuting attorney works directly with a jurisdiction's district attorney and reviews ALL evidence against a party. With the help of police, the prosecuting attorney builds a case. This attorney is typically in charge of bringing criminal charges against a person and presenting evidence to a court to assure a conviction.

In the Trayvon Martin case, it took the prosecuting attorney less than 24 hours to receive all evidence used to make the decision not to arrest Zimmerman. Although Zimmerman was detained, he was not technically arrested, although the lead investigator recommended he be charged with homicide.

The evidence gleaned by the prosecuting attorney in this case did not include Zimmerman receiving a drug test, a search warrant being issued to get more details into what Zimmerman could have been "thinking" when he pursued Martin, cell phone records from Martin's cell phone, an affidavit from Martin's girlfriend who was talking to him moments before he was killed, or all eyewitness testimony. In other words, Zimmerman's non-arrest was based on the prosecuting attorney's belief that Zimmerman was telling the truth and was shielded by self defense and "Stand your ground" laws.

The investigation is not being undertaken by Florida State Attorney General Pam Bondi and U.S. Justice Department Attorney Thomas E. Perez, Assistant Attorney General. In many instances, it is the purpose of the Justice Department to defend the actions made by local authorities.

©2012 Tomi Johnson. All rights reserved.