Trial By Social Media: Real Time Examples
Social media has become very much tied to every day life, a fact revealed by its occurrence in Zimmerman’s murder trial. This trial has been a top trend almost very day, with many people tweeting their ideas with the hashtag #ZimmermanTrial. Many witnesses have been tweeting about their testimony, which includes Rachel Jeantel, a friend to Martin, who after anxious questioning became the substance of spoof accounts poking enjoyment at her candid statements as well as dialect.
This is not the first time to have social media becoming the backbone of an important criminal case. The trial of Casey Anthony on charges of murdering Caylee, her two-year-old daughter, was closely watched, as well. Pictures posted on various social media accounts showing Anthony partying few days after Caylee’s disappearance became a main point in this case.
Zimmerman, an ex-neighborhood watch volunteer, pleaded not guilty to 2nd-degree murder and states he shot the 17 years old Martin in self-defense in a fight in the townhome complex where he resided and Martin was paying his father and his fiancée a visit.
The nationally syndicated radio presenter, Michael Biasden, was among the first to publish this story. He sent his 585,000 Facebook fans and 65,000 Twitter followers a message stating that a neighborhood watch captain shot a 17-year-old boy in Sanford, FL. It offered a link to the story. Later on, Martin’s parents began an online appeal on Change.com to demand Zimmerman’s arrest. It generated over 2.2 million signatures.
This trial started with lawyers scouring prospective jurors’ profiles, utilizing Facebook posts to keep 2 off the jury. Witnesses have not been immune, either, a truth that was recently acknowledged by Zimmerman’s lead defense attorney. Zimmerman’s team was no alien to social media prior to the start of the trial, using a website and Twitter to make public statements and raise cash for his defense. Experts say that the legal line of work is still getting closer to technology so simply accessed on smartphones.
Those implicated in Zimmerman’s case seem to have been caught out by social media on no less than two occasions. Prosecutor Bernie de la Rionda accused Jenna Lauer, an ex-neighbor of Zimmerman who gave evidence she heard screams for assistance outside her townhome, of following brother to Zimmerman on Twitter. After looking at the Twitter page that had been pulled up from a computer by the prosecutor, Lauer denied it. It was obvious from the prosecutor’s questions that he did not fully understand how Twitter worked.
On the defense side, there was an Instagram photo that was posted by lawyer Don West’s daughter, which became a prosecution motion subject for an inquiry. The prosecutors said that the photo was posted after West tensely cross-examined Rachel Jeantel last week. However, West said the photo was taken before Jeantel testified and was not connected to her testimony.
Attorneys in routine cases usually do not have time to scour social media sites of prospective jurors, although it has become more usual in highly publicized cases. According to an Orlando criminal defense layer, David Hill, it has become more popular practice to vet witness accounts, as their posts might expose particular motives, contradictions or motives in their testimonies.
Mathew is a bit of a social media nut. He’s the annoying guy to busy checking into places then enjoying the places he is actually at. Sometimes his writing coincides with his day job working for a provider of lawyers cpd online courses.
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Posted in Social Networking. Tags: legal, social media law
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