UPI en Español  |   UPI Asia  |   About UPI  |   My Account
Search:
Go

Panel will study 'Stand Your Ground' law

|
 
Sybrina Fulton (R) and Tracy Martin (C), parents of teenager Trayvon Martin who was killed by neighborhood watchman George Zimmerman in Sanford, Florida, listen to family attorney Ben Crump at a Democratic forum called by the House Judiciary Committee on Capitol Hill, March 27, 2012 in Washington, DC. UPI/Mike Theiler
Sybrina Fulton (R) and Tracy Martin (C), parents of teenager Trayvon Martin who was killed by neighborhood watchman George Zimmerman in Sanford, Florida, listen to family attorney Ben Crump at a Democratic forum called by the House Judiciary Committee on Capitol Hill, March 27, 2012 in Washington, DC. UPI/Mike Theiler 
License photo
Published: April 19, 2012 at 12:51 PM

SANFORD, Fla., April 19 (UPI) -- Florida Gov. Rick Scott Thursday announced a 17-member panel was appointed to examine the "Stand Your Ground" law in the wake of the Trayvon Martin shooting.

PHOTOS: National Rallies for Trayvon Martin

The "highly qualified" panel includes neighborhood watch members, a retired judge and prosecution as well as defense attorneys. The panel, chaired by Lt. Gov. Jennifer Carroll, will make recommendations to the governor and Legislature as to what changes need to be made to the law, if any.

Greg Zimmerman admitted to shooting unarmed Martin, 17, on Feb. 26, as an act of self-defense, protected under the "Stand Your Ground" law. After going into hiding for more than a month, he surrendered to authorities April 11 and was charged with second-degree murder. A bond hearing is scheduled Friday.

PHOTOS: Million Hoodie March for Trayvon Martin

Judge Jessica Recksiedler recused herself from the case Wednesday because her husband is a CNN analyst who has commented on the case. She was replaced by Judge Kenneth Lester Jr., named the top judge in Seminole County in a 2011 poll by the Central Florida Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers.

Recommended Stories
© 2012 United Press International, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Any reproduction, republication, redistribution and/or modification of any UPI content is expressly prohibited without UPI's prior written consent.

Order reprints
Join the conversation
Most Popular Collections
'Star Trek Into Darkness' screening NBC upfronts Met Ball 2013
'Great Gatsby' premieres in New York Spire raised on top of One WTC 2013: Celebrity break ups and divorces
Additional U.S. News Stories
1 of 17
Tornado recover efforts underway in Moore, Oklahoma
View Caption
Oklahoma Governor Mary Fallin talks to victims from the May 20 tornado that hit Moore, Oklahoma, May 22, 2013. The EF-5 tornado cut a path of destruction approximately 17 miles by 1.3 miles wide and left 24 people dead. UPI/J.P. Wilson
fark
You have 30 minutes to move your cube
Fark Philly Up - Spend the day in Philly taunting animals and ringing bells, or meet us at night...
Do you look like Taylor Swift? Boot to the head
Morphine: Apply directly to the wound. Morphine: Apply directly to the wound. Morphine: Apply directly...
Yeah, I tested positive for THC, but can you prove I was high?
After a UK soldier is brutally massacred in Britain, CNN asks the burning question: "Are UK soldiers...