Clarke Silverglate partner provides expert commentary on high profile murder trial

Miami, FL – Clarke Silverglate Partner David Weinstein was sought out by the national media this week, to provide expert commentary on a high-profile murder investigation. Weinstein appeared on Hardball with Chris Matthews on MSNBC and was quoted in a story in the New York Daily News.

Weinstein spoke about the procedures involved in the arrest of George Zimmerman, the neighborhood watch captain who admitted killing 17-year old Trayvon Martin in Sanford, Florida last month. Zimmerman says he shot Martin in self-defense.

“I wanted to make sure the public understands the process”, says Weinstein. “Now that Zimmerman has been charged, there are certain procedures that take place.”

Before joining Clarke Silverglate, Weinstein was a federal prosecutor and prior to that, a Miami-Dade state attorney. So, he knows the way the system works and how the lawyers on both sides view the case. “My 25 years of experience within the system allows me to give people a sense of what the prosecutors approach may be as well as what Zimmerman’s defense team’s strategy might look like.”

After the shooting, Zimmerman invoked Florida’s controversial Stand Your Ground law, which allows someone who feels threatened in a place he has a right to be, to use deadly force. “The judge in this case will have to decide if that law merits throwing the case against Zimmerman out,” says Weinstein. “The fact that the prosecutor filed a second degree murder charge is strategic. It gives her the opportunity to present evidence regarding the ‘ill will, hatred, spite or evil intent’ that elevated the charge from manslaughter to second degree murder. It also provides her with the flexibility in plea negotiations to potentially reduce the charge to manslaughter.”

Weinstein’s practice at Clarke Silverglate, P.A. focuses on White Collar Criminal Defense, Seized Asset Recovery, Financial Fraud Investigations, Corporate Corruption, Anti-Money Laundering and FCPA Compliance.

Clarke Silverglate, P.A. routinely hires well-respected, experienced attorneys who have developed a high level of expertise in a given area of the law. It’s this approach that helps give corporate clients greater value when the firm is brought in to represent them in a matter.

Clarke Silverglate, P.A. – 305.377.0700 http://www.cspalaw.com

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