Skeptic Tank
Trigger Warning
- Joined
- Mar 18, 2013
- Messages
- 3,121
Fact is, you don't know which houses had lights on, or exactly where GZ was when his truck's headlights shut off, etc.
If Trayvon turns the corner at the T and starts south, at a pace we have no idea of... if he's looking back and sees headlights which have stopped any sort of movement, and are facing toward the last place he knows the guy in the truck saw him, he would pretty much know for a certainty those were the guy's headlights.
If he then continues south toward Brandi Green's, and glances back again somewhat later, even if the headlights are now off, you have a GZ up there walking around on the phone, speaking (not really loudly but we don't know how far south Trayvon is at this point or how the dog path area is making the sound carry) PLUS you have GZ attempting to get one flashlight working (which could have involved some amount of light sputtering out of it and flickering from it before he gave up on it) THEN switching to a functional (albeit smaller) flashlight.
Even without any light or noise coming from GZ, the mere fact he was moving up there would be enough for me to spot him at that distance, take that to the bank. Particularly when I was 17. Moonlight would've been sufficient for me, as would low levels of light from surrounding houses, etc.
Now as for your parallel issue of you not thinking TM could recognize it as being the person who'd been following him... I think what I said about when Trayvon likely saw the headlights cease movement and continue pointing the way he'd gone, combined with considerations like hearing the person, and seeing a flashlight being used at the T area... would make it pretty clear who the person was. If he was already irritated by this guy monitoring him from his car, I don't think he'd have much confusion about who it was who was now out and about, with a flashlight, still on a phone.
Because again, there's no way to know where along that dog path TM was when he processed the fact that it was GZ out, exposed, on foot. If you're personally incredulous that he could have been all the way at Brandi Green's porch when he realized this, don't worry.... it works just as well for my point to consider that he was somewhat north of that, hiding alongside a condo.
The reason I favor a scenario where at some point he's at Brandi Green's porch, is her comment the next morning about him being out on the porch (which admittedly could refer to the last time she'd seen him before they left for the evening) plus the apparent interaction with the guys at 7-11, plus it helping explain why he ran from GZ (to ditch something incriminating)
but there's plenty of time for all of this, between when he's last seen by GZ at the T, and when the first 911 calls are coming in. Plenty of time for him to run not too far south down the dog walk, duck behind a condo white fence segment/bush whatever... see GZ make it to the top of the T, hear him speaking to what seems to be police, see him using his flashlight, get even MORE irritated, jog down to Brandi's after GZ crosses past the T to the east area, drop off blunts or whatever... run back north, catch GZ as he's making his way back westward toward his car.
I don't believe murder was on TM's mind. I believe a "knockout king" one punch flooring of GZ was the idea. I think TM was a serial delinquent constantly suspended from his second high school, likely pulled out of his first high school for similar reasons... sick of getting in trouble, and I think GZ was the last straw. TM probably thought "I wasn't even doing anything and this guy is dogging me?" then got irritated he was forced to run, irritated he had to worry about police catching him with whatever he may have had... and once he no longer had anything incriminating on him, he might have gone up north with vague intentions. Maybe confront the guy, maybe punch him... depends on who he turns out to be. If TM had gotten there and found the guy to be large and powerful looking, might have just told him off. If he'd gotten there to find the guy wearing some sort of community security jacket or something... probably would have just tried to embarrass him by telling him he was a guest of Brandi Green. If he'd gotten there to find the police parking next to GZ's truck, again, probably just stick around long enough to explain himself, embarrass GZ in front of cops, etc.
What he did find was a short little man with seemingly no official capacity or backup at all... and I think his poor impulse control (demonstrated by those suspensions and what GZ describes) got the better of him, and he decided to try for a quick retribution one punch knockout. I think when that didn't pan out, he improvised poorly and I think the mouth covering was entirely a "STFU" type thing, not a "smother you to death" thing. I think he was used to fighting against people who fought back, and someone wailing in terror trying to alert neighbors threw him off a bit.
This is all very deep into speculation territory, but I think it helps understand the motivations which may have been at play. Seems that everyone believes at least one person behaved in illogical, violent ways that night... don't see why it can't be TM rather than GZ.
