Starmer said after the inquest: "The difficulties that would now confront any prosecution have changed in nature and scale from last year when a decision was taken not to prosecute, although it is clear that real difficulties remain".
By the Sixth Amendment, an accused person is to have a speedy public trial by jury, to be informed of the nature of the accusation, to be confronted with prosecution witnesses, and to have the assistance of counsel.
He might also face prosecution".
In 2008, Mexico initiated a series of reforms to the criminal justice system, switching from an inquisitorial model — in which the accused is presumed to be guilty, and proceedings happen largely behind closed doors — to a US-style adversarial system, where the prosecution confronts the defense in an oral trial setting.
More often than not, judges who are confronted with inconsistent prosecutions have affirmed convictions, while, at times, expressing distaste for the tactic.
After months of preparation for the trial in State Supreme Court, the prosecution and the defense will confront each other with meticulously marshaled evidence and with carefully constructed legal strategies.
"The long-awaited criminal prosecution was their only opportunity to confront him, and now he has taken that away as well".
Thus, in allowing Zimmerman's statements to be heard by the jury, and his demeanor seen by the jury, without being able to confront and cross-examine him in court, the prosecution made its biggest mistake in the trial.
