What I've read on the case is that the physical evidence was consistent with Martin 'defending himself' and not with Zimmerman 'being held down and beaten'. Martin was already afraid for his life before Zimmerman approached him. Zimmerman was told not to initiate a confrontation and did it anyway.This is what the evidence says. Zimmerman's witness that claimed to see Martin standing over him was discredited.

I don't know who 'threw the first punch' but I find it very hard to believe that Zimmerman restricted himself to verbal taunting and more to the point *as I said before* it doesn't matter. Zimmerman started the fight by any reasonable interpretation of the situation. If Martin had had the gun it would have been a straightforward case of self defense and he probably still would have gone to prison anyway because he was black in a white neighborhood and that's what happens *all the time*.