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Stand Your ground was on trial today in an appeals court in the State Capitol.  Michael Dunn, who sentenced to life in prison for the murder of the Jacksonville teen, asked the court to throw out the conviction because the trial wasn’t moved, a juror was excluded improperly, and because his stand your ground claim should have been given more credence. Dunn’s lawyer, Terry Roberts, says unfortunately the case has become symbolic for bigger causes.

“I think what gets lost in this case is that a lot of people choose sides and it becomes hard, human, to make Michael Dunn or Jordan Davis the symbol of something bigger, where neither person asked to be the symbol or a martyr or a stand in for other cases” says Roberts.

The Attorney general’s office  told the court the jury properly considered the evidence and found Dunn guilty. Victim Jordan Davis’s mom, Lucia McBath, says reliving the case while it’s being appealed dredges up feelings of hurt and anger.

“I know it is Michael Dunn’s right to appeal his conviction, so it prolongs things.  You know it’s the never ending story. It goes on and on. Even though we have rdesolution, it’s challenged so its hard to deal with the fact that Michael Dunn is taking all of his charges and throwing them at the wall and trying to see whatever sticks” says the slain teens mother.

To prove Stand Your ground, a defendant must prove they were in reasonable fear of their life, which Dunn did not do to the jury’s satisfaction.