The maxim in the U.S. legal system is: "Innocent until proven guilty," CBJ7. The jury found Zimmerman "not guilty"; hence, Zimmerman is "innocent" of the crimes for which he was charged. Originally Posted by I B HankeringActually, the maxim is "presumed innocent, until proven guilty".
So, if the DA fails to make the case, the presumption of innocence continues. But that doesn't mean he is innocent. Those are two different things.
Juries never find a defendant innocent. And that's not just the Zimmerman case, that is ALL cases.
Juries only find that guilt was not proved beyond a reasonable doubt - the shorthand version of which is "not guilty".
I think that either New Zealand or Australia once had - and might still have - a verdict of "not proved", which is more accurate than "not guilty".
We should probably switch to something like that. But it would probably feel less satisfactory to society, which prefers clarity even where there is none.