“Listening to it was clouded by shock and denial and sadness.”
Meanwhile Judge Debra Nelson denied a defense motion for an acquittal following the conclusion of the prosecution case.
O’Mara argued that the case should be dismissed on the grounds that evidence was “at least 98 percent circumstantial.”
Prosecutor Rich Mantei fired back immediately however, noting that only two people were involved in the case. “One is dead; the other is a liar,” he said.
Martin had been visiting a family friend in the neighborhood and was coming back from a convenience store just before his altercation with Zimmerman.
Zimmerman has denied any racial motive in the killing, saying he shot Martin only because he feared his life was in danger.
Zimmerman said he phoned police when he saw Martin walking in a hooded sweatshirt in a gated community in Sanford, Florida which had seen a string of recent robberies.
He told police that he found Martin’s behavior suspicious, and followed the youth even though he had been instructed not to do so by authorities.
The trial has centered in part on Florida’s controversial “Stand Your Ground” law, which permits a shooter to use deadly force if he believes his life is at risk.
Zimmerman has said in the past that he knew nothing about the law when he shot Martin, but one witness, Alexis Carter, testified that he taught Zimmerman about the law at Seminole State College.
Zimmerman was studying criminal justice courses in hopes of become a police officer one day. Legal experts said the testimony undermines his credibility.
“The prosecution can say to jurors you can’t believe him (Zimmerman),” legal analyst Jack Ford told CBS television.
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