Closing arguments in George Zimmerman trial in Trayvon Martin's murder case will begin today, with the prosecution scheduled to begin at 1 p.m. The defense will give their closing statements on Friday morning.
For nearly three weeks, the jury heard statements from each side, with the prosecution resting its case last week and the defense on Wednesday afternoon.
The defense team called witnesses to the stand who claimed that the voice heard on the background 911 call shouting for help was George Zimmerman, including a gunshot wound expert who concluded that Trayvon Martin was above Zimmerman before he shot him.
Zimmerman did not testify himself, but videotapes of the defendant re-enacting the altercation taped by the police was played out for the all-women jury, including an interview with Fox News.
Judge Debra S. Nelson ruled against the defense using an animation of the defense's theory as to what happened on the night of Martin's death as evidence. However she would allow the animation to be used during closing arguments.
"To have an animation go back into the jury room that they can play over and over again gives a certain weight to something that this court isn't exactly certain comports with the evidence presented at trial," Nelson said.
Zimmerman shot and killed Martin as he returned unarmed from a local convenience store in February 2012. Zimmerman reportedly followed Martin, believing him to be suspicious, and despite dispatchers on 911 telling him to stay back and wait for police to arrive it appears he continued to follow Martin.
At some point an altercations occurred and in the fight between the pair Zimmerman shot and killed Martin. Zimmerman has claimed he acted entirely in self defense and that he feared for his life after Martin challenged him and started beating him up. Prosecutors meanwhile have tried to argue that Zimmerman was the one who racially profiled Martin and that he was the aggressor in the exchange.
