SANDFORD — The six person jury of George Zimmerman’s peers that will decide his fate returned to the Seminole County Criminal Justice Center Saturday morning to continue deliberating on whether they find Zimmerman guilty of second-degree murder or not guilty all together. Zimmerman is pleading not guilty on all charges in relation to the killing of Trayvon Martin, claiming self defense.
Judge Debra Nelson walked into the courtroom at 9 a.m., and asked the jurors her usual questions before sending them back into the jury room for day two of deliberation.
It’s worth noting that even if the jury doesn’t find Zimmerman guilty of second-degree murder, they can still come back with a guilty verdict for manslaughter, which carries a maximum sentence of 30 years in the state of Florida if the crime was committed with a firearm.
Demonstrators were trickling in to the “free speech area” by the time court went back into session this morning. Demonstrations were at their peak on Friday afternoon while the jury was deliberating. With many people off work for the weekend, more demonstrators are expected today.
The Criminal Justice Center has taken precautions and are not allowing any public into the courthouse until a verdict comes in.
Manslaughter?
Following 11 and a half hours of reviewing evidence, Judge Nelson was summoned back into courtroom 5-D at 5:57 p.m. for a question from the jury.
“May we please have clarification on the instructions regarding manslaughter,” said Nelson as she read the jury’s question aloud to the courtroom.
As council approached the bench for a sidebar, defense attorney Mark O’Mara’s voice rang out louder than anyone else’s in the courtroom.
Lunch Break:
Public Information Officer, Michelle Kennedy tweeted that the jury will take a break from 12:00 – 1:00 p.m. for lunch inside the courthouse and will continue deliberations after that.
This is a developing story, check back with us frequently for all the latest updates during deliberation.
For updates about the events going on both inside and outside the courthouse follow Danny Morales (@Danny_Morales_) and Ty Wright (@Tru2TY) on Twitter.
