Florida jury in Zimmerman case asks about manslaughter charge

By Ellen Wulfhorst

SANFORD, Florida (Reuters) - The Florida jury deciding the fate of George Zimmerman for killing unarmed black teenager Trayvon Martin asked for clarification on Saturday on manslaughter, the less-serious charge he faces in the case that has sparked debate on race and guns.

The panel of six women, which has deliberated more than 12 hours over two days, could decide on manslaughter, second-degree murder or acquittal for Zimmerman, who says he shot the 17-year-old Martin in self-defense.

Zimmerman, 29, said Martin attacked him on the night of February 26, 2012, in the central Florida town of Sanford.

Prosecutors contend Zimmerman, a neighborhood watch coordinator in his gated community, was a "wannabe cop" who tracked down the teenager and shot him without justification.

To convict Zimmerman of second-degree murder, which carries the possibility of a life prison sentence, the jury must find Zimmerman acted with ill will, spite or hatred. The option of manslaughter, which has a lesser burden of culpable negligence, carries a prison sentence of up to 30 years.

The jurors, who are sequestered, heard 12 days of testimony and two days of closing arguments before deliberating.

Although small compared with the protests that erupted after the killing last year, about 100 demonstrators braved the blistering Florida sun to gather outside the Seminole County courthouse as the deliberations proceeded.

Only a handful, including one brandishing a sign that read, "George You Got Hit, You Must Acquit," appeared to support Zimmerman.

Carrying placards reading: "Jail the Killer" and "Justice 4 Trayvon," many called for a murder conviction. Some wore T-shirts with an image of Zimmerman in the crosshairs of a gun, with the words "Yes Sir ... Creepy Ass Cracker" on the back.

"Creepy ass cracker" were the words Martin's friend Rachael Jeantel told the court he used to describe Zimmerman on a cell phone call moments before he was shot.

At the courthouse, Judge Debra Nelson said she would allow the jurors to set their own working hours. The panel worked through lunch on Saturday, returning only at about 6 p.m. (2200 GMT) to ask for the clarification on the manslaughter charge.

The saga began on the rainy February night when Zimmerman called police to report a suspicious person in his neighborhood. That was Martin, visiting the home of his father's fiancee.

In the fight that ensued, Zimmerman suffered several head injuries and he shot Martin once through the heart with a Kel Tec 9 mm pistol loaded with hollow-point bullets.

Police initially declined to arrest Zimmerman, believing his account of self-defense. That provoked demonstrations, which spread nationwide, accusing Zimmerman of racial profiling and demanding his arrest.

Zimmerman was arrested 45 days after the shooting, after the Sanford police chief stepped down and the governor appointed a special prosecutor who pressed second-degree murder charges.

(Additional reporting by Tom Brown in Miami and Barbara Liston in Sanford; Editing by Dina Kyriakidou and Peter Cooney)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/jury-resumes-deliberations-zimmerman-cases-134425783.html

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