George Zimmerman Trial LIVE STREAM Day 13, Closing Arguments at 1 PM EST (Watch)
George Zimmerman is facing a possible conviction for the 2012 murder of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin, an unarmed teen he shot and killed in what he claimed was self-defense.
Closing arguments will begin at 1 p.m. EST on Thursday, and Martin's family attorney Bernie De La Rionda will deliver his closing arguments.
Defense attorney Mark O'Mara will present his final statements on the morning of Friday, July 12. Prosecutor John Guy will follow with a final rebuttal to O'Mara's closing arguments. The jury will then begin deliberating on Friday afternoon.
On Wednesday, Zimmerman told Judge Nelson he will not testify, as consulted by his legal team. After the judge told him the decision was his to make, Zimmerman's defense attorney Don West objected twice, but the motion was denied, according to Mail Online. According to the report, West and O'Mara were visibly frustrated that their client even had to speak for himself.
Zimmerman's father, Robert Zimmerman, Sr., however, testified as the last witness for the defense on Wednesday. During his statements, he said the voice he heard yelling and screaming on the recorded 911 call was his son's.
The defense later closed their case after three days of testimony.
Zimmerman is now facing multiple charges in the trial, which began on June 24. Judge Debra Nelson ruled on Thursday that the jury can decide whether to convict Zimmerman for lesser charges, including manslaughter and third-degree felony murder, in addition to the second-degree murder charge he is facing.
The state's prosecutor Richard Mantei argued in court on July 11 that the third-degree murder charge should be considered because Zimmerman committed an act of child abuse when he shot 17-year-old Martin.
Zimmerman wasn't arrested for Martin's killing, initially, which sparked protests around the country. The chief of Sanford's police department resigned amid the backlash. Zimmerman was eventually arrested and charged 44 days after the shooting on April 11, 2012.
Watch the free live stream of Day 13 of George Zimmerman's second-degree murder trial below.
