George Zimmerman is not guilty of murder in the death of
Trayvon Martin, a Florida jury decided late Saturday.
The fact that Zimmerman fired the bullet that killed Martin
was never in question, but the verdict means the six-person jury had reasonable
doubt that the shooting amounted to a criminal act.
The verdict caps a case that has inflamed passions for well
over a year, much of it focused on race and gun rights.
The six-person jury -- all women -- had three choices: to
find Zimmerman guilty of second-degree murder; to find him guilty of the lesser
charge of manslaughter; or to find him not guilty.
The jurors deliberated for 16½ hours total, including 13 on
Saturday alone, before delivering their verdict.
When he learned his fate, a subdued Zimmerman had little
visible reaction. His face was mostly expressionless. He turned and shook one
of his attorney's hand before sitting back down. His parents, Robert and Gladys
Zimmerman, were seated nearby, but Martin's parents were not in the courtroom.
Earlier in the day, the jury had asked the court for
clarification on its instructions regarding manslaughter.
The jury couldn't
have even posed such a query a few days ago: Judge Debra Nelson ruled Thursday,
over the defense's vehement objection, to include manslaughter as an option for
jurors, in addition to a second-degree murder charge.
To convict Zimmerman of manslaughter, the jurors would have
had to believe that he "intentionally committed an act or acts that caused
the death of Trayvon Martin." That charge could have carried a sentence of
up to 30 years in prison, though the jury was not told of that possible
sentence.
For second-degree murder, the jurors would have had to
believe that Martin's unlawful killing was "done from ill will, hatred,
spite or an evil intent" and would be "of such a nature that the act
itself indicates an indifference to human life."
Ultimately, they believed neither. And that means Zimmerman
can walk free.
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