The jury in George Zimmerman's murder trial deliberated for a second day Saturday, weighing whether the neighborhood watch volunteer committed a crime almost a year and a half ago when he fatally shot an unarmed black teenager.
Jurors reconvened at 9 a.m. Saturday, deliberated for three hours and then broke for lunch. They resumed their discussions about 1 p.m.
Meanwhile, about two dozen people gathered outside the courthouse awaiting a verdict, with supporters of the Martin family outnumbering those there for Zimmerman. One man held a sign reading, "We love you George." A woman lay in the grass in a hoodie, her arms spread, in a re-creation of Martin's death.
On Twitter, Martin's mother, Sybrina Fulton, shared what she called her favorite Bible verse: "Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight."
Zimmerman has pleaded not guilty in the shooting of the 17-year-old Martin, saying he fired in self-defense during a nighttime confrontation in February 2012 in his Florida gated community, where Martin was visiting family. Zimmerman says Martin was slamming his head into the concrete pavement when he fired his gun.
The case drew national attention and protests when Zimmerman, 29, wasn't arrested for weeks after the shooting, and racial tensions have been exposed.
On Friday afternoon, as the jury began deliberations, police and civic leaders in this Orlando suburb went on national television to plead for calm in Sanford and across the country if Zimmerman, who identifies himself as Hispanic, is acquitted..
"There is no party in this case who wants to see any violence," Seminole County Sheriff Don Eslinger said. "We have an expectation upon this announcement that our community will continue to act peacefully."
Last year, people protested in Sanford and across the country l when authorities waited 44 days before arresting Zimmerman.
Zimmerman is charged with second-degree murder, but the jury also is allowed to consider manslaughter.
The judge's decision to allow that consideration was a potentially heavy blow to the defense: It could give jurors who aren't convinced the shooting amounted to murder a way to hold Zimmerman responsible for the killing.
To win a manslaughter conviction, prosecutors must show only that Zimmerman killed without lawful justification.
Zimmerman faces a maximum prison sentence of life for second-degree murder and 30 years if convicted of manslaughter, due to extra sentencing guidelines for committing a crime with a gun.
The sequestered jury of six women — all but one of them white — must sort through conflicting testimony from police, neighbors, friends and family members.
Jurors deliberated for three and a half hours when they decided to stop Friday evening. About two hours into their discussions, they asked for a list of the evidence. Their identities are being kept anonymous — they are identified only by number.
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Associated Press writer Tamara Lush contributed to this report.
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