Is the jury in the trial of George Zimmerman in the killing of teenager Trayvon Martin considering a manslaughter verdict against Zimmerman? It sounds that way:
After deliberating all day on Saturday jurors in the George Zimmerman murder trial asked for clarification on the instructions regarding manslaughter.
At about 6 p.m. ET lawyers for both sides appeared in court where Judge Debra Nelson said jurors had the manslaughter question. The lawyers approached the bench to talk to the judge.
The jury was not in the courtroom. Nelson then adjourned the courtroom for 30 minutes.
A manslaughter verdict would mean jurors rejected Zimmerman’s claim he killed in self defense and “intentionally committed an act or acts that caused the death” of Trayvon, according to Florida’s definition of the charge.
Jurors resumed deliberations Saturday morning as protesters gathered outside the courthouse and the nation watched for a verdict.
They entered their 10th hour late in the afternoon as the courthouse buzzed with anticipation. Seminole County Sheriff officers, in pine-colored uniforms, were tightly patrolling the entrance of the building allowing only pre-approved people into the building.
Most cable news networks are now on “verdict watch.”
Joe Gandelman is a former fulltime journalist who freelanced in India, Spain, Bangladesh and Cypress writing for publications such as the Christian Science Monitor and Newsweek. He also did radio reports from Madrid for NPR’s All Things Considered. He has worked on two U.S. newspapers and quit the news biz in 1990 to go into entertainment. He also has written for The Week and several online publications, did a column for Cagle Cartoons Syndicate and has appeared on CNN.