Will George Zimmerman testify during trial for murder of Trayvon Martin?

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The jury has been seated, the witnesses lined up and the exhibits gathered, but the trial of George Zimmerman begins Monday with an unanswered question: Will he testify?

Lawyers are set to deliver opening statements with clashing accounts of why Zimmerman, 29, shot unarmed teen Trayvon Martin, 17, on a rainy February 2012 night in Sanford, Fla., sparking widespread protest and national debate that touched on race, guns and self-defense.

Zimmerman, a former neighborhood watch volunteer who has pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder, says he pulled the trigger in self-defense after Martin attacked him — and legal experts say it’s common in self-defense cases for the defendant to take the stand.

But as jury selection ended last week — with six women picked to decide Zimmerman’s fate — defense attorney Mark O’Mara said he doesn’t know yet whether his client will take the oath and tell his side of the story.

“That is a dynamic decision that has to be made within the context of a trial,” O’Mara said.

“This case will fall on the fact that the state will not be able to convince the jury beyond a reasonable doubt with their evidence that a crime was committed by my client.”

Legal analyst Kendall Coffey, who is following the proceedings closely, said O’Mara and his co-counsel, Don West, are unlikely to decide whether to call Zimmerman until the prosecution has rested.

“In self-defense cases, the defendant generally takes the stand. It’s hard to establish self-defense without the defendant explaining why they killed someone,” he said.

Yet, having Zimmerman testify carries risks.

Coffey said it’s unclear, given his limited public exposure, if he would be a good witness. In addition, getting on the stand would allow prosecutors to “drill down” on any possible inconsistencies in Zimmerman’s statements and bring in potentially unflattering details from his past that might otherwise be off limits, Coffey said.

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