LIVE BLOG: George Zimmerman trial in the Trayvon Martin case

UPDATE, 2:30 p.m.: Judge Nelson has read the jury their instructions. The jury is now deliberating the case.

UPDATE, 12:53 p.m.: The state has concluded their rebuttal. Judge Nelson will read the jury instructions after the lunch break. The court will be in recess until 2:00 p.m.

UPDATE, 12:51 p.m.: “This is not a case about race… It is about right and wrong ,” said Guy. He asked the jury if the roles were reversed and Zimmerman had been killed by Martin, what their verdict would be.

UPDATE, 12:423 p.m.: The prosecutor asked the jury,”Who lost the fight?” Guy said that he did not need to shoot Martin. Guy said the defendant produced “self serving statements” about his retelling of the altercation.

UPDATE, 12:37 p.m.: Guy reminds the jury that the trial is not like television.

UPDATE, 12:32 p.m.: “This case is not about standing your ground.. Its about staying in your car like he [Zimmerman] was taught to do,” Guy said.

UPDATE, 12:29 p.m.: The prosecutor is recounting the physical and medical inconsistencies in Zimmerman’s statements.

UPDATE, 12:25 p.m.: Guy asked, “If Martin was on the hunt would he have still be on his cell phone… If the defendant hadn’t committed a crime why did he lie so many times?”

UPDATE, 12:21 p.m.: Guy said that if Martin was mounted on Zimmerman the way it was described, Zimmerman would have had no physical ability to get his gun. He said that Zimmerman did not shoot because he had to, but because he wanted to.

UPDATE, 12:20 p.m.: “That child had every right to be where he was… That child had every right to be afraid of that man following him,” Guy said. Guy said that Martin did not have four minutes to run home.

UPDATE, 12:16 p.m.: Guy said, “Trayvon Martin may not have had the defendant’s blood on his hands, but George Zimmerman will forever have [ Trayvon Martin’s] blood on his hands.”

UPDATE, 12:12 p.m.: “If that defendant had done what he was supposed to do.. see and call [the police].. none of us would be here,” said Guy. Guy said that if Zimmerman really wanted the police to catch Martin he would have stayed in his car and waited.

UPDATE, 12:09 p.m.: “Was that child not in fear while he was running from that defendant…Isn’t that every child’s worst fear,” said Guy.

UPDATE, 12:05 p.m.: Court is back in session. Prosecutor John Guy has begun the rebuttal.

UPDATE, 11:50 a.m.: The defense has wrapped their closing argument. The court will be in recess for 10 minutes.

UPDATE, 11:48 a.m.: “Self-defense is a defense to everything,” O’Mara said.

UPDATE, 11:42 a.m.: O’Mara brought out a slab of concrete. He said that Martin used the concrete as dangerous object and that he was not “just a teenager armed only with Skittles”.

UPDATE, 11:35 a.m.: O’Mara said, “He [Zimmerman] did not have to think he was going to die…” O’Mara mentioned that following someone is not illegal in Florida law.

UPDATE, 11:31 a.m.: O’Mara is reiterating to the jury the dangers of assumptions and presumptions, and is redefining reasonable doubt in relation Zimmerman’s guilt. “You can’t allow sympathy into it,” said O’Mara.

UPDATE, 11:21 a.m.: O’Mara showed the jury a shirtless picture of Martin when he was alive. He mentioned that autopsy photos made Martin look emaciated because he lad lost half of his blood and the picture showed none of his muscle tone.

UPDATE, 11:17 a.m.: O’Mara is using cutouts to demonstrate o the jury how much taller Martin was compared to Zimmerman.

UPDATE, 11:07 a.m.: ” The ‘could’ve beens’ have no place in this courtroom. Reasonable doubt does,” said O’Mara. He called the prosecution’s argument an “absurdity”.

UPDATE, 10:59 a.m.: O’Mara said that both the mothers of Martin and Zimmerman wanted to believe with their “hearts and souls” that it was their son screaming on the 911 call.

UPDATE, 10:55 a.m.: O’Mara mentioned, “No injuries are required to respond with deadly force…Not even with a cut on a finger.” He said that the injuries are the “icing on the cake” for self defense. O’Mara charges the jury to look at Zimmerman’s state of mind, and used Captain Carter’s testimony to clarify the definition self defense.

UPDATE, 10:48 a.m.: O’Mara said that Rachel Jeantel did not want to be involved with the case, and the attorneys handled her testimony improperly when they did her interview. He points out inconsistencies in Jane Surdyka and Ms. Bahadoor’s testimonies.

UPDATE, 10:32 a.m.: O’Mara is going through the relevant information given by each witness that took the stand.

UPDATE, 10:29 a.m.: “He told his wife that he wasn’t the one shot,” said O’Mara. He said this in reference to Zimmerman telling Manalo to inform his wife that he shot someone.

UPDATE, 10:22 a.m.: O’Mara said Trayvon Martin was “lying in wait” to attack Zimmerman. He said that someone was angry, but it was not Zimmerman. O’Mara said that this evidence proves that Zimmerman is “factually innocent”.

UPDATE, 10:19 a.m.: Court is back in session. O’Mara has resumed his closing argument.

UPDATE, 9:57 a.m.: The judge has called for a 15 minute recess.

UPDATE, 9:55 a.m.: O’Mara silenced the court for 4 minutes to represent how long Martin had to run home after he told Jeantel he started running. O’Mara said, “He had four minutes… before the fight started.” He questioned what Trayvon Martin was doing and thinking in that time.

UPDATE, 9:43 a.m.: O’Mara is showing the jury a computer animation that was made to try to reenact the fight and the shooting.

UPDATE, 9:27 a.m.: O’Mara said that it is hard to have “ill-will, spite and hatred” for someone who you don’t even know.

UPDATE, 9:25 a.m.: O’Mara is breaking down the contents of Zimmerman’s statements in the non-emergency call.

UPDATE, 9:15 a.m.: O’Mara mentions that Zimmerman used the non-emergency line enough to know that it was being recorded. O’Mara said that Zimmerman did not scream the curse words, and was willing to say them to law enforcement on a recorded which evidences that he was not hateful.

UPDATE, 8:55 a.m.: O’Mara said that the state doesn’t get to ask the jury “well you figure it out”. He said good prosecutors don’t use “figure it out”, “could have been”, or “what ifs” to prove something beyond a reasonable doubt.

UPDATE, 8:53 a.m.: O’Mara is quoting historical figures that have talked about liberty. He quoted John  Adams saying, ““It is more important that innocence be protected than it is that guilt be punished, for guilt and crimes are so frequent in this world that they cannot all be punished. But if innocence itself is brought to the bar and condemned…”

UPDATE, 8:51 a.m.: O’Mara is asking the jury not to fill in the gaps for the prosecution or give anyone the benefit of the doubt other than George Zimmerman. “If you are going to take away his liberty, they [the prosecution] have to prove it,” said O’Mara.

UPDATE, 8:41 a.m.: O’Mara warns the jury to “be careful with your common sense”.

UPDATE July 12, 8:35 a.m.: Court is in session. Mark O’Mara has begun the closing argument for the defense.

UPDATE, 4:19 p.m.: The prosecutor has wrapped his closing argument. Judge Nelson has called for the evening recess. Court will be in recess until Friday morning at 8:30 a.m.

UPDATE, 4:00 p.m.: The prosecutor has played video clips from Zimmerman’s interviews with Sean Hannity, officers Serino and Singleton, and the reenactment officers that expose differences in his accounts of the altercation.

UPDATE, 3:37 p.m.: De la Rionda pointed out instances in Zimmerman’s statements where he used police jargon and referred to Martin as a “suspect”. He is now playing the reenactment video Zimmerman made with law enforcement.

UPDATE, 3:21 p.m.: The prosecutor is playing Zimmerman’s interview with officer Singleton where he recounts the events of the altercation.  De la Rionda is showing the jury the Zimmerman’s gun. He asks the jury how Martin could see the black gun in the darkness. The prosecutor also mentions that Zimmerman holstered his gun when he claimed that he was unaware of whether or not he had actually shot Martin.

UPDATE, 3:10 p.m.: Court is back in session.

UPDATE, 2:50 p.m.: The judge called for a 15 minute recess.

UPDATE, 2:43 p.m.: De la Rionda pointed out the physical inconsistencies in the position of Martin’s hands after he was shot by Zimmerman. The prosecutor said that Zimmerman’s story about spreading Martin’s hands was not consistent, but it did evidence how he tried to act like a cop.

UPDATE, 2:36 p.m.: The prosecutor asks the jury, “Who suffered the most serious injury of all..” He said that there was a fight that had both the victim and the defendant on top at different points.

UPDATE, 2:29 p.m.: The prosecutor said that Zimmerman claims that he didn’t know the name of one of the only three streets in his neighborhood, but actually referenced its name.

UPDATE, 2:21 p.m.: De la Rionda is telling the jury about Rachel Jeantel’s testimony. He plead with the jury not to discredit her testimony because she may be unsophisticated or uneducated. “Did what she said match up with the evidence.. I submit that  it did,” said De la Rionda. He said that Jeantel could have lied, but did not.

UPDATE, 2:16 p.m.: The prosecutor is asking the jurors to use their god given common sense to determine if Zimmerman is guilty.

UPDATE, 2:09 p.m.: De la Rionda said that Zimmerman’s statements got more and more exaggerated as his story went on, because he studied the law and knew what it would take to qualify self defense. The prosecutor said that Zimmerman  made many assumptions and ignored many options that could have potentially stop the conflict.

UPDATE, 2:06 p.m.: De la Rionda said,”The defendant made sure the other person could not come to this courtroom and tell you what happened… He silenced the other person.”

UPDATE, 2:00 p.m.: “The law doesn’t allow for people to take the law into their own hands,” said De la Rionda. The prosecutor asked why someone who thought Martin was a threat would get out of the car. He answered his own question by saying, “…Because he [Zimmerman] had a gun. He had the great equalizer.”

UPDATE, 1:57 p.m.: The prosecutor said that Martin had a right to be afraid as well because someone was following him. “Martin can’t tell you how he was feeling,” said De la Rionda. The prosecutor detailed the actions and features of Zimmerman and Martin.

UPDATE, 1:51 p.m.: “He was minding his own business, but this defendant [Zimmerman] assumed he was up to no good,” said De la Rionda.  The prosecutor mentioned that all that Trayvon Martin did was go to the store and walk home, which is not a crime.

UPDATE, 1:48 p.m.: De la Rionda mentioned that Zimmerman claimed to not have known that Martin was dead, but did nothing to try to save him.

UPDATE, 1:41 p.m.: The jury has been brought in for the first time today. The state has officially rested their case from rebuttal, and the state’s closing argument has begun.

Prosecutor Bernie de la Rionda opened by stating, “A teenager is dead… He is dead because another man made assumptions”.

UPDATE, 1:34 p.m.: Court is back in session.

UPDATE, 1:12 p.m.: The judge has called for another recess. Court will resume at 1:35 p.m.

UPDATE, 1:03 p.m.: Judge Nelson has ruled against the third-degree murder charge. It will not be included in the instructions to be considered by the jury.

UPDATE, 1:00 p.m.: Court is back in session.

UPDATE, 11:55 a.m.: Judge Nelson has called for the lunch recess. During the break the state attorneys will make changes to the documents as referenced this morning, and return to argue for the third-degree murder charge. Court will be in recess until 1:00 p.m.

UPDATE 11:52 a.m.: The court has rearranged the verdict form to be used by the jury after they reach a decision.

UPDATE, 11:45 a.m.: Judge Nelson ruled that the court will not provide instructions as to the definition of “great bodily harm”.

UPDATE, 11:38 a.m.: The state is arguing to include a definition of “great bodily harm” in the jury instructions. The defense objects.

UPDATE, 11:29 a.m.: Judge Nelson ruled that the jury will not be instructed on direct and circumstantial evidence. The defense suggested that the instruction needed to be included, but they were overruled.

UPDATE, 11:12 a.m.: Don West wants the court to include that “following someone in a car or by foot” is not unlawful. Judge Nelson ruled against this suggestion, and asked Mr. West not to continue to argue with her rulings in the court. “You disagree every time I make a ruling,” said Nelson to West.

UPDATE, 11:04 a.m.: Judge Nelson ruled that the jury instructions will not include information about Zimmerman “provoking” Martin.

UPDATE, 10:58 a.m.: The state seeks to suggest that Zimmerman provoked the fight by his pursuit of Martin, though Wast argued that that information is not true. “Respectfully, that information is up to the jury not Mr.West,” said Mantei.

UPDATE, 10:53 a.m.: The judge and attorneys discussed self defense instructions for the jury. West went on to object to Mantei’s definition of “justifiable use of deadly force”. He is now pointing out inconsistencies in the case to Judge Nelson.

UPDATE, 10:45 a.m.: West called the prosecution’s request to include the third-degree murder charge a “trick” that was sprung upon the court at the last minute. Judge Nelsons said that this issue will be considered later.

UPDATE, 10:33 a.m.: Judge Nelson decided that the jury will be allowed to consider manslaughter when they are given the jury instructions. The prosecution is seeking to include the option of third-degree felony murder based in child abuse as a lesser change to be included in the jury instructions. Defense attorney Don West responded by saying, “this is outrageous”.

UPDATE July 11, 10:05 a.m.: Court is back in session. The attorneys are debating the potential lesser charges that could be presented if Zimmerman is found not guilty of second degree murder.

UPDATE, 4:45 p.m.: The judge has called for the jury’s evening recess. Court will resume Wednesday at 10 a.m. The attorneys are staying late tonight and will return early tomorrow to take up measure outside of the presence of the jury. Closing arguments are set to begin tomorrow.

UPDATE, 4:38 p.m.: To receive information about the training George Zimmerman received at Kokopelli’s  gym (owned by Andrew Pollock) that was referenced during the trial, click the link below.

Webpage here: http://kogym.com/zimmerman.htm

UPDATE, 4:00 p.m.: The judge has called a 15 minute recess.

UPDATE, 3:46 p.m.: The state calls Adam Pollack to the stand. Pollack was Zimmerman’s MMA trainer. Prosecutor Richard Mantei asked him if he is now “marketing the training he gave to Zimmerman” on his website. Pollack answered “no I am not,” after which Mark O’Mara objected. Both sides are now at sidebar, discussing the objection with the judge.

UPDATE, 3:35 p.m.: With court back in session, George Zimmerman told the judge he will not testify. Prosecutors will now call rebuttal witnesses, after the defense officially rests its case in front of the jury.

UPDATE, 3:16 p.m.: Just before court went into a 15 minute recess, Judge Debra Nelson asked George Zimmerman if there were any additional witnesses he wanted his defense to call on his behalf. Zimmerman answered “no, your honor.” The judge then instructed him that after the recess, she would ask him whether he plans to testify on his own behalf.

UPDATE, 2:50 p.m.: The defense has called their next witness, a female resident of Zimmerman’s neighborhood. Olivia Bertalan was the victim of a home invasion in August of 2011. She said that two African-American men broke into her home and she was forced to hide with her infant son.

UPDATE, 2:41 p.m.: Root said, “anything is possible, but that doesn’t mean it is plausible” in reference to how Zimmerman was holding the gun when he shot Martin.

UPDATE, 2:34 p.m.: The prosecution is cross examining the witness again.

UPDATE, 2:15 p.m.: Root testified that based on his understanding of the situation he does not think that Zimmerman had any other options outside of shooting Martin.

UPDATE, 2:04 p.m.: O’Mara is continuing to redirect the witness.

UPDATE, 2:00 p.m.: Court is back in session.

UPDATE, 12:12 p.m.: Judge Nelson has called for the lunch recess. Court will resume at 1:45 p.m.

UPDATE, 12:00 p.m.: O’Mara is redirecting the witness. Root said that he does not think Zimmerman’s head was smashed, but the injuries could be consistent with being pushed or struck and trying to resist the force. O’Mara is using the mannequin to demonstrate the conflict.

UPDATE, 11:46 a.m.: Root said that it would not be unusual for an unarmed person to see a gun pointed at them an scream for help. Root and the prosecutor are discussing the options that Zimmerman had other than the one he took during the struggle.

UPDATE, 11:29 a.m.: Root said that he did not ask Zimmerman how he got to his gun. Root mentioned that Martin was straddled around Zimmerman’s belly button, and now the prosecutor is using a mannequin to demonstrate the struggle in relation to the access Zimmerman had to his gun.

UPDATE, 11:18 a.m.: Root admitted that he was not concerned with the timing of phone calls between Martin and Jeantel in relation to calls made by Zimmerman. He also admitted that he did not ask Zimmerman to create drawings of the shooting area or ask him how he lost personal belongings in the conflict.

UPDATE, 11:06 a.m.: The prosecution is questioning Root about advertising his testimony and the personal benefit he gains from taking the stand on a highly publicized trial.

UPDATE, 10:59 a.m.: The prosecution is cross-examining the witness. Root said that he does not think that Zimmerman acted with “ill-will or spite”. He mentioned the fact that Zimmerman only shot Martin one time and the he was generally frustrated when he used foul language.

UPDATE, 10:53 a.m.: Root is talking about the safety of the type of gun Zimmerman used to shoot Martin. He said, “a firearm is as safe as the person holding it”. Root testified that carrying a gun with a round in the chamber is the best way to carry a gun for self defense purposes.

UPDATE, 10:35 a.m.: The witness said that he recommends that individuals change their tactics if they have not won a fight in 30 seconds. He testified that this altercation lasted an estimated 40 seconds and that could seem like an “eternity”.

UPDATE, 10:32 a.m.: Root said that the size of an individual was more relevant than age when determining how capable they are physically. Root is the second witness to testify that Zimmerman was not athletic and was “lacking” in physical prowess. He described Martin as physically fit and in overall good health.

UPDATE, 10:25 a.m.: Root testified that based on photos of Zimmerman’s injuries, he thought they were consistent with a “fist fight”.

UPDATE, 10:08 a.m.: Root said that he established a timeline of events in the case using 911 calls and witness statements. He said that he is using the perspectives of others and physical evidence will  help to draw a “logical conclusion”.

UPDATE, 9:58 a.m.: Root said that he had a chance to review relevant evidence to the case such as 911 calls, crime scene photos, police and autopsy reports, etc.

UPDATE, 9:54 a.m.: Root said that he reached out to O’Mara to offer his services in reference to this case. He is a force expert that specializes in self defense.

UPDATE, 9:35 a.m.: Root is explaining his experiences with work in law enforcement.

UPDATE, 9;27 a.m.: Root is describing a “force continuum”, which details the acceptable levels of response when someone directs a force at another individual.

UPDATE, 9:19 a.m.: The defense has called the next witness, Dennis Root. He is a law enforcement trainer and private investigator.

UPDATE July 10, 9:01 a.m.: Court is in session.

UPDATE, 4:21 p.m.: Judge Nelson has called for the evening recess for the jury. The attorneys have more issues that need to be discussed outside of the presence of the jury. Court will resume tomorrow at 9 a.m.

UPDATE, 4:15 p.m.: The witness has been excused.

UPDATE, 4:13 p.m.: De la Rionda is cross examining the witness.

UPDATE 4:03 p.m.: Dilligard testified that she has heard the Lauer 911 call two or three times. She described Zimmerman as having a  “light male voice” and said that the screams on the recording were coming from him. She admitted that she had only heard Zimmerman’s voice previously and not Martin’s, in reference to her ability to identify the voice.

UPDATE, 4:00 p.m.: Dilligard said that she was present when three other witnesses gave their verbal statements to law enforcement. She said there was one man and another married couple in her presence.

UPDATE, 3:55 p.m.: Dilligard said that she was asked by law enforcement to identify either of the people involved in the shooting. She said that she identified her neighbor George Zimmerman and described his nose as “bloodied and disfigured”. She said that she also recognized Trayvon Martin from “passing him earlier that day” but she did not know him personally at the time.

UPDATE, 3:46 p.m.: Dilligard is describing Mrs. Lauer’s home in relation to where Zimmerman’s car was parked. She arrived at the crime scene after the shooting happened.

UPDATE, 3:36 p.m.: Court is back in session. The defense has called their next witness, Eloise Dilligard. She was Zimmerman’s neighbor. She said that she had a friendly relationship with Zimmerman and remembers him being in the neighborhood watch.

UPDATE, 3:12 p.m.: The judge has called for a 15 minute recess.

UPDATE, 3:04 p.m.: Bonaparte testified that the decision to play the taped for the Martin family was not discussed with law enforcement. He said that at the family’s request law enforcement was kept out of the room while it was being played. He said “they were not witnesses they were family members” in reference to the Martin family. Bonaparte testified that the tapes were being played as a courtesy to the family because the tapes were going to be released to the public.

UPDATE, 3:00 p.m.: The next witness has been called to the stand. Norton Bonaparte is Sanford’s City Manager. He said that he played the tapes at the Mayor’s office for the Martin family.

UPDATE, 2:43 p.m.: Di Maio talked about concussions and how subtle they can be. He also testified that he could not know that Zimmerman’s nose was bleeding at the time that Zimmerman claimed he was smothered.

UPDATE, 2:26 p.m.: Dr.Di Maio said that often witness testimonies are in direct contradiction with physical evidence present.

UPDATE, 2:23 p.m.: Don west is now questioning the witness.

UPDATE, 2:13 p.m.: Dr. Di Maio confirmed that if someone had a bloody nose and laid on their back, the blood going down their throat could make it harder to speak. He also mentioned that scalp bleeding is typically more excessive that cuts in other places.

UPDATE, 2:00 p.m.: Dr. Di Maio agreed that according to his earlier testimony Zimmerman could have also punched Martin and not had bruises visible on his knuckles.

UPDATE, 1:54 p.m.: Dr. Di Maio agreed that the physical evidence is also consistent with Martin pulling away from Zimmerman before the shot was fired.

UPDATE, 1:39 p.m.: De la Rionda is asking Dr. Di Maio why he did not consult information from all of the witnesses, instead of just Zimmerman and John Good.

UPDATE, 1:33 p.m.: Court is back in session. The prosecutor, Bernie de la Rionda,  is cross-examining the witness.

UPDATE, 12:32 p.m.: Judge Nelson has called for a recess for lunch. Court will be back in session at 1:30 p.m.

UPDATE, 12:25 p.m.: Di  Maio is testifying about Zimmerman’s injuries. He said that the injuries to Zimmerman’s nose were consistent with getting punched in the face. He said that Zimmerman could have had a fracture that was pushed back into place by EMTs. He is testifying that the injuries on Zimmerman’s head are the result of contact with concrete.

UPDATE, 12:10 p.m.: The witness said that where there is a laceration “you know there is trauma”. He said that when someone’s head is banged against an unyielding surface such as concrete the person is “at a minimum stunned”. Dr. Di Maio said that by looking at the photos of Zimmerman’s head there is evidence of force.  He said that his injuries came from more than one impact.

UPDATE, 11:55 a.m.: “You may have bruising but it may not have been visible… You can punch something and have no bruising…” said Dr. Di Maio. He said the abrasion on Martin’s knuckle was consistent with coming in contact with a hard surface such as concrete. He said Martin lost blood pressure very quickly which could be why his hands were not bruised.

UPDATE, 11:51 a.m.: The witness said that according to healthy heart function Martin would be dead within 1-3 minutes after being shot, but would have only been conscious for 10-15 seconds.

UPDATE, 11:44 a.m.: The witness testified that the evidence from the shot residue was consistent with Martin leaning over Zimmerman at the time of the shooting. He said that the clothing being 2-4 inches away from his body was the effect of Martin’s position, gravity, the contents of his pocket, and his wet clothing.

UPDATE, 11:40 a.m.: Dr. Di Maio testified that the bullet was not a “straight on shot”. He said the trajectory of the bullet moved from Martin’s left to his right slightly.

UPDATE, 11:31 a.m.: Dr. Di Maio said that he testified about the 2-4 inch distance of the gun because of the “powder tattooing” that marks the skin surrounding the bullet hole on the body.

UPDATE, 11:27 a.m.: Dr. Di Maio said that he received evidence from the case including crime scene photos, witness statements, and the deposition of Dr. Rao. He just testified that the muzzle of Zimmerman’s gun had to be 2-4 inches away from Martin’s body at the time of the shot. 

UPDATE, 10:51 a.m.: Di Maio is the second witness with a scientific background to testify about the procedures for handling wet evidence. He said that wet evidence should be dried and should never be put in plastic.

UPDATE, 10:42 a.m.: The next witness, Dr. Vincent J.M. Di Maio, has taken the stand. He is a forensic pathologist.

UPDATE June 9,10:26 a.m.: Court is now in session and the jury is being brought in. At 9 am the attorneys had a hearing about the admissibility of an animation to be used by the defense. The defense will now call their next witness for testimony.

UPDATE, 4:27 p.m.: The witness has been excused. The judge has called for the evening recess for the jury. She said there are matters that need to be discussed outside of their presence. Court will resume Tuesday morning at 9 a.m.

UPDATE, 4:23 p.m.: The prosecutor is cross-examining the witness.

UPDATE, 4:20 p.m.: Lee said that his recommendation was that the recordings associated with the case be shown to the Martin family on an individual basis. When the recording was actually played, it was played in a group setting without law enforcement present. Mr. Lee was also excluded from the room while the recording was played in the Mayor’s office.

UPDATE, 4:13 p.m.: The defense has called their next witness, Bill Lee. Mr. Lee was the former police chief of the Sanford police department. He stepped down from that position in 2012.

UPDATE, 4:07 p.m.: The prosecution is cross-examining Martin. Tracy Martin said that when his family had the opportunity to listen to the recording at the Mayor’s office, he played recordings an estimated 20 times. He said, “I was listening to my son’s last cry for help. I was listening to his life being taken”. Later, Martin said that he was trying to understand why Zimmerman “got out of his car” and “chased” his son.

UPDATE, 3:58 p.m.: Tracy Martin said, “I can’t tell … but I never said that wasn’t my son’s voice.” He admits that he did not mention listening to the tape before the rest of the Martin family had a chance to hear it. After the recording was played at the Mayor’s office, Martin said that he knew the voice belonged to his son.

UPDATE, 3:53 p.m.: Mr. Martin testified that he went to the station to speak with investigator Serino on his own accord. Martin said that when asked about his son’s voice on an audio recording he did not directly say “no”. He said that he did not see Singleton in the room on that day, though she testified that she heard Martin’s response.

UPDATE, 3:51 p.m.: Court is back in session. The defense has called Tracy Martin, Trayvon Martin’s father, to the stand.

UPDATE, 3:20 p.m.: Pollock has been excused. The judge has called for a 15 minute recess.

UPDATE, 3:16 p.m.: Pollock said that Zimmerman was in the gym no more than six hours  in a given week.

UPDATE, 3:08 p.m.: The prosecution is cross-examining the witness.

UPDATE, 3:03 p.m.: Pollock described George Zimmerman as “physically soft”, “non-athletic”, and “overweight”.

UPDATE, 2:57 p.m.: Pollock said that Zimmerman was not “physically accomplished” enough to box against anyone else. Pollock said that Zimmerman accomplished his goal of losing weight, but not a level of athleticism. He said that Zimmerman never mastered learning how to punch.

UPDATE, 2:52 p.m.: Pollock said that Zimmerman trained two to three times per week. On a scale of 1-10, Pollock assigned Zimmerman a “0.5” in reference to his original physical skill. In his time at Pollock’s gym, Pollock rated Zimmerman a “1” at the end of his gym training.

UPDATE, 2:46 p.m.: Pollock said that Zimmerman came into his gym to “lose weight and get in shape”. Pollock said that he put Zimmerman on a diet and helped him select exercise programs that fit around him work and school schedule. Zimmerman was enrolled in the “grappling” class but was originally interested in boxing.

UPDATE, 2:43 p.m.: O’Mara and Pollock demonstrated the “mounted” position for the jury. Pollock explained the restricted movement of the person on the bottom of the mount. Pollock is explaining ways to get out of the “mounted position” for the person on the bottom.

UPDATE, 2:36 p.m.: Pollock is explaining what Mixed Martial Arts encompasses. Specifically, Pollock is recounting what a “ground and pound” would look like and why it would be used.

UPDATE, 2:29 p.m.: Singleton has been excused, but is still subject to recall. The defense has called its next witness, Andrew Pollock. He is the owner of Kokopelli’s Gym.

UPDATE, 2:25 p.m.: Singleton said that she recalled Tracy Martin saying that the voice on the recording was not his son’s. She said that she was standing about 10 feet away and was not a part of the actual questioning.

UPDATE, 2:23 p.m.: Officer Singleton has been recalled to the stand.

UPDATE, 2:22 p.m.: Serino said that when Zimmerman was asked about his own voice on the recording he said that it did not sound like him either.

UPDATE, 2:14 p.m.: Serino agreed that Mr. Martin’s reaction to the question about Trayvon Martin’s voice could be construed as “denial” associated with grief.

UPDATE, 2:09 p.m.: Serino said that he played all of the recordings available to Tracy Martin during this meeting. Serino said that Tracy Martin was “very emotional” and had a hard time listening to all of the recordings.

UPDATE, 2:01 p.m.: Serino confirmed that he had a meeting with Tracy Martin and his girlfriend to “bring them up to speed” on the information gathered in the investigation. He said that he played the Lauer 911 call for Mr. Martin and asked him if the screams in the background were Trayvon Martin’s. He said that Tracy Martin looked away and answered “no” under his breath.

UPDATE, 1:47 p.m.: The defense has now called officer Chris Serino to the stand. He was the lead investigator for the case, and he also gave a testimony for this case earlier in the trial.

UPDATE, 1:44 p.m.: Singleton said that she was present for an interview between Martin’s father and investigator Serino to explain why an arrest could not be made days after the shooting. After no questioning from the prosecution Singleton was excused.

UPDATE, 1:39 p.m.: The defense has called its next witness, Doris Singleton. She has already given a testimony in this case. She is an officer for the Sanford County police department that took statements from Zimmerman on the night of the shooting and with investigator Serino.

UPDATE, 1:36 p.m.: Court is back in session.

UPDATE, 12:11 p.m.: Judge Nelson has called for the lunch recess. Court will resume at 1:30 p.m.

UPDATE, 12:06 p.m.: Donnelly said that all of the background screams and cries for help sounded as if they were coming from one person, who Donnelly identified as Zimmerman.

UPDATE, 12:02 p.m.: De la Rionda played Zimmerman’s non emergency call for Donnelly. He said that he recognizes Zimmerman’s voice on the recording.

UPDATE, 11:56 a.m.: Donnelly confirmed that he donated $2500 to Zimmerman’s defense fund, $500 to Zimmerman’s personal website, and spent close to $1700 on the clothing.

UPDATE, 11:52 a.m.: Bernie de la Rionda is now questioning the witness. Donnelly said he did not listen to the 911 call until last Saturday, and he played it twice. He called listening to the tape “an emotional experience”.

UPDATE, 11:51 a.m.: O’Mara played the Lauer 911 call for Donnelly. After hearing the tape, Donnelly said that he identifies the voice screaming in the background as George Zimmerman. He teared up after giving that portion of his testimony.

UPDATE, 11:46 a.m.: Donnelly was previously a combat medic in the Army. He said that in a combat situation “voices change” and you can hear someone you know screaming for help “and know who it is before you get there”.

UPDATE, 11:33 a.m.: Donnelly admitted that he purchased Zimmerman suits for the trial and donated to his defense fund. He said many things that were similar to his wife’s testimony about the time spent with Zimmerman in work settings and volunteering on political campaigns.

UPDATE, 11:27 a.m.: The defense is calling its next witness, John Donnelly. He is a former physicians assistant and friend of Zimmerman. He is married to Leanne Benjamin, who just testified.

UPDATE, 11:20 a.m.: O’Mara is redirecting the witness. She said that she did not think that Zimmerman’s language implied anger. She said she has heard that type of language from her two sons.

UPDATE, 11:14 a.m.: After hearing the part of Zimmerman’s tape where he used expletives, Benjamin said that she thought Zimmerman was “just observing” and “making a comment”.

UPDATE, 11:08 a.m.: Benjamin said that Zimmerman sounded “matter of fact”. She said she now remembers hearing parts of he tape on the news.

UPDATE, 11:03 a.m.: De la Rionda is playing Zimmerman’s call to law enforcement.

UPDATE, 10:52 a.m.: Benjamin identified the screaming on the 911 tape as Zimmerman. She is now being questioned by De la Rionda.

UPDATE, 10:47 a.m.: Benjamin said that her husband donated to Zimmerman’s defense fund and she brought the Zimmerman family food and clothes. She said, “I wanted to do what I could to help him”.

UPDATE, 10:35 a.m.: The defense is calling its next witness, Leanne Benjamin. She said that she has known Zimmerman since 2003 because she would refer her real estate clients to his insurance business. She claims that they had a “business relationship” that developed into a friendship over time.

UPDATE, 10:34 a.m.: In cross examination, Russo said that it was her “immediate reaction” to recognize Zimmerman’s voice. She said she had never heard Martin’s voice.

UPDATE, 10:28 a.m.: O’Mara played one of the 911 tapes for Russo. Russo said there is no doubt in her mind that Zimmerman was the one screaming on the Lauer 911 tape. She said that she recognized his voice right away, before being prompted to identify anyone.

UPDATE, 10:22 a.m.: The defense has called its next witness, Geri Russo. She was Zimmerman’s coworker and friend.

UPDATE, 10:15 a.m.: The witness testified that he would keep his gun out of the holster if he felt that he was threatened. Osterman recognized the difference between the way a law enforcement officer and a civilian should handle a threat. He said that Zimmerman was familiar shooting with both hands.

UPDATE, 10:00 a.m.: The witness helped Zimmerman pick out his gun and frequently went to the shooting range with him. Osterman is explaining the details of the gun used by Zimmerman and the way in which it should be handled.

UPDATE, 9:50 a.m.: O’Mara has now called their next witness, Mark Osterman. He is the husband of the previous witness and Zimmerman’s best friend.

UPDATE, 9:47 a.m.: After listening to the  911 call placed by Zimmerman multiple times, Osterman said that she does not think Zimmerman sounded angry at any point.

UPDATE, 9:33 a.m.: Osterman said that even though she had never heard Zimmerman scream before, she just had a “feeling” it was his voice. She said that she saw the reaction Zimmerman’s wife had when she heard the tape.

UPDATE, 9:28 a.m.: Prosecutor Bernie de la Rionda is now questioning the witness. Osterman  admitted that she helped her husband write the book that told Zimmerman’s account of the situation. She said that the profits from the book are being saved for Zimmerman after the trial is over. Osterman testified that she knew the voice on the recording was Zimmerman’s from the “first time she heard it”.

UPDATE, 9:26 a.m.: Sandra Osterman listened to the 911 tape placed by Mrs. Lauer that featured the screams in the background. She testified that it was Zimmerman who produced the screams heard on the tape. She teared up after hearing the tape.

UPDATE, 9:19 a.m.: The defense has called their next witness, Sandra Osterman. She is married to Mark Osterman, who testified as a prosecution witness earlier last week. She said she is also close to Zimmerman and his wife.

UPDATE July 8, 9:00 a.m.: Court is now in session. Today will begin day two of the defense presenting its case.

On Friday July 5th, the prosecution rested its case. Their final witnesses included the medical examiner that performed Trayvon Martin’s autopsy, Martin’s mother Sybrina Fulton, and Martin’s brother. Fulton identified the screams in the 911 calls as her son’s voice, while the brother did not think that it was Trayvon. Before the defense began their case late in the day, the attorneys motioned for Zimmerman to be acquitted of the charges. Judge Nelson denied the motion after heavy debate from both counsels. As their first witnesses, the defense called both Zimmerman’s mother and uncle to the stand, both of whom said the screams on the call were Zimmerman.

UPDATE, 5:22 p.m.: The judge is releasing the jury for the evening recess. Court will be in recess until Friday, July 5, at 8:30 a.m.

UPDATE, 5:21 p.m.: After questioning from both sides about Martin’s DNA on Zimmerman’s cuff, Gorgone admitted he did not know how it got there.

UPDATE, 5:09 p.m.: The prosecution is redirecting the witness.

UPDATE, 4:37 p.m.: Gorgone said that he was not the first analyst to receive the clothing worn by Martin to be analyzed. He said that for DNA to be best preserved the items are usually air dried and then placed in a paper bag so the evidence can “breathe”. Gorgone confirmed that both of Martin’s sweatshirts were still wet when he received them, and the hooded one had a pungent odor that reminded him of mold or ammonia.

UPDATE, 4:27 p.m.: Don West pointed out that there was only one swab for each hand of Martin, implying that the collectors used the same stick for all five fingers of his hands. He compared that information with the gun that was swabbed with four separate tools to determine the location of DNA on the different gun parts.

UPDATE, 4:16 p.m.: Gorgone acknowledged that the way a sample is collected can have great effects on the amount of DNA that is available for testing or DNA being degraded by environmental factors. He also mentioned that on a hard surface, someone could touch an item and not leave DNA.

UPDATE, 4:05 p.m.: Court is back in session. The defense will begin questioning the DNA analyst Anthony Gorgone.

UPDATE, 3:41 p.m.: The judge has called for a 15 minute recess.

UPDATE, 3:40 p.m.: Gorgone also completed testing for stains on the shirt Zimmerman wore underneath his jacket. All stains that were positive for blood matched George Zimmerman.

UPDATE, 3:31 p.m.: Martin’s DNA was found on the right cuff of Zimmerman’s jacket.

UPDATE, 3:19 p.m.: Gorgone said that there were 17 stains on the jacket Zimmerman was wearing on the night of the shooting.  Of all of the stains that were tested positive for blood, most resulted in the DNA of George Zimmerman. Of those that resulted in mixed profiles (more than one person’s DNA) Martin was only partially connected to two spots.

UPDATE, 3:05 p.m.: Gorgone said that he did not test the area around the gunshot hole in Martin’s second sweatshirt to preserve the area for other investigations for FDLE. On another stain on the bottom of the crew neck George Zimmerman’s DNA was present. This crew neck was worn underneath the hooded sweatshirt.

UPDATE, 2:57 p.m.: Gorgone performed testing on Martin’s hooded sweatshirt. He found Martin’s blood in one of the spots on the body of the jacket. He also testified that on both cuffs and sleeves of Martin’s sweatshirt, there was none of Zimmerman’s DNA.

UPDATE, 2:49 p.m.: From the testing of Trayvon Martin’s fingernails, there was no DNA present other than his own. Gorgone confirmed that there was none of Zimmerman’s DNA underneath Martin’s fingernails.

UPDATE, 2:41 p.m.: Through DNA testing it was confirmed that Trayvon  Martin did not have DNA on the pistol grip or of Zimmerman’s gun. Testing of the holster matched George Zimmerman’s DNA, and Martin’s DNA was not able to be included or excluded.

UPDATE, 2:29 p.m.: Gorgone is comparing the DNA profiles of George Zimmerman and Trayvon Martin.

UPDATE, 2:05 p.m.: Gorgone is telling the jury what DNA is and how it is tested/analyzed.

UPDATE, 1:57 p.m.: Court is back in session. The stat has called their next witness, Anthony Gorgone. He is a crime lab analyst for the Florida Department of Law Enforcement in the biology and DNA department.

UPDATE, 12:12 p.m.: Judge Nelson has called for the break for lunch. Court will be in recess until 1:45 p.m.

UPDATE, 12:04 p.m.: Siewert clarified that the gun was “touching” Martin’s clothing. She said there would be the same physical effects on the clothing if the gun was “lightly touching” or “pressed into” the clothing.

UPDATE, 11:58 a.m.: O’Mara is asking Siewert about the “safety” of the gun used by Zimmerman in comparison to other types of guns.

UPDATE, 11:45 a.m.: Siewert is examining Martin’s sweatshirts, where she mentioned residues and singeing of the fabric. She claims that she test fired at the sweatshirt using the gun that was submitted to her to conduct a distance test. Siewert testified that the end of the gun was in contact with the sweatshirts when the gun was fired. She said that the clothing is consistent with the end of the gun being pressed into the outer sweatshirt.

UPDATE, 11:38 a.m.: Siewert testified that the type of gun used by Zimmerman had safety features that significantly decreased the chances of accidental discharge. She is looking at the sweatshirt worn by Martin on the night of the shooting.

UPDATE 11:25 a.m.: The next witness, Amy Siewert, is a firearms expert that works with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. She is now explaining to the jury the different parts of the gun that was used in this shooting.

UPDATE, 11:19 a.m.: Pleasants testified that Zimmerman participated in all of the online discussion, but the coursework did not cover profiling suspects. He said that Zimmerman posted that his career goal was to be a prosecutor.

UPDATE, 11:13 a.m.: After issues with Skype, the attorneys are interviewing the witness over the phone with the assistance of a microphone. Pleasants testified that the class that he taught was online. He said that he can not confirm that students read the material provided in the class.

UPDATE, 11:07 a.m.: Court is in session. Professor Pleasants is an instructor of criminal investigation at Seminole State College.

UPDATE, 10:38 a.m.: The next witness is scheduled to appear by Skype at 11:00 a.m. Court will be in recess until that time.

UPDATE, 10:33 a.m.: The state has called their next witness, Mr. Krzenski, who oversees the records and administrative matters of the Sanford police department. He has confirmed that Zimmerman filed a request to go on a ride-along with a law enforcement officer. He claims that Zimmerman wanted to participate in efforts to help with his career in law enforcement.

UPDATE, 10:21 a.m.: West is asking Capt. Carter to explain the legal concept of self defense. “The law as it applies isn’t static,” said Carter.

UPDATE, 10:02 a.m.: Don West is now questioning the witness. Carter said that while the book did not specifically talk about Floria law, he supplemented the book with materials and discussions that focused on Florida.

UPDATE, 9:50 a.m.: The state has called their next witness, Capt. Alexander Carter. He is a military prosecutor for the U.S. Army, who also taught Zimmerman’s criminal litigation class. He testified that the students were taught about the Stand Your Ground law and self defense in connection with violent crimes. Zimmerman received an A in this class.

UPDATE, 9:48 a.m.: Kearns testified that Zimmerman was denied because of credit issues.

UPDATE, 9:40 a.m.: The state’s next witness is on the stand. Scott Kearns is an officer within the Prince William County police department in Virginia. Zimmerman applied to work at this police department, and was denied.

UPDATE, 9:34 a.m.: The state is calling their next witness, Sonja Boles-Melvin. She is the registrar administrator for Seminole State College that keeps the academic records for the college. Zimmerman took classes in criminal litigation and applied to graduate in fall 2012. The defense attorneys did not question her, and she was quickly released.

UPDATE July 3, 9:31 a.m.: Court is back in session, now including the jury. The attorneys have been in session for an hour to discuss moving some of Zimmerman’s college coursework into evidence.

UPDATE, 4:46 p.m.: Judge Nelson has called for the official evening recess. Court will be in recess until 8:30 a.m. for the attorneys and 9:00 a.m. for the jury.

UPDATE, 4:36 p.m.: Judge Nelson is releasing the jury for the evening so that the attorneys can discuss matters outside of their presence. The jury will return for more proceedings tomorrow morning.

UPDATE, 4:29 p.m.: Benson said that she only received one latent print from a firearm to analyze. She was quickly released after only a couple questions from both counsels.

UPDATE, 4:24 p.m.: The state has called their next witness, Kristen Benson. She is a latent print analyst.

UPDATE, 3:46 p.m.: The judge extended the break for 30 more minutes.

UPDATE, 3:10 p.m.: The court has taken a 15 minute recess.

UPDATE, 3:07 p.m.: After a momentary redirect from the prosecution Rao was released.

UPDATE 3:05 p.m.: O’Mara mentioned that “life threatening” injuries did not play a part in this case.

UPDATE, 2:59 p.m.: Rao said it is difficult for her to offer opinions on a photograph. She described them as “distorted”. O’Mara is asking the witness about the number of times that it is possible that Zimmerman’s head was slammed into the concrete.

UPDATE, 2:48 p.m.: Rao is now looking at smaller and more accurate pictures of Zimmerman’s injuries. She said that one of the presumed protrusions on his scalp is just the shape of his head. She also does not recognize bruising in the same areas that O’Mara does.

UPDATE, 2:27 p.m.: O’Mara is cross examining the witness. Rao said Zimmerman’s injuries could be consistent with more than one punch, depending on the scenario.

UPDATE, 2:17 p.m.: Rao said that Zimmerman’s injuries are consistent with coming into contact with a concrete surface one time. She said they are not consistent with being slammed multiple times because she explained  that “slammed” implies great force. She said Zimmerman’s injuries were not severe enough to sustain claims of being slammed repeatedly.

UPDATE, 2:09 p.m.: Rao said that she was provided many pieces of evidence and reports to give her background into the incident and condition of Martin and Zimmerman. She classified the injuries to Zimmerman as “insignificant” and “not life threatening”.

UPDATE, 2:00 p.m.: The state has called their next witness, Valerie Rao, who is the chief medical examiner. She has been in the medical field for 32 years. She has been qualified by the court as a forensic pathologist.

UPDATE, 1:53 p.m.: Zimmerman told Hannity that he does not regret getting out of the car or having a gun. He said “it was all a part of God’s plan”.

UPDATE, 1:42 p.m.: Court is back in session. A video of George Zimmerman’s interview on the Sean Hannity show is being played for the court. Mark O’Mara is in the video alongside Zimmerman.

UPDATE, 12:22 p.m.: Judge Nelson has called for a recess for lunch. Court will resume at 1:30 p.m.

UPDATE, 12:15 p.m.: Osterman said that Zimmerman has not seen a draft of the book, and they did not have any conversations about the incident so that Zimmerman could corroborate facts included in Osterman’s book. Osterman admits that he did not take any notes and wrote the book from memory four months after the incident. He said he would defer to other testimonies because he could have documented it wrong.

UPDATE, 12:14 p.m.: Osterman said it is not unusual for someone to talk after they have been shot.

UPDATE, 12:09 p.m.: Osterman said “without question” that it was Trayvon Martin that mounted Zimmerman.

UPDATE, 11:56 a.m.: Osterman drove Zimmerman’s wife to the police station and waited with her until Zimmerman was released. Osterman described Zimmerman as “wide eyed” and “detached” after he was released from the police station.

UPDATE, 11:54 a.m.: O’Mara is now questioning Osterman.

UPDATE, 11:45 a.m.: Osterman said that Zimmerman told him that after shooting Martin he was not sure that he had “struck” him and got on top of him to “pin him down”. He said he was told that Martin saw the gun in the holster and grabbed for it. He also said that he was told that Martin approached Zimmerman by walking up from abut 15 feet away.

UPDATE, 11:36 a.m.: Osterman said that Zimmerman told him that he was going for his cellphone and when he looked up he was punched in the nose by Martin. Osterman said Zimmerman told him that his head was being “bashed” on the sidewalk and that he screamed for help to someone who came outside. Osterman has written a book about the case and is using it as a part of his testimony.

UPDATE, 11:27 a.m.: Osterman is telling the court what Zimmerman explained to him about the incident.

UPDATE, 11:23 a.m.: Court is back in session. The state has called their next witness, Mark Osterman, who is an officer with the Federal Marshal Service..  He claims that Zimmerman is the “best friend he ever had”.

UPDATE, 11:05 a.m.: O’Mara mentioned that blood would not have come from Zimmerman’s nose until he stood up after the altercation, and therefore not on Martin’s hands. Officer Serino has been excused and the court will be in recess for 15 minutes.

UPDATE, 10:57 a.m.: Serino confirmed that the calls that Zimmerman placed about suspicious activity were pointing out African American males. Serino also confirmed earlier that it is not illegal to wear a hoodie at night.

UPDATE, 10:32 a.m.: Serino said that he would not have questioned Martin just based off of his “presence” in the situation.

UPDATE, 10:26 a.m.: Serino said that there was evidence to say the Zimmerman followed Martin after the non-emergency operator told him that they “don’t need him to do that”. Serino said that Zimmerman’s “end location” was of concern. Serino and O’Mara are using a diagram to indicate their understandings of the incident.

UPDATE, 10:18 a.m.: O’Mara mentioned in his re-direct that a couple of weeks before the incident a young black man was arrested in Zimmerman’s neighborhood for multiple burglaries. Serino said that there were tools that may have been used to pick locks found behind a neighbor’s house a few days after the incident, though unrelated to the case.

UPDATE, 10:13 a.m.: Serino confirmed that he referred to Martin as “skinny”. He said he would not consider Zimmerman as skinny at the time that he first came into contact with him.

UPDATE, 10:09 a.m.: De la Rionda recalls when Zimmerman said in the reenactment video that he spread Martin’s hands out to the sides after he shot him. De la Rionda then referenced the pictures taken by Manalo where Martin’s hands were underneath him after he had passed. Serino agreed that he thought Zimmerman was exaggerating the manner in which he was hit.

UPDATE, 10:05 a.m.: De la Rionda played a part of Zimmerman’s reenactment video. In the video Zimmerman claims that to his left he could not find an address, but De la Rionda points out that there is a house with an address in clear view to his right belonging to Jenna Lauer.

UPDATE, 10:00 a.m.: Bernie de la Rionda is playing the recording of Serino’s interview with Zimmerman. De la Rionda is pausing the recording at times where Serino seemed to be challenging Zimmerman’s inconsistencies.

UPDATE, 9:43 a.m.: Serino confirmed that the explicit language used by Zimmerman to describe Martin  indicated ill-will or hate.

UPDATE, 9:36 a.m.: Serino said that it did not cause him concern when Zimmerman claimed that the screams in the background of a 911 call did not sound like him.

UPDATE, 9:26 a.m.: After protest from the prosecution, the judge has given the jury instruction to disregard an answer by Serino in yesterday’s questioning. He answered “yes” when asked by O’Mara if he thought Zimmerman was “telling the truth” during their interview in February.

UPDATE July 2, 9:01 a.m.: Court is back in session. Lead investigator Chris Serino will return to the stand to finish the cross-examination by defense attorney Mark O’Mara.

UPDATE, 5:57 p.m.: Judge Nelson has called for the evening recess. Court will resume tomorrow at 9 a.m.

UPDATE, 5:50 p.m.: Serino said that he was concerned that Zimmerman did not say anything to Martin to explain who he was or why he was following him.

UPDATE, 5:45 p.m.: Serino said that there were external concerns about the role that race played in the case. He said that is why he needed to “clear that up” with Zimmerman.

UPDATE, 5:38 p.m.: O’Mara is asking Serino about all the interviews that were conducted with Zimmerman. Serino said that parts of Zimmerman’s story “didn’t add up”. O’Mara is detailing the techniques used by law enforcement in a “challenge interview”.

UPDATE, 5:03 p.m.: “He was being straight-forward in my opinion,” said Serino in reference to Zimmerman. Serino agreed that Zimmerman seemed “flat” and that gave him concern.

UPDATE, 4:45 p.m.: Serino said that he did not immediately notice inconsistencies in the story Zimmerman told Singleton and the one that he was told hours later.

UPDATE, 4:41 p.m.: Serino interviewed Zimmerman six hours after the incident, with knowledge of all information that had been collected up to that point.

UPDATE, 4:36 p.m.: Serino confirmed that he showed Zimmerman a picture of Martin to point out how “skinny” he was in comparison to Zimmerman. O’Mara is now questioning Serino.

UPDATE, 4:29 p.m.: Court is back in session.

UPDATE, 4:07 p.m.: De la Rionda pauses the video to ask Serino about what he said to Zimmerman. He confirms that Zimmerman said the screams on another recording did not sound like him. The court has taken a 10 minute break.

UPDATE, 3:22 p.m.: In the recording Serino asked Zimmerman if he would have still acted the same way if Martin was white. Zimmerman replied, “yes”.

UPDATE, 3:10 p.m.: Prosecutor Bernie de la Rionda is now playing a video recording of an interview that Serino conducted with Zimmerman later in February 2012.

UPDATE, 2:49 p.m.: The prosecution is playing a video where Zimmerman reenacts the events that took place on the night of the shooting.

UPDATE, 2:45 p.m.: Zimmerman told Serino in the interview that Martin reached for his firearm after attacking him.

UPDATE, 2:38 p.m.: The prosecution is playing the audio recording between Officer Serino and George Zimmerman.

UPDATE, 2:32 p.m.: The state has called their next witness. Officer Chris Serino is an investigator for the Sanford police department. He lead the initial investigation of this case.

UPDATE, 2:23 p.m.: Singleton described Zimmerman as “shocked” when he found out Martin was dead. The prosecutor asked if Singleton thought that it was odd that Zimmerman holstered his gun if he thought Martin was still alive.

UPDATE, 2:19 p.m.: Singleton said it was not unusual that Zimmerman referred to Martin as a “suspect” when talking to the police. She said that Zimmerman’s mention of bushes did not cause her concern.

UPDATE, 2:13 p.m.: “I would have thought that as a neighborhood watch person he would have known the names of the streets,” said Singleton. She said it made her wonder if he “wanted” to get out of the car.

UPDATE, 2:09 p.m.: Singleton said that it is not uncommon for there to be inconsistencies in statements given by people who are questioned. She said that there were no “significant” differences in the statements given to her by Zimmerman.

UPDATE, 2:05 p.m.: Singleton said that Zimmerman seemed affected by the news that Martin had passed. She denied that Zimmerman seemed to have “ill will” or “hatred” toward Martin at the time of the interview.

UPDATE, 2:00 p.m.: Singleton confirmed that she did not have any information about the situation prior to questioning Zimmerman on the night of the shooting.

UPDATE, 1:48 p.m.: O’Mara is now questioning Singleton.

UPDATE, 1:42 p.m.: Singleton said that Zimmerman asked her about her cross on the night of the shooting. She said that he asked if she was catholic because he mentioned that, “in the catholic religion it s always wrong to kill someone”.

UPDATE, 1:30 p.m.: Court is back in session. 

UPDATE, 12:29 p.m.: The judge has called for a recess for lunch. Court will resume at 1:30 p.m.

UPDATE, 12:17 p.m.: After the display on the Google Map, Zimmerman filled out a written statement. The statement is being shown to the court, and read aloud by Singleton.

UPDATE, 11:58 a.m.: Singleton printed out a Google Maps diagram of the neighborhood, and had Zimmerman detail the night’s events by marking spots in the neighborhood.

UPDATE, 11:47 a.m.: Zimmerman said that the teen said, “you got me” after he was shot. Previously Zimmerman said that Martin covered his nose and mouth. “I guess he was upset I was calling the police,” said Zimmerman.

UPDATE, 11:45 a.m.: In an audio recording with the police, Zimmerman claimed that Martin “circled his car” before disappearing between houses. He claims that Martin punched him in the nose after jumping from the bushes. He also mentioned that Martin slammed his head against the concrete, and said “your gonna die tonight”.

UPDATE, 11:26 a.m.: The prosecution is now playing the recording of Zimmerman’s interview with Officer Singleton.

UPDATE, 11:23 a.m.: Singleton said that she was asked to report to the police station after Zimmerman had been taken there. Singleton confirmed that she conducted a recorded interview with George Zimmerman during his time at the station. Singleton said that Zimmerman did not appear to be under the influence of drugs or alcohol. She also confirmed that Zimmerman denied that he needed medical treatment.

UPDATE, 11:14 a.m.: Court is back in session. The state has called their next witness, Doris Singleton. She is a police officer with the Sanford police department. She was assigned to the narcotics unit during the time of the shooting.

UPDATE, 10:56 a.m.: The court has taken a 15 minute recess.

UPDATE, 10:50 a.m.: Nakasone is explaining the dangers of bias among people who are analyzing voices in the scientific community.

UPDATE, 10:37 a.m.: Nakasone has confirmed that there is no amount of screaming that could be used to conduct a voice analysis under the current accepted technique. He said that there is no way to recreate the screams, even under similar circumstances. Nakasone agrees that “science can in no way help in this case”.

UPDATE, 10:30 a.m.: Nakasone said that 30 seconds of natural speech is needed to conduct a good analysis.

UPDATE, 10:01 a.m.: Nakasone is a part of a group called NIST that tests the efficiency of different methods of analysis in the scientific field. He said that NIST is well versed in the cutting edge technologies, but the organization has not recognized a technique to analyze the extreme screams featured in this case.

UPDATE, 9:56 a.m.: Nakasone said that many of the scientists in his field would agree that the recordings are not suitable for analysis.

UPDATE, 9:50 a.m.: Defense attorney, Don West, is now questioning Nakasone.

UPDATE, 9:47 a.m.: Nakasone said that the best course of action to analyze this case would be to use a “familiar voice analysis”, where someone who has heard the individual’s voice in a variety of situations listens to the sample.

UPDATE, 9:26 a.m.: Nakasone said he received eight recordings to analyze pertaining to this case. He said that he discounted the screams in Jenna Lauer’s call while she was talking to the 911 operator, but there was about three seconds of screams that were uninterrupted in the sample. Nakasone said that his judgement was that these recordings were incompatible for voice comparison.

UPDATE, 9:20 a.m.: Nakasone said that voice analysis can be affected by the emotional state of the individual producing the voice, the type of cell phone the recording was taken from, and call duration.

UPDATE July 1, 9:07 a.m.: Court is now in session. The next witness, Hirotaka Nakasone, is a technology specialist for the FBI that focuses on audio electronics. He is now on the stand.

UPDATE, 5:45 p.m.: Judge Nelson has called for a recess for the weekend. Court will resume Monday morning at 9 a.m.

UPDATE, 5:40 p.m.: Ms. Folgate confirmed that Zimmerman was “already established with a psychologist”.

UPDATE, 5:31 p.m.: Folgate said “it seemed that he was neurologically in tact”.

UPDATE, 5:19 p.m.: The witness is examining pictures of the injuries Zimmerman sustained and determining their severity.

UPDATE, 5:10 p.m.: Folgate said that after trauma, blood or fluid can collect beneath the scalp to produce bumps (hematoma) like ones Zimmerman had in pictures after the shooting.

UPDATE, 5:00 p.m.: O’Mara is now questioning Folgate.

UPDATE, 4:58 p.m.: Folgate suggested that Zimmerman go see an ear, neck, and throat (ENT) doctor, and said  Zimmerman refused.  She also mentioned that the head has a lot of blood vessels, and that could cause a small cut to appear to bleed a lot.

UPDATE, 4:49 p.m.: Folgate said that Zimmerman told the physician’s assistant that he was told by EMTs that his nose was broken. He also said that he had nausea, and she attributed that to psychological issues. Folgate testified that Zimmerman denied many of the symptoms of a concussion such as hearing loss, ringing in the ears, headaches, etc. She said the largest laceration that Zimmerman sustained was approximately two centimeters and did not require sutures. Folgate also said that he did not have a deviated septum and his nose was still straight.

UPDATE, 4:33 p.m.: Folgate confirmed that Zimmerman is a previous patient of hers, and came into her office to get a note for work. She has been provided Zimmerman’s medical records which she confirmed said that he was training in mixed martial arts three days a week.

UPDATE, 4:27 p.m.: After a long discussion at the bench, Ms. Folgate is being brought back onto the stand.

UPDATE, 3:53 p.m.: The state has called their next witness, Lindzee Folgate. She is a physician’s assistant at Altamonte Family Practices.

UPDATE, 3:45 p.m.: Smith said that Zimmerman was given a bottle of water and some tissues to clean himself off at the police station.

UPDATE, 3:37 p.m.: Smith said that soon after he first interacted with Zimmerman, Zimmerman said “I was screaming for help and no one helped me”. Smith said it came across to him as though Zimmerman was confused. He noted that the back of Zimmerman’s jacket was significantly more wet than the front, as if he had had been laying on his back in the grass.

UPDATE, 3:25 p.m.: Mark O’Mara is now questioning the witness. Smith said that Zimmerman told him that he was armed, and at that point Smith took out his service weapon. O’Mara pointed out that Smith pulling out his gun was a part of protocol, not a signal of Zimmerman posing  a threat.

UPDATE, 3:19 p.m.: Court is back in session. Officer Smith is still on the stand.

UPDATE, 3:00 p.m.: The judge has called for at 15 minute recess.

UPDATE, 2:58 p.m.: Smith said that Zimmerman has no trouble walking when they arrived at the station, even while handcuffed. He said that Zimmerman was afforded the opportunity to go to the hospital, but did not go. Smith said that Zimmerman did not complain of any injuries other than those already sustained at the scene of the shooting.

UPDATE, 2:51 p.m.: Officer Smith explained the way he submitted the firearm into evidence. He was shown that firearm at the stand and confirmed that it was the same. He said he turned over the firearm and all evidence to his wife Diana Smith, who was the crime scene technician for the case.

UPDATE, 2:44 p.m.: Officer Smith is walking the court through his actions with the aid of the diagram of the complex.

UPDATE, 2:38 p.m.: The next witness, Officer Timothy Smith, is now on the stand. He is a police officer for the Sanford police department that was the first officer to arrive on the scene.

UPDATE, 2:37 p.m.: Livingston said that after Zimmerman mentioned that he was dizzy, the EMTs asked him to stand to asses his potential concussive injuries. She said he stood up without trouble. The witness said that the paramedics were happy to take Zimmerman to receive more medical care, but it was decided that on that night the police would transport him if it was needed.

UPDATE, 2:23 p.m.: Livingston said that she tried to “clean up his [Zimmerman’s] injuries to see them better”. She said that she treated the defendant for about 5 minutes, and he was not actively bleeding at the time of the treatment.

UPDATE, 2:18 p.m.: Livingston was one of the medical professionals that examined Trayvon Martin. She said they hooked him up to a cardiac monitor and discovered that his “heart rhythm was incompatible to life”. He was pronounced dead at the scene at 7:30 p.m., according to her reports.

UPDATE, 2:14 p.m.: The next witness, Stacy Livingston, has taken the stand. She is a firefighter and EMT with the Sanford fire department.

UPDATE, 2:10 p.m.: Ayala said that his main concern was protecting his fellow officer, but it did not seem that the other officers had difficulty securing Mr. Zimmerman.

UPDATE, 2:06 p.m.: O’Mara is now questioning the witness.

UPDATE, 2:02 p.m.: Ayala said that Martin did not respond verbally or physically to his commands, and saw the gunshot wound when turning the body over with Sgt. Raimondo.

UPDATE, 1:58 p.m.: The officer said that he was not more than 5 minutes away when he received the dispatch.

UPDATE, 1:56 p.m.: The next witness, Ricardo Ayala, is a police office for the Sanford police department.

UPDATE, 1:50 p.m.: In re-direct, Manalo said that the defendant appeared to be coherent, calm, and cooperative.

UPDATE, 1:31 p.m.: Defense attorney Don West is now questioning the witness.

UPDATE, 1:26 p.m.: Manalo is recounting the sequence of events after law enforcement arrived. He said that when he saw Zimmerman, Mr. Zimmerman did not appear to be in shock. Manalo said that as he was trying to call Mrs. Zimmerman, Mr. Zimmerman cut him off by saying “Just tell her I shot someone”.

UPDATE, 1:14 p.m.: The witness confirmed that he was the first person to come in contact with the scene and people involved, even before law enforcement. Manalo is being shown pictures of his neighborhood and the individuals involved in the shooting.

UPDATE, 1:09 p.m.: Manalo said he went outside after the gunshot with a flashlight. He said that Mr. Zimmerman has a bloody nose and was walking toward him. He said he also took pictures with his cellphone of various parts of the scene.

UPDATE, 1:06 p.m.: The witness said the he and his wife were at home on the night of the shooting. Mr. Manalo and his family lived in Zimmerman’s community, and he is married to one of the previous witnesses. He said his wife looked out of the window but, he never did.

UPDATE, 1:01 p.m.: Court is back in session. The state has called their next witness, Johnathan Manalo.

UPDATE, 11:27 a.m.: The judge has called for a recess for lunch. The court will resume at 1:oo p.m.

UPDATE 11:25 a.m.: The defense is going through Mr. Good’s previous interviews. O’Mara read a interview that put the “ground and pound” statement into context.

UPDATE, 10:49 a.m.: The witness was shown pictures of Zimmerman and Martin to try to help him identify them and their positions in the fight. After being shown his own drawing (made after the shooting), Good confirmed that Zimmerman was the one “in the red shirt on the bottom” and Martin was in a dark shirt on top. He said that he was on the phone with 911 operators when he saw Martin’s body.

UPDATE, 10:31 a.m.: The defense attorneys played Mrs. Lauer’s 911 call again for Mr. Good. He said the screams and the shot did not sound the same on the recording as they did to him on the night of the shooting. Mrs. Lauer’s recording also did not pick up Mr. Good yelling to the men who were struggling when he was outside.

UPDATE, 10:25 a.m.: The witness described the struggle as a mixed martial arts style “ground and pound”. He explained the position where the person on top has more power to punch the person on the bottom. He said that he thinks that the cries for help came from Zimmerman because of “common sense”. Good said that he could not see or hear the person on top striking the person on the bottom.

UPDATE 10:05 a.m.: O’Mara is now cross-examining the witness.

UPDATE, 9:55 a.m.: The state attorneys played the 911 call placed by Mr. Good. Good confirmed that he has also heard the 911 call placed by his neighbor Mrs. Lauer, and said that he does not think the screams they heard sounded the same.

UPDATE, 9:46 a.m.: Good said that he called out to the two people saying, “What’s going on” loud enough for them to hear. He said he heard someone yell for help but he could not tell for sure who it was.

UPDATE, 9:40 a.m.: Good said that when he saw the struggle and could tell it was two people, one person was “straddled” on the other. He said he remembers the person on top with dark clothing and arm movements going downward. Good said it was a possibility that the person on top could have been holding the person on the bottom.

UPDATE, 9:33 a.m.: Good said that when he and his wife heard a noise behind their house it was “faint”. He said that he continued to hear noises and went to the sliding glass door to look outside. He said that he went outside after demands from his wife not to.

UPDATE, 9:28 a.m.: The next witness, John Good, has taken the stand. He was a resident of Zimmerman’s community at the time of the shooting. Good described the layout of his living room at the time that he heard a noise.

UPDATE, 9:25 a.m.: McKinney said that he first went to the community last night to familiarize himself with the community around the club house. He explained that the time on the surveillance cameras was eighteen minutes off at the time that he checked them.

UPDATE, 9:20 a.m.: Mr. McKinney is looking at videos from cameras inside and on the exterior of the community club house.

UPDATE June 28, 9:10 a.m.: Court is back in session. The next witness is on the stand. Greg McKinney is a video surveillance technician.

UPDATE, 5:40 p.m.: Judge Nelson has called for the evening recess. Court will resume tomorrow at 9 a.m.

UPDATE, 5:36 a.m.: Mora is describing Zimmerman’s movements as “confused” and said he walked back and forth with his hand on his head twice before being approached by someone.

UPDATE, 5:23 p.m.: Mora has stepped down from the stand and is now reenacting her reaction to the gunshot and her movement to the patio.

UPDATE, 5:08 p.m.: O’Mara is now questioning Mora for cross-examination.

UPDATE, 5:00 p.m.: Mora said that the person on top eventually responded to her and told her to call the police and then walked toward the dog receptacle. She said the person on the bottom did not speak or move.

UPDATE, 4:54 p.m.: When describing what she saw, Mora said that one person was on the ground and the other person was on the top like a “rider”. She said that the lighting was poor so she could not see much of their race or clothing. She did not hear anything. She said that she spoke to them in English, but neither person responded.

UPDATE, 4:51 p.m.: Mora said that the sounds she heard were coming from her right. When she looked to her right, she said that she saw two people.

UPDATE, 4:45 p.m.: Mora said that she heard crying behind her home on the night of the shooting. When she heard the sound she said she ran to the screen of her back porch.

UPDATE, 4:36 p.m.: New witness, Selma Mora is giving her testimony in Spanish and will him an interpreter whose name is Jaime Sotomayor. She is from Colombia and has been in the U.S. for 9 years. She lived in the Twin Lakes complex at the time of the shooting with her two children.

UPDATE, 4:10 p.m.: Outside of the presence of the jury, the attorneys asked Mrs. Lauer of her knowledge of Mr. Zimmerman’s prior offenses that are unrelated to the case. Also, it has been revealed that Mrs. Lauer follows Mr. Zimmerman’s brother on Twitter though she does not believe she followed him on purpose.

UPDATE, 3:57 p.m.: When asked about a neighboring community, Lauer said that that community was not completely gated and that residents and non-residents of her community could have walked through that path.

UPDATE, 3:46 p.m.: Lauer said that she requested a photo from the officer after the shooting so that she could identify the person in question. When a picture of Zimmerman with a bloody and swollen nose was shown to her, she said she did not recognize him.

UPDATE, 3:41 p.m.: Lauer said that the voice screaming for help was the same voice each time. She said that the only thing that she heard other than the screaming was the voice of her neighbor John Good, but his voice did not appear on the recording presented in court.

UPDATE, 3:33 p.m.: Defense attorney Mark O’Mara is now questioning the witness.

UPDATE, 3:31 p.m.: Lauer said that she recognized Zimmerman from community meetings and remembers his emails regarding the neighborhood watch.

UPDATE, 3:14 p.m.: The prosecutor is playing the 911 call placed by Mrs. Lauer.

UPDATE, 3:09 p.m.: Lauer said that the gunshot went off while she was on the phone with the 911 operator and  trying to stop her husband from going outside where the altercation was happening.

UPDATE, 3:02 p.m.: Lauer said that the struggle sounded like  it started standing up, and then moved like they were rolling on the ground. She said the sound moved from “grunting” to “yelping” and sounded like the people outside were getting closer to  her home. She said there was about “30 seconds” between when she muted the TV to hear the scuffle and when her call was picked up by the authorities.

UPDATE, 2:57 p.m.: Lauer said that her loveseat faced the sliding glass door, which was open on the night of the shooting. She said that she could hear voices in the backyard, and described it as “3 part exchange” between them. She said after the voices she heard a scuffle, and noises like running on the pavement and grass.

UPDATE, 2:48 p.m.: The state has called their next witness, Jenna Lauer. She lived in Zimmerman’s neighborhood with her husband at the time of the shooting.

UPDATE, 2:41 p.m.: MacDonald is explaining the phone records that have been introduced into evidence. The most detailed kind of records care only kept in the system for six months.

UPDATE, 2:26 p.m.: The next witness, Raymond MacDonald, is the manager of the T-Mobile phone company in the legal department.

UPDATE, 2:15 p.m.: The jury has been asked to leave to room momentarily so that council could convene. Jeantel is being released for the day, but she is stilll under subpoena and could be called back to court.

UPDATE, 2:00 p.m.: Jeantel told the court that the first language she learned was Creole.

UPDATE, 1:52 p.m.: Court is back in session.

UPDATE, 12:45 p.m.: Judge Nelson has called for a recess for lunch until 1:45 p.m.

UPDATE, 12:14 p.m.: Jeantel said that she did not think Martin approached Zimmerman. West is asking Jeantel questions about the altercation.

UPDATE, 12:03 p.m.: West asked if Jeantel was doing anything while listening to Martin. She answered that she was fixing her hair.

UPDATE, 11:47 a.m.: The defense is playing the audio recording of Jeantel’s interview for the jury. Jeantel confirms that she is sure that the voice she heard was Trayvon Martin.

UPDATE, 11:42 a.m.: After playing an audio recording of Jeantel in questioning by De la Rionda several times, the attorneys are disputing whether she said that she “could” or “could not” heard Travyon Martin on the phone before it cut off. Jeantel said that she could hear Martin, though the audio recording and written transcript are jumbled.

UPDATE, 11:10 a.m.: Court is back in session. Don West, the defense attorney, is questioning Jeantel while an image of the Twin Lakes community is being shown to the court room. He said the image is being shown to give Jeantel’s testimony “context” for the jury who has seen the image, even though Jeantel has never been to the community.

UPDATE, 10:35 a.m.: The court has called for a 15 minute recess.

UPDATE, 10:27 a.m.: The defense is now questioning Jeantel about the frequency of the cell phone disconnections when she was talking to Martin. West is asking step by step questions about what happened that night. She claims that she told Martin to “run home” and that Martin changed his direction to “lose” Zimmerman.

UPDATE, 10:07 a.m.: Jeantel said that she heard Martin say “Get off, get off” when they were on the phone. She said that she did not volunteer that information until a later interview with the state because she was not asked about that comment by her previous interviewers.

UPDATE, 10:01 a.m.: Jeantel confirmed that she lied about going to the hospital so that she would have a “plausible excuse” for being absent at Trayvon Martin’s wake and funeral.

UPDATE, 9:55 a.m.: Jeantel confirmed that she cleaned up some of the language when retelling what she heard from Martin on the night of the shooting because she was being sensitive of Ms. Fulton’s feelings, who was present during the questioning.

UPDATE, 9:45 a.m.: West is now questioning Jeantel about a preliminary interview she had with the state attorneys and law enforcement. The interview took place at the home of Trayvon Martin’s mother.

UPDATE, 9:37 a.m.: Jeantel said that she would turn off her phone because of the call volume after the incident. She confirmed that she did a phone interview with ABC after receiving a text from a reporter.

UPDATE, 9:24 a.m.: Rachel Jeantel claims that she does not watch the news. She said that she thought that the case was racially motivated before the case was broadcast on national news. Jeantel claims that she though that the exchange was racially motivated by the way Martin described Zimmerman to her.

UPDATE, 9:13 a.m.: West is now reading a letter that Jeantel wrote to Trayvon Martin’s mother after the incident. Jeantel signed the letter with another name.

UPDATE June 27, 9:01 a.m.: Court is now in session.  Rachel Jeantel is back on the stand. She is being questioned by defense attorney Don West. West is recounting some of the inconsistencies in Jeantel’s story.

On Wednesday June 26, the key witness for the prosecution took the stand after the lunch recess. Rachel Jeantel, 19, was the woman on the phone with Trayvon Martin moments before he was shot and killed. During her questioning on Wednesday afternoon she recounted how Martin told her he was being followed on his way home from the store. For full coverage of her first day of testimony click here.

UPDATE, 12:02 p.m.: The judge has called for a recess for lunch. Court will resume at 1:10 p.m.

UPDATE, 11:54 a.m.: The witness said that from the pictures she saw in the media she thought Martin was smaller than Zimmerman.

UPDATE, 11:35 a.m.: Manalo is now reviewing a transcript of the statement that she gave in 2012.

UPDATE, 11:26 a.m.: O’Mara is now questioning the witness.

UPDATE, 11:18 a.m.: She said that the person on top was bigger than the person on the bottom, and she believes that the person on top was Mr. Zimmerman.

UPDATE, 11:08 a.m.: When describing the struggle outside, Manalo said that she saw one person on top of the other and moving their arms in a hitting motion.

UPDATE, 11:02 a.m.: The witness said that she heard a “howling sound” outside of her home and looked out of her sliding glass door. After looking out the door and seeing nothing she said he heard someone yelling “help”. Afterward she described what she heard as people “struggling”. When she looked outside again she said that she saw her neighbor outside.

UPDATE, 10:57 a.m.: Court is back in session. The next witness, Jeanne Manalo, is on the stand.

UPDATE, 10:40 a.m.: The court has taken a 10 minute recess.

UPDATE, 10:38 a.m.: Surdyka has gone on national television to give her statement.

UPDATE, 10:20 a.m.: Don West is questioning the witness about her assumptions that the loud aggressive voice belonged to Mr. Zimmerman.

UPDATE, 10:11 a.m.: The witness said that she was looking at the men when they were on the ground and as she heard the popping noise. She said that the person that got up after the struggle did not seem to be hurt.

UPDATE, 9:51 a.m.: Defense attorney Don West is now cross examining the witness, Jane Surdyka.

UPDATE, 9:42 a.m.: De la Rionda is playing the 911 call placed by the witness at the time of the shooting.

UPDATE, 9:22 a.m.: The witness said that as she was calling 911 she clearly heard two cries for help. She said that she believes that the “yelps” came from the “younger” voice. She said after she heard “three pops”, one person walked away and put his hand on his forehead. She confirmed that the man she described is Mr. Zimmerman.

UPDATE, 9:16 a.m.: This witness lived in the neighborhood at the time of the shooting. She was at her window and could hear an exchange of voices outside. She described the exchange as “not a normal conversation” and “aggressive”. She said that there was a louder more aggressive voice and a “softer and higher pitched” one. When she turned off her lights to see who was outside, she said she saw two men on the ground shuffling. She said one person was on top of the other.

UPDATE June 26, 9:07 a.m.: Court is back in session. Earlier, Judge Nelson ruled that George Zimmerman’s previous non-emergency calls are allowed to be played for the jury. The next witness, Jane Surdyka, has taken the stand and is being questioned by prosecutor Bernie de la Rionda.

UPDATE, 5:30 p.m.: The court is now in recess for the evening. The trial will resume tomorrow at 9 a.m.

UPDATE, 5:20 p.m.: O’Mara brought up an instance where Bahadoor was recorded talking about the case by the media.

UPDATE, 5:16 p.m.: Bahadoor confirmed that she was never asked in any series of questioning about directions in relation to the running she described in her backyard.

UPDATE, 5:09 p.m.: Bahadoor said that the screams that she heard in her backyard were similar to those on the 911 tapes, and could possibly be the same.

UPDATE, 5:03 p.m.: The witness said that she made her first statement at a town hall meeting held by the community. She also confirmed that she liked the Facebook page ‘Justice for Trayvon Martin’.

UPDATE, 4:42 p.m.: After looking at the transcripts of her first account of the incident, Bahadoor said she did not mention the “left to right” movement when talking about the running in the back. She confirmed that she only heard this running, and could not see the men because it was dark.

UPDATE, 4:31 p.m.: Bahadoor said that she had the opportunity to review transcripts of various statements she has given since the shooting. She said she does not remember who she mentioned the “movement from left to right behind her home” to. She admits that this hearing “could” be the first time she has mentioned that piece of evidence.

UPDATE, 4:19 p.m.: Bahadoor said that she had seen Zimmerman around the neighborhood. O’Mara is now questioning the witness.

UPDATE, 4:11 p.m.: Bahadoor said that she went back into her home, and when she returned to the sliding door she said she saw a body in the grass.

UPDATE, 4:08 p.m.: Bahadoor said that she remembers the struggle and “flailing” happening on the pathway behind her house. She said that she remembers two people coming from their homes, and one of her neighbors asking if he needed to call the cops.

UPDATE, 4:00 p.m.: On the night of the shooting Bahadoor said he heard noises that sounded like “No” or “Umph”, but they were not clear. She said that she also heard running “from left to right” in the rear of the house, and she looked out of her kitchen window. Her view from that window was obstructed, so she said that she moved to the sliding glass door and saw “flailing arms”.

UPDATE, 3:53 p.m.: The next witness, Selene Bahadoor, is on the stand. She works in a hospital, and lived in Zimmerman’s neighborhood at the time of the shooting. Bahadoor is being questioned by Mr. De la Rionda.

UPDATE, 3:44 p.m.: Don West is showing a picture of Zimmerman’s head after the struggle that was taken by Mrs. Smith. She said that she can see the lumps and abrasions that are on his head.

UPDATE, 3:25 p.m.: Mrs. Smith admitted that no chemicals were used to identify the presence of blood (or lack thereof) on the scene.

UPDATE, 3:11 p.m.: Court is now in session. Defense attorney Don West is now questioning Mrs. Smith.

UPDATE, 2:44 p.m.: The court is taking a 10 minute recess.

UPDATE, 2:40 p.m.: Mrs.. Smith said that she did not get any latent prints from either of the plastic bags, Zimmerman’s car keys, or the flashlight.

UPDATE, 2:34 p.m.: While processing Mr. Zimmerman’s firearm, Mrs. Smith checked the gun and holster for latent prints and DNA.

UPDATE, 2:29 p.m.: In addition to the other evidence, Mrs. Smith has identified Zimmerman’s 9mm gun, the clothing worn by Mr. Zimmerman on the night of the shooting, as well as the contents of Trayvon Martin’s pockets.

UPDATE, 2:24 p.m.: Mrs. Smith said that she did not find any blood evidence anywhere on the scene, except for immediately around the victim’s body. She said she also took photographs of Mr. Zimmerman from several angles as he appeared in the police station.

UPDATE, 2:11 p.m.: Mrs. Smith has confirmed pictures of Martin’s body at several angles as well as, bullet shell cases, surrounding houses, a flashlight, the victim’s cell phone, and several other pieces of evidence. Mrs. Smith has also confirmed the physical first aid kit, watermelon Arizona drink, flashlight, plastic bags, and cell phone as evidence that was found on the scene.

UPDATE, 2:01 p.m.: Mrs. Smith is using a diagram to give context to the photos of the crime scene with the item markers. Many of the photos feature Trayvon Martin’s body covered in the emergency blanket.

UPDATE, 1:53 p.m.: Mrs. Smith said she photographed the scene without moving anything, and then photographed it again with markers.

UPDATE, 1:47 p.m.: The next witness, Diana Smith, is on the stand. She is a crime scene technician for the Sanford Police Department. She is married to Office Tim Smith, who also responded to the incident on February 26, 2012.

UPDATE, 1:41 p.m.: A photo of Martin’s gunshot wound is being displayed for the court.

UPDATE, 1:35 p.m.: O’Mara is now questioning the witness.

UPDATE, 1:30 p.m.: Sgt. Raimondo said that he felt the full can of Arizona in Martin’s sweatshirt. After Martin was pronounced dead on the scene, Sgt .Raimondo said he placed an emergency blanket on Martin’s body.

UPDATE, 1:26 p.m.: Sgt. Raimondo said that he was the person that tried to revive Mr. Martin using CPR, and he did so without a “breathing mask” because he considered this to be an urgent circumstance. He said he checked for an exit wound and asked for someone to bring him plastic and vaseline to seal Martin’s wound.

UPDATE, 1:20 p.m.: Sgt. Raimondo detailed his actions in response to the call. He used a diagram of the complex and a laser pointer to show the court his location as well as that of Officer Smith, Mr. Zimmerman, and Mr. Martin.

UPDATE, 1:12 p.m.: The state has called their next witness, Sgt. Anthony E. Raimondo. Sgt. Raimondo has worked for the Sanford Police Department for 14 years. He an officer that responded to the call for the shooting in question. He said he arrived to the scene within 5 minutes of being alerted.

UPDATE, 1:00 p.m.: Court is back in session.

UPDATE, 12:04 p.m.: The judge has called for a recess for lunch. Court will resume at 1 p.m.

UPDATE, 11:58 a.m.: O’Brian said that he didn’t feel that the neighborhood watch was necessary.

UPDATE, 11:55 a.m.: A couple of months prior to the shooting, O’Brian said that he praised some workers in his neighborhood for following and reporting people that had been causing break-ins in the community. He said that he notified Mr. Zimmerman about the actions of these workers.

UPDATE, 11:43 a.m.: The next witness is being brought to the stand. Mr. O’Brian is the president of the Home Owners Association. He said that Zimmerman was appointed to be the person who sent out “email blasts” when notified about a problem. O’Brian noted that no one else volunteered for this job. Zimmerman also worked with O’Brian in community parking regulation.

UPDATE, 11:38 a.m.: Court is back in session. Prosecutor John Guy is now questioning the witness again.

UPDATE, 11:20 a.m.: The court will be in recess for 10 minutes.

UPDATE, 10:55 a.m.: Ms. Dorival said that she encourages people to get to know their neighbors so that people can know if someone does not belong in their area.

UPDATE, 10:49 a.m.: When Zimmerman told her that he was a criminal justice major, Ms. Dorival said that she wanted to recruit him for the “Citizens on Patrol” volunteer program in coordination with the Sanford Police Department. She said that he “seemed like he really wanted to make changes in his community to make his community better.”

UPDATE, 10:28 a.m.: Dorival is being cross examined by Don West, a defense attorney for Zimmerman.

UPDATE, 10:25 a.m.: On a slide out of the PowerPoint presented to Zimmerman’s neighborhood it read, “The neighborhood watch is… not the vigilante police…” Dorival expressed that participants are to be the “eyes and ears” for law enforcement. She noted that Mr. Zimmerman told her that his college major was criminal justice.

UPDATE, 10:22 a.m.: Dorival said that she instructs the neighborhood watch volunteers not to confront suspicious people because “that is the job of law enforcement”. She said that she was contacted by George Zimmerman about starting a neighborhood watch program in his community, and met Mr. Zimmerman at the presentation that she did at their community meeting. Zimmerman was given the title of “neighborhood watch coordinator” before this meeting and given a handbook about his job.

UPDATE, 10:15 a.m.: After confirming the times of the calls placed by Zimmerman’s neighbors on the night of the shooting, Ms. Rumph was excused. The next witness, Wendy Dorival, is now on the stand. She works as the accreditation manager at the Sanford Police Department. She helped coordinate neighborhood watch programs within local communities.

UPDATE, 10:04 a.m.: The last witness from Monday’s court session, Ramona Rumph, has taken the stand once again to complete her testimony.

UPDATE, 9:47 a.m.: The court has taken a ten minute recess to prepare to bring in the jury and the witness.

UPDATE June 25, 9:38 a.m.: Court is in session. Judge Nelson is listening to the previous audio recordings placed by Mr. Zimmerman to determine if they will be played for the jury.

UPDATE, 4:50 p.m.: Judge Nelson is calling for the evening recess. She is giving the jury the same instructions to limit communication and research about the case. Court will resume tomorrow at 9 a.m.

UPDATE, 4:34 p.m.: Rumph was asked to collect records of multiple non-emergency calls placed by Mr. Zimmerman. The first call placed by George Zimmerman to the call center was in August 2011.

UPDATE, 4:24 p.m.: The next witness, Ramona Rumph, has been called to the stand. She is the records custodian for the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office, and keeps track of the recordings taken by the 911 and non-emergency operators.

UPDATE, 4:20 p.m.: Both attorneys discussed the noises made by the wind and the car door that were detectable on the call recording.

UPDATE, 4:16 p.m.: Noffke said that he was not concerned when Zimmerman asked for the officers to call him instead of meeting at a designated location. He said he was not concerned by Zimmerman’s use of profanity. He said that he did not think the call was more significant because the suspicious person was “out of the area” and Mr. Zimmerman was no longer in danger.

UPDATE, 4:01 p.m.: Noffke said that he did not intend for Zimmerman to do any investigative action. Noffke said, “My intent was to get a location for the officer.” He said that he could not control how others interpreted his question regarding where the suspicious person was running.

UPDATE, 3:56 p.m.: O’Mara is now questioning Noffke. Noffke admitted that the tone of Zimmerman’s voice did not raise a cause for concern. He said that he asked for the suspicious person’s race and clothing description for identification purposes.

UPDATE, 3:44 p.m.: Noffke said that his organization tries to avoid confrontation between callers. He confirmed that he would not tell a caller to “follow or not follow” another person because then he would be liable for any actions by the caller after receiving that command.

UPDATE, 3:38 p.m.: Noffke classified the urgency of the call as a part of standard procedure. He labeled Zimmerman’s call as a “13-p” call about a suspicious person.

UPDATE, 3:34 p.m.: The next witness, Sean Noffke, has been called to the stand. He is a 911 operator and a non-emergency call operator in coordination with the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office.

UPDATE, 3:28 p.m.: Gaugh said that he does not remember much of the transaction.

UPDATE, 3:19 p.m.: Gaugh confirmed that he saw a young man (Trayvon Martin) inside the 7-Eleven, and said there was nothing that caused him concern. He is now looking at a video from the surveillance camera inside the store where Martin bought the Skittles and Arizona.

UPDATE, 3:15 p.m.: The state has called their next witness, Andrew Gaugh. He was employed at 7-Eleven as a cashier in 2012 at the time of the shooting.

UPDATE, 3:11 p.m.: Chad Joseph said that he was playing a game on his PlayStation 3 with over-ear headphones on while Martin went to the store. He said he did not hear arguments or gunshots, and he did not leave his home. He said that he called Martin, but Martin did not answer.

UPDATE, 3:07 p.m.: The state has called their first witness, Chad Joseph. Joseph knew Trayvon Martin because his mother dated Trayvon Martin’s father. Chad Joseph lived with his mother and Trayvon’s father in the same complex as Zimmerman.

UPDATE, 2:48 p.m.: Judge Nelson has ruled that the parents of Mr. Zimmerman are not allowed in the courtroom as long as they appear on the potential witness list.

UPDATE, 2:28 p.m.: West said he has heard that Martin was unarmed and claimed that that statement is untrue. He said, “Trayvon Martin armed himself with a concrete sidewalk”.

UPDATE, 2:22 p.m.: West said that Zimmerman took boxing and grappling classes at the gym to lose weight, not for any “special interests”. According to Mr. West, Zimmerman’s fitness instructor considered him “soft” and not highly skilled in these exercises.

UPDATE, 2:13 p.m.: Don West is talking about the voices on one of the recordings. He claims that Zimmerman’s next door neighbor confirmed that it was Zimmerman’s voice screaming on the tape.

UPDATE, 2:07 p.m.: Court is back in session. Don West, the defense attorney, is continuing his opening statement.

UPDATE, 12:30 p.m.: Judge Nelson has called for a lunch recess. Court will resume at 1:30 p.m.

UPDATE, 12:28 p.m.: West claims that Zimmerman went into work the day after the struggle and was described by a coworker as “emotionally and physically beaten”.

UPDATE, 12:16 p.m.: West explains that Zimmerman was fully cooperative with the police and did not ask for a lawyer during questioning after he was taken into custody.

UPDATE, 12:15 p.m.: A picture of George Zimmerman was shown to neighbors after the struggle, and West pointed out that one of the neighbors could not recognize him because of the injuries that he sustained.

UPDATE, 11:53 a.m.: The defense attorney explained how some of the witnesses provided information that was incorrect. West explains the accounts of another witness that saw Zimmerman and Martin moments before the shooting. He said that the witness saw a person with a dark shirt (supposedly Martin) mounted on top of Zimmerman.

UPDATE, 11:45 a.m.: Mr. West played the 911 call placed by a neighborhood resident while the struggle was going on.

UPDATE, 11:37 a.m.: West said that Martin had ample time to get home after escaping Zimmerman. West claims that Martin said “… what are you following me for?” according to the girl Martin was on the phone with. West claims that Martin “decided” to confront Zimmerman.

UPDATE, 11:29 a.m.: West said  that Martin did not go home after running from Mr. Zimmerman.

UPDATE, 11:19 a.m.: West admits that George Zimmerman was following Martin. While on the phone with Zimmerman, the dispatcher asked “which way is he [Martin] running?” West claims that Zimmerman could not answer that question while inside the car because Martin was traveling through a “cut through” that was inaccessible to vehicles.

UPDATE, 11:07 a.m.: West is playing the non-emergency call placed by Mr.Zimmerman on the night of the shooting.

UPDATE, 10:57 a.m.: West claims that Zimmerman was appointed as a liaison between the Sanford police and the community. West said that the jury will hear the expletives used by Zimmerman in reference to Martin, but in their proper context.

UPDATE, 10:50 a.m.: West claims that Zimmerman is not guilty and reacted after being “viciously attacked”. West is now showing the jury a visual diagram of the neighborhood.

UPDATE, 10:47 a.m.: “I think that the evidence will show that this is a sad case.. that there are no monsters here,” said West. He proceeds to make a knock knock joke, which referenced jury selection, that failed to amuse those in the courtroom.

UPDATE, 10:43 a.m.: Court is back in session. Don West is now giving the opening statement for the defense.

UPDATE, 10:08 a.m.: Guy said, “He [Zimmerman] did not shoot Trayvon Martin because he had to.. He did it because he wanted to.” The court has taken a 15 minute recess before the defense gives their statement.

UPDATE, 10:01 a.m.: Guy described the 911 call on the night of the shooting as “bone chilling”. He said, “Listen carefully to that call and listen to when the screaming stops.” Guy claims that the screaming was silenced as the bullet went through Martin’s chest.

UPDATE, 9:49 a.m.: In his opening statements, John Guy told the jury of many inconsistencies in the story the Mr. Zimmerman told the police. He cited physical evidence that the state claims will disprove Zimmerman’s statements such as DNA testing, phone records, and recordings.

UPDATE, 9:35 a.m.: Prosecutor John Guy is now giving the state’s opening statement. “The murder of Trayvon Martin was the product of two worlds colliding,” said Guy.

UPDATE June 24, 9:28 a.m.: Court is now in session. Judge Nelson is welcoming the jury and explaining what their roles will be throughout the trial.

UPDATE, 3:50 p.m.: The court is in recess. Opening arguments in the trial will begin Monday at 9 a.m.

UPDATE, 3:23 p.m.: The selected jurors have just been sworn in. They are being moved to another room to learn the full detail of their sequestration. They will have no further contact with the attorneys or Judge Nelson until opening statements take place on Monday morning.

UPDATE, 3:17 p.m.: Judge Nelson is releasing some of the potential jurors that were not selected to participate in the trial.

UPDATE, 3:08 p.m.: The judge has asked that the attorneys protect all of the information that have about all of the potential jurors, and that the court records be sealed until a later date.

UPDATE, 3:00 p.m.: The jurors are B29, B76, B37, B51, E6, and E40. The alternates are E54 B72 E13 E28. All six of the selected jurors are women, five of whom are white and one that is Hispanic.

UPDATE, 2:03 p.m.: Court is back in session. The prosecution has asked to strike potential juror P67 for cause, but Judge Nelson declined.

UPDATE, 12:43 p.m.: Judge Nelson has called for a recess for lunch until 2:15 p.m.

UPDATE, 12:40 p.m.: The potential jurors agreed that Trayvon Martin’s race and age should not be given any “special consideration”.

UPDATE, 12:37 p.m.: All potential jurors agreed to take the witness testimonies in their proper context.

UPDATE, 12:28 p.m.: Some of the jurors have expressed concerns about people carrying firearms.

UPDATE, 12:23 p.m.: O’Mara asked the jurors whether neighborhood watch programs are “a good thing or a bad thing”. All jurors agreed it is a good thing.

UPDATE, 12:18 p.m.: The potential jurors discussed their experiences with violent crime. O’Mara is now asking the jurors about their experiences with fitness and contact sports.

UPDATE, 12:04 p.m.: The judge has read the jury instructions once again, and noted that the court will not define any additional terms that are not explained in the instructions.

UPDATE, 11:53 a.m.: Six jurors have indicated that they have concerns with the “Stand Your Ground” law or how it is applied. Potential juror B7 said he “hopes” that he can follow the law, although he has noted that he does not agree with it.

UPDATE, 11:41 a.m.: The judge is now reading a portion of the instructions for self-defense to the potential jurors.

UPDATE, 11:34 a.m.: O’Mara is explaining self defense that is within the confines of the law. He said that “deadly force” could be used if someone “reasonably believes” that it is necessary to prevent imminent death or great bodily harm.

UPDATE, 11:26 a.m.: O’Mara is asking the jurors how they feel about “taking the law into your own hands”.

UPDATE, 11:20 a.m.: “Sympathy is not an appropriate consideration,” said O’Mara. Some jurors said that sympathy is a natural human emotion, but agreed that they have to be able to control that.

UPDATE, 11:10 a.m.:  O’Mara has expressed his concern for the jurors bringing life experience and biases into the courtroom. He is now talking about witness bias.

UPDATE, 10:51 a.m.: O’Mara is talking to the potential jurors about decisions and assumptions that they make in their everyday lives.

UPDATE, 10:47 a.m.: Court is back in session.

UPDATE, 10:29 a.m.: The judge has called for a 15 minute recess.

UPDATE, 10:22 a.m.: O’Mara is talking to the jury about the 2nd Amendment right to bear arms and the 6th Amendment rights to a fair trial for the defendant.

UPDATE, 9:53 a.m.: Judge Nelson has read the official court definition of “beyond a reasonable doubt”.

UPDATE, 9:40 a.m.: O’Mara is explaining what would be classified as “direct evidence”, “circumstantial evidence”, and a  “reasonable doubt”.

UPDATE, 9:31 a.m.: O’Mara is discussing the label of “defendant” in reference to Mr. Zimmerman. He said, “George Zimmerman has been called a defendant as if he has something to prove.” O’Mara stresses the importance of the “presumption of innocence” to the jury and what it would take for the state to prove their case.

UPDATE June 20, 9:20 a.m.: Court is in session. Mark O’Mara, Zimmerman’s defense attorney, is addressing the group of potential jurors.

UPDATE, 4:17 p.m.: P67 has now been released. All potential jurors will be questioned by Mark O’Mara, of the defense, tomorrow morning at 9 a.m.

UPDATE, 4:09 p.m.: O’Mara is explaining the timeline of the case to P67, who is also concerned about taking time away from his work and family.

UPDATE, 4:00 p.m.: Potential juror P67 has requested to talk to the prosecutor separately from the other jurors. He has mentioned that he is uncomfortable with the media and the fact that they used descriptors that identified his heritage. He said he would rather be referred to as a “resident”, “citizen”, or “Hispanic” instead of a “Mexican”.

UPDATE, 3:57 p.m.: Judge Nelson is releasing the group of potential jurors for the night. The potential jurors will be questioned by Mark O’Mara, of the defense, tomorrow morning at 9 a.m.

UPDATE, 3:51 p.m.: Bernie de la Rionda has finished his round of questioning. The judge has called for a 15 minute recess.

UPDATE, 3:46 p.m.: De la Rionda has fully explained the second degree murder charge as well as some aspects of the mandated sequestration process.

UPDATE, 3:29 p.m.: The potential jurors agreed that they support the second amendment right to bear arms. Some potential jurors carry a gun and many have family members who own guns. One potential juror is a member of the NRA.

UPDATE, 3:25 p.m.: The prosecutor asked if Trayvon Martin’s life was less valuable because he was a minor or because he was African American. All potential jurors said no.

UPDATE 3:21 p.m.: Two potential jurors said they had a real “working knowledge” of cell phone technology.

UPDATE, 3:17 p.m.: De la Rionda asked if anyone lived in a gated community or a community with a neighborhood watch. Many said that they live in a community with neighborhood watch, but do not participate.

UPDATE, 3:07 p.m.: When asked if they had any experience in law enforcement, many claimed to have familial connections. Of those that answered that they had a relationship to law enforcement, none said that it would hinder their ability to serve on the jury.

UPDATE, 2:48 p.m.: Potential jurors E6, I33, G63, and B61 explained their relation to those witnesses who they identified.

UPDATE, 2:36 p.m.: De la Rionda is questioning potential jurors about the nature in which they know the potential witnesses that they indicated earlier.

UPDATE, 2:30 p.m.: De la Rionda asked potential jurors about previous legal cases they were involved in.

UPDATE, 2:14 p.m.: Several potential jurors admitted that there was crime in their neighborhood, and some said that a neighborhood watch was set up. No jurors said that they personally took major steps to combat the problem in their community.

UPDATE, 2:07 p.m.: Lead prosecutor, Bernie de la Rionda, is asking the group of potential jurors to indicate if they have been the victim of a crime. Several jurors indicated that they were victims, and of those a few specified that they were the victims of violent crimes. One juror said they could not set aside the memory of that crime to serve as a juror.

UPDATE, 1:59 p.m.: Court is back in session.

UPDATE, 12:34 p.m.: The judge has called for a recess for lunch. Court will resume at 1:45 p.m.

UPDATE, 12:32 p.m.: Some jurors said that they had family and close friends that had been treated unfairly when they were arrested or prosecuted.

UPDATE, 12:31 p.m.: Bernie de la Rionda has asked the jurors if they have ever been arrested.  Several jurors have admitted to being arrested, and all but one juror said that they had been treated fairly by their prosecutors. All have said that they would not hold their past circumstances against the court in this case.

UPDATE, 12:17 p.m.: Several potential jurors have indicated that they know or have relationships with attorneys or others related to the law. None have admitted that those relationships would effect or interfere with their ability to serve as a juror.

UPDATE, 12:05 p.m.: The prosecutor asked the group how they feel about attorneys. The potential jurors agreed that they would not hold their opinions about attorneys against the state of Florida or the defense.

UPDATE, 11:59 a.m.: Several potential jurors have admitted that they do not or have not watched the TV show CSI. De la Rionda is explaining that a real trial is nothing like these fictional shows. The potential jurors agree that they won’t expect the court to resemble these shows.

UPDATE,11:56 a.m.: The prosecutor is explaining the difference between direct and circumstantial evidence. Both types of evidence are permissible in court.

UPDATE, 11:52 a.m.: “Sympathy plays no role in arriving at a verdict,” said De la Rionda. The potential jurors all agreed. The prosecutor said the same thing of biases.

UPDATE, 11:44 a.m.: Court is back in session. Group questioning has begun. All potential jurors are in agreement that both sides deserve a fair trial. De la Rionda is explaining that the state has the burden of proving that a crime was committed by the defendant “beyond a reasonable doubt”.

UPDATE 11:24 a.m.: The judge has called a 15 minute recess.

UPDATE, 11:20 a.m.: I44 has lived in the area for two years. He is married with children. He is involved in a barbeque association and has previously served as an alternate juror.

UPDATE, 11:18 a.m.: I33 is married with no children. He is searching for a new career. He enjoys farming and fishing. He has no prior jury service.

UPDATE, 11:16 a.m.: I24 has been a resident of the area since 1968. She is married with children. She likes sports and travel. She was summoned for jury once, but never served.

UPDATE, 11:16 a.m.: I19 is single with no children. She has been a resident of Seminole County for 3 years.

UPDATE, 11:15 a.m.: I5 has lived in the area for 13 years and is married with three children. He was in the military and has previously served on multiple juries.

UPDATE, 11:12 a.m.: H86 is single with no children. She was born and raised in the area. She was away at school when she was summoned for a previous jury.

UPDATE, 11:11 a.m.: H69 has lived in the area for 21 years. She is married and attends church. She spends time with family and pets outside of work. She has no prior jury experience.

UPDATE, 11:09 a.m.: H81 is married has two kids. He has worked at the same job for 25 years. He likes the internet and has served on the jury in Seminole County before.

UPDATE 11:09 a.m.: H35 is married and has no children. She has had no previous jury experience.

UPDATE 11:07 a.m.: H29 was in the military. He is divorced and has two kids. He likes tennis and has lived in the area for 30 years.

UPDATE, 11:05 a.m.: H18 served in the Army and has one child. He previously worked as a contractor.

UPDATE, 11:04 a.m.: H7 is married and has children. He is involved with Boy Scouts and has lived in the area for 27 years.

UPDATE, 11:02 a.m.:  H6 has lived in the area for a year and a half. He is single and has no kids. He has had previous jury experience.

UPDATE, 11:01 a.m.: G81 is married and does not have children. He likes golfing and traveling.

UPDATE, 10:59 a.m.: G66 is a widow. She is retired and has two children. She was previously a financial adviser and now belongs to a motorcycle club.

UPDATE, 10:59 a.m.: G63 is unemployed and single. He likes chess and weight lifting.

UPDATE, 10:57 a.m.: G47 is single with no kids. He likes sports and beer. He has had no military or jury experience.

UPDATE, 10:55 a.m.: G29 is single and has no children. She has lived in the area for nine months. She enjoys sports and was summoned for the jury once before.

UPDATE, 10:54 a.m.: G14 is divorced and has two children. She has worked the same job for the past 3 years and is actively involved with the Boy Scouts.

UPDATE, 10:49 a.m.: B67 is married with three kids. He is originally from Mexico and attends church. He requested to have his done questioning in private, but was denied by the judge.

UPDATE, 10:47 a.m.: K95 is married and has two children. She volunteers with several organizations. She has lived in the area for 16 years.

UPDATE, 10:45 a.m.: K80 has been a resident since 2004. Many of her family members have  served in the military. She is married and has two young children. She is active in the Girl Scouts.

UPDATE, 10:44 a.m.: E28 is married and has two children. She spouse is a teacher. She previously served on the jury of a civil suit.

UPDATE, 10:42 a.m.: E13 is single with no children. She attends church and works as an surgical assistant.

UPDATE, 10:41 a.m.: E22 is single with no children. She gardens in her free time and is a part of a social service organization.

UPDATE, 10:40 a.m.: B72 is single and has no children. He spends free time in the gym and participating in arm wrestling competitions.

UPDATE, 10:38 a.m.: B61 is recently married and has no children. She works as an engineer and her husband is studying to become an engineer. She has no prior jury experience.

UPDATE, 10:35 a.m.: M75 moved to Seminole in 2001. She is single with no children, and has worked at a theme park in Orlando.

UPDATE, 10:32 a.m.: E73 is from New Jersey and has lived in the area for 17 years. She works as a consultant and has been married for 33 years. She has served on a jury five times. She has two kids and her husband is retired.

UPDATE, 10: 30 a.m.: E54 has lived in the area for 14 years and grew up in Central Florida. He has been married for 5 years and has two step-children. He is interested in genealogy and golf.

UPDATE 10:27 a.m.: E40 is married to a chemical engineer and works as a safety officer. She moved to Florida from Iowa. She served on a jury 20 years ago.

UPDATE, 10:25 a.m.: B6 is married to an engineer and has two children. She previously volunteered at a school. She spends her time taking care of her family and gardening. She has never has previous jury experience.

UPDATE, 10:23 a.m.: B86 is single and has two children.

UPDATE, 10:21 a.m.: B51 is not married, has no kids, and is retired.

UPDATE, 10:18 a.m.: B37 moved to Seminole County from California. She is married to a corporate attorney and has two children. She was previously involved in animal rescue groups.

UPDATE 10:14 a.m.: B35 is being questioned. He is married and has lived in Seminole County for years. He has a son, and coaches football. He served in the Marine Corps.

UPDATE, 10:11 a.m.: B7 is now being questioned. He is married and has no children. He has served on a jury before.

UPDATE 10:08 p.m.: B76 is being questioned. She is married and has two children . She and her husband manage rental properties.

UPDATE, 10:06 a.m.: The prosecutor is now questioning B29. She is married, has 8 children, and works as a CNA. She implied that her family takes up most of her time outside of work. She is originally from Chicago.

UPDATE, 10:00 a.m.: De la Rionda asks B12 how long she has been a resident of Seminole County, she answered 40 years. The prosecutor is asking B12 questions about her job, marital status, children, and social activities.

UPDATE, 9:55 a.m.: Prosecutor, Bernie de la Rionda, is now speaking to the group of potential jurors. He will be able to question them about their backgrounds individually and as a group.

UPDATE, 9:49 a.m.: Three potential jurors have indicated that they recognize witness names on the list.

UPDATE, 9:39 a.m.: The potential jurors are being handed a list of the potential witnesses for the case, and are being asked to circle any names they recognize and notify the judge.

UPDATE, 9:33 a.m.: The courts is back in session and all potential jurors are in the courtroom. The judge is instructing the group not to discuss or research the court proceedings so that they may have a fair trial.

UPDATE June 19, 9:11 a.m.: Some of the prospective jurors have not arrived to the courthouse. Judge Nelson has called a recess until they arrive.

UPDATE, 5:04 p.m.: Judge Nelson has called for the evening recess. Court will resume tomorrow at 9 a.m.

After a week of individual questioning the attorneys and judge have reached the magic group of 40 potential jurors that will move on to a group questioning round. Of these 40 people, 6 individuals and 4 alternates will be selected to make up the actual jury. The jurors that have qualified thus far will be questioned by the attorneys tomorrow morning.

UPDATE, 4:39 p.m.: Judge Nelson has excused the individuals waiting to be interviewed. The regular voir dire questioning will begin for the selected potential jurors tomorrow at 9 a.m. The judge is giving these potential jurors instructions not to research or discuss the case, and has released them for the evening.

UPDATE, 4:37 p.m.: Judge Nelson announced that 40 prospective jurors have been chosen from the pre-trial publicity interviews.

UPDATE, 4:28 p.m.: I44 has used phrases like “media hyped” and “sensational” to describe coverage of this case. He said he has friends that have formed opinions, but he has not.

UPDATE, 4:23 p.m.: I44 said that serving on the jury would not be an insurmountable hardship. O’Mara is now questioning I44.

UPDATE, 4:19 p.m.: I44 said that he heard references to a 911 audio call. He recognized the protests because of the traffic  it caused on his route home from work, and said that people have the right to protest peacefully.

UPDATE, 4:15 p.m.: I44 said that he remembers Skittles, Trayvon Martin wearing a hoodie, and that it was raining on the night of the shooting. He said that he could disregard anything that is not presented in the courtroom if selected in the jury.

UPDATE, 4:10 p.m.: A new potential juror, I44, is being questioned by De la Rionda.

UPDATE, 4:06 p.m.: I33 said he has not been given enough facts to form an opinion. He believes he can remain open minded.

UPDATE, 3:55 p.m.: I33 said he would not have a hardship if selected to be on the jury. Don West is now questioning I33.

UPDATE, 3:52 p.m.: I33 said he and his family do not participate in social media.

UPDATE, 3:47 p.m.: I33 said he has had general discussions about the case with family.

UPDATE, 3:43 p.m.: I33 heard about the 911 tape and the debate around the screaming. I33 said he has not formed an opinion about the recording and does not know who was screaming.

UPDATE, 3:39 p.m.: I33 said that he learned of the case through local media. He said he knows it (the shooting) happened at night and “they got in a fight”, pertaining to what he remembers of the case. He has seen photographs of both Martin ans Zimmerman.

UPDATE, 3:36 p.m.: Court is back in session. The prosecutor is now questioning a new potential juror, I33.

UPDATE, 3:17 p.m.: The judge called for a 15 minute recess.

UPDATE, 3:14 p.m.: I24 mentioned that Martin was African-American and Zimmerman was Hispanic. She said “that could be a conflict in itself”.

UPDATE, 3:08 p.m.: I24 said, “Sometimes the media does the public a great disservice by publishing.. .whatever.” She admits that the public could get a bad impression of people from media reports. I24 said that she could make judgements based solely off of what was presented in court.

UPDATE, 3:06 p.m.: O’Mara is now questioning I24.

UPDATE, 3:02 p.m.: I24 said she would not face a hardship by serving on the jury.

UPDATE, 2:51 p.m.: I24 said that she has not formulated an opinion about Zimmerman’s guilt or innocence. She said coworkers have commented that Zimmerman was guilty. She said she told them that they were “jumping to conclusions”.

UPDATE, 2:45 p.m.: Prosecutor Bernie de la Rionda is questioning a new potential juror I24. She said that she has seen coverage of the case on local and national news outlets.

UPDATE 2:36 p.m.: I19 said her initial reaction when she learned that Zimmerman shot Martin was that he had done something wrong, but she claims to not care much about the case.

UPDATE, 2:29 p.m.: I19 said her mother would not be happy is she served on the jury.

UPDATE, 2:22 p.m.: I19 said she “consciously avoids” the news on TV, in the newspaper, and online. She said “I have other things I’d rather be focused on”.

UPDATE, 2:14 p.m.: Don West is now questioning I19.

UPDATE, 2:11 p.m.: I19 said that she doesn’t have an interest in the case, and has indicated that serving on the jury would present her with a financial hardship.

UPDATE, 2:08 p.m.: De la Rionda is now questioning a new potential juror I19. She learned of the case from conversations with her mother and understands that Zimmerman allegedly killed Martin.

UPDATE, 1:44 p.m.: I14 said that he has seen photos of Martin where he looked very young. He remembers that Zimmerman was told by the police that he did not need to follow Martin. I14 admits that Zimmerman might have been wrong in pursing Martin.

UPDATE, 1:34 p.m.: I14 said that a friend thinks that Zimmerman acted in self defense. I14 said he remembers the media saying that Martin broke Zimmerman’s nose before the shooting.

UPDATE, 1:31 p.m.: I14 said he knows Zimmerman was involved with the neighborhood watch. I14 said he has had about 5 or 6 conversations with friends pertaining to the case.

UPDATE, 1:27 p.m.: I14 has had conversations with classmates. He heard that Martin was unarmed at the time of the shooting. Some of his classmates believed that Zimmerman had no right to shoot Martin.

UPDATE, 1:23 p.m.: O’Mara is now questioning I14.

UPDATE, 1:22 p.m.: I14 said that he heard about “riots” related to the case. He said he has no opinion on Zimmerman’s guilt or innocence.

UPDATE, 1:14 p.m.: I14 has seen photos of both Zimmerman and Martin.

UPDATE, 1:11 p.m.: I14 said he heard about the case at school and on the news. He remembers hearing that Zimmerman called the police while following Martin, and Zimmerman is claiming that Martin attacked him.

UPDATE, 1:10 p.m.: Court is now in session. Potential juror I14 is now being questioned by prosecutor Bernie de la Rionda.

UPDATE, 12:07 p.m.: The court will be in recess for lunch until 1:10 p.m.

UPDATE, 12:02 p.m.: I5 said he does not believe there is a racial component to this case. When asked if he believes this case is a “civil rights” case, I5 answered no.

UPDATE, 11:52 a.m.: I5 said his wife is no more interested in the case than he is. They have discussed the Casey Anthony case, but not this one.

UPDATE, 11:45 a.m.: Defense attorney Don West is now questioning I5.

UPDATE, 11:42 a.m.: I5 said he thought there was “a scuffle” before the shooting.

UPDATE, 11:37 a.m.: I5 said he has not formed an opinion about the guilt or innocence of Zimmerman. He said the media reported a “self defense law” but he has not made a decision about whether Zimmerman killed Martin in self defense.

UPDATE, 11:35 a.m.: I5 said remembers that the community was upset because of the lack of the arrest of Mr. Zimmerman. He thought that the presence of the “black leaders” during the marches was inappropriate.

UPDATE, 11:29 a.m.: I5 does not participate in social media.

UPDATE, 11:23 a.m.: I5 said that some media sources were slanted against George Zimmerman. He mentioned his dislike for the HLN coverage of the case.

UPDATE, 11:20 a.m.: I5 said he got the impression that Zimmerman was “defending himself”.

UPDATE, 11:18 a.m.: I5 has learned about the case on national news, he does not watch local news. He referenced “black leaders” coming into the town and “marches”.

UPDATE, 11:15 a.m.: Potential juror I5 is now being questioned by Bernie de la Rionda.

UPDATE, 10:55 a.m.: H86 said she can agree to only consider what is presented in the courtroom.

UPDATE, 10:50 a.m.: O’Mara is now questioning H86.

UPDATE, 10:48 a.m.: H86 said she has seen instances where the media has not portrayed a situation accurately. She said the media may put a spin on their coverage to  make it more “entertaining”.

UPDATE, 10:35 a.m.: H86 said she has not followed this case in the media, even though she cares about current events.

UPDATE, 10:33 a.m.: The next potential juror, H86, is now being questioned by De la Rionda.

UPDATE, 10:31 a.m.: H69 said she would be open to hearing all the evidence presented by the court.

UPDATE, 10:22 a.m.: West is explaining how H69 could have visitation with her family during sequestration. West is questioned H69 about how her medical needs could be accommodated during the trial.

UPDATE, 10:18 a.m.: Don West is questioning H69.

UPDATE, 10:14 a.m.: H69 said that she did not know the names of the individuals in the case before she was summoned for the jury. H69 admits that serving on the jury would be a hardship because she is pregnant and would like to be in contact with her family.

UPDATE, 10:11 a.m.: “Everyone is supposed to be innocent until proven guilty,” said H69. She said she has not formed an opinion about Zimmerman’s guilt or innocence. H69 said that she is not leaning toward any side, and she does not discuss the case with family.

UPDATE, 9:57 a.m.: H69 says she does not know how old Martin was.

UPDATE, 9:51 a.m.: H69 has seen a picture of Mr. Zimmerman’s face. She mentioned that the media put up a picture of Trayvon Martin that was not accurate to try to paint him as younger than his actual age. One of her coworkers said that the picture was not up-to-date. H69 claims that she does not have much time for conversation at work.

UPDATE, 9:46 a.m.: H69 said that she learned of the case on on local news, but only in passing. She reads the Wall Street Journal, but has not seen any reports about this case in print or online.

UPDATE, 9:45 a.m.: De la Rionda is now questioning H69, a new potential juror.

UPDATE, 9:44 a.m.: H81 has two pending civil cases that are to be brought before Judge Nelson. He says this will not impact his ability to be a fair and impartial juror if he is selected.

UPDATE, 9:41 a.m.: H81 said that when he takes a position on something it is a “studied” one. He said his friends know he stands up for what he believes in.

UPDATE, 9:31 a.m.: O’Mara, defense attorney, is now questioning H81.

UPDATE, 9:23 a.m.: H81 said that he has not been following the case.

UPDATE, 9:21 a.m.: H81 said, “You had a family that was grieving for the loss of their son. Another family grieving for the potential loss of their loved one.” He said that there was hurt on both sides, and people were expressing those emotions.

UPDATE, 9:13 a.m.: H81 says he would believe one of the defense attorneys to be credible if they spoke at a press conference. He did admit that the defense team might be bias toward Zimmerman. H81 thinks that he can make judgments based only off of what is presented in court.

UPDATE, 9:10 a.m.: H81 watches local and national news. He does  not always believe what is reported in the media and said the media injects their opinions.

UPDATE June 18, 9:08 a.m.: Court is back in session for another day of jury selection. The prosecutor, Bernie de la Rionda, is questioning a new potential juror H81.

UPDATE 3:57 p.m.: The judge has called for recess. Jury selection will continue tomorrow at 9 a.m.

UPDATE, 3:53 p.m.: Judge Nelson is releasing a group of jurors that have already been questioned today. She is requesting that they report back to the courthouse on Wednesday morning, and refrain from discussion or research about the case while they are excused.

UPDATE, 3:52 p.m.: Judge Nelson is releasing a group of potential jurors, some to return tomorrow morning and others to return Wednesday. She has instructed these individuals to limit their communication and research about the case.

UPDATE, 3:28 p.m.: H35 said she has not discussed this case in depth with anyone. H35 said she could serve on the jury if moving was not an obstacle.

UPDATE, 3:21 p.m.: H35 said she is moving at the end of the month. O’Mara is now questioning H35.

UPDATE, 3:20 p.m.: “The media is not what the case is about,” said H35. She said that she would make decisions based off of evidence and witnesses instead of what she saw in the media.

UPDATE, 3:15 p.m.: H35 said that she watched the news but does not remember much detail. She said, “I don’t recall knowing anything.”

UPDATE, 3:10 p.m.: H35 watches the local news, but didn’t pay close attention to the case. She remembered liking someone’s post on Facebook that featured Martin’s picture. She also remembers that Martin had skittles and was wearing a hooded sweatshirt. She referred to Zimmerman as a “security guard”.

UPDATE, 3:08 p.m.: Bernie de la Rionda is questioning a new potential juror, called H35.

UPDATE, 3:03 p.m.: H31 is a single mother and said that serving on the jury would be an insurmountable hardship.

UPDATE, 2:58 p.m.: H31 said she has seen pictures of the neighborhood, Martin, and Zimmerman. She said she had heard about the audio recordings in the case. She said she has not formed an opinion.

UPDATE, 2:54 p.m.: A new juror, H31, is being questioned by the prosecutor. She said that she has friends that are supporters of Trayvon Martin, but that doesn’t affect her opinions.

UPDATE, 2:49 p.m.: H29 has seen pictures of Zimmerman and his alleged injuries. He has also seen pictures of Martin, though he admits that those pictures made him seem younger than his real age.

UPDATE, 2:46 p.m.: O’Mara is now questioning H29.

UPDATE, 2:39 p.m.: H29 said he was disturbed by the “media circus” and prominent figures that were present in Sanford after the shooting.

UPDATE, 2:35  p.m.: H29 said described the case as tragic. He said, “there are no winners here”.

UPDATE 2:33 p.m.: H29 uses the internet as a part of his job and said “you couldn’t get away from it” in reference to information about the case. He said that the media was biased depending on what was watched.

UPDATE, 2:30 p.m.: Prosecutor De la Rionda is now questioning a new potential juror, H29.

UPDATE, 2:12 p.m.: H27 said that he could convict Zimmerman of murder if the state proved its case. He does not feel like he has a financial stake in the case, despite his donation.

UPDATE, 2:03 p.m.: Don West is now questioning H27.

UPDATE, 2:02 p.m.: H27 found it inappropriate that President Obama made a statement about the case.

UPDATE, 1:48 p.m.: H27 said that he thinks Zimmerman is innocent with 70% certainty. He said he has friends that think Zimmerman is guilty.

UPDATE, 1:35 p.m.: “At 17 you think your bulletproof and 10 feet tall,” said H27. He said that he remembers Martin being suspended from school and relocating to be with his father.

UPDATE, 1:29 a.m.: H27 said that he understands how the Stand Your Ground law applies to this case. He said Zimmerman had a right defend himself is he was fearful.

UPDATE, 1:23 p.m.: H27 said the media has portrayed Martin as a child. De la Rionda questions H27 deeply about his donation to the defense.

UPDATE, 1:12 p.m.: “I’ve got an opinion but I’ve got an open mind,” said H27. He said it is not an absolute opinion but he agrees to being 70% certain.

UPDATE, 1:07 p.m.: H27 has donated $20 to Zimmerman’s defense fund online. He referred to Zimmerman as “the underdog” and believes the media is biased against him. H27 said he thinks Mr. Zimmerman was “trying to do the right thing”.

UPDATE, 1:04 p.m.: H27 has heard about the case on the TV news, he watches  local news and CNN. He reads the newspaper at work and has had conversations with family related to the case.

UPDATE, 1:02 p.m.: Court is back in session.  New potential juror H27 is being questioned by De la Rionda.

UPDATE, 11:53 a.m.: Judge Nelson has called for a recess for lunch. Court will resume at 1 p.m.

UPDATE, 11:45 a.m.: When asked what he remembers about the case H18 answered that “a young guy got shot”, that he was coming from the store, and “something went on” in reference to a fight.

UPDATE, 11:42 a.m.: H18 said that serving on the jury would cause him a financial hardship. O’Mara is now questioning H18.

UPDATE, 11:34 a.m.: H18 does not watch much TV. He did not follow the details of the case. H18 said he does not use social media to get news, and has no opinion on Zimmerman’s guilt or innocence.

UPDATE, 11:29 a.m.: After a 10 minute recess, Bernie de la Rionda is now questioning a new potential juror, H18.

UPDATE, 11:05 a.m.: H13 said that some of her friends think there was a racial component in the shooting. She said, “When we wake up in the morning we don’t look at the color of people” in reference to her family.  H13 said that she avoids conversations that pinpoint race.

UPDATE, 10:24 a.m.: She said that she is convinced that Mr. Zimmerman followed Martin after being instructed not to. She admits, “I don’t know what motivated him to follow him”.

UPDATE, 10:19 a.m.: H13 said she believes that George Zimmerman approached Trayvon Martin or “called out to him” on the night of the incident.

UPDATE, 10:12 a.m.: H13 said that she remembers Rev. Al Sharpton and Rev. Jesse Jackson at the protests. She said that a not guilty verdict for Mr. Zimmerman would incite more protests, not necessarily violent ones.

UPDATE, 10:06 a.m.: H13 said she does not know if the conflict was racially motivated.

UPDATE, 10:02 a.m.: Don West, of the defense, is questioning H13.

UPDATE, 9:57 a.m.: H13 said she has had minimal discussion about the case with friends, where people expressed their opinions. She said that she expressed her opinions but not about “who is right or wrong”. She has discussed the case with family pertaining to safety issues.

UPDATE, 9:52 a.m.: H13 said she has lived through the race riots of the 1960s and other protests. Although she thinks that everyone has the right to free speech, she said protests make her uncomfortable. She agreed that racial tension still exists in society.

UPDATE, 9:46 a.m.: H13 questions why Zimmerman had a gun to participate in a neighborhood watch. But, she has not formed an opinion about Zimmerman’s guilt or innocence. She remembers information about the 911 calls and court proceedings.

UPDATE, 9:41 a.m.: De la Rionda is now questioning H13.

UPDATE, 9:37 a.m.: De la Rionda is now questioning new potential juror H10. He said “its not for me to judge”, in reference to the guilt or innocence of Mr. Zimmerman, because of his religious beliefs. He was released after two questions.

UPDATE, 9:31 a.m.: H7 said that he is not sure of Trayvon Martin’s age and said could have been anywhere from 18-25.

UPDATE, 9:28 a.m.: H7 said that it would not be a great burden to be on the jury. Mark O’Mara is now questioning H7.

UPDATE, 9:20 a.m.: H7 mentioned hearing that Martin moved because of “behavioral problems”. He said that the court proceedings that he has heard about are “typical” and they haven’t had any impact on him. He said he remembers the Stand Your Ground law and how it might be used as a part of the defense.

UPDATE, 9:13 a.m.: H7 said he saw pictures of Zimmerman on the news and heard discussion of the audio tapes, but he doesn’t remember much.

UPDATE, June 17 9:10 a.m.: Court is in session. Bernie de la Rionda, the lead prosecutor, is now questioning new potential juror H7. H7 said he heard about the case primarily from TV news broadcasts and does not participate in social media.

UPDATE, 5:04 p.m.: The judge has called for the evening recess. Jury selection will resume Monday at 9 a.m.

UPDATE, 4:56 p.m.: A group of prospective jurors (that have already been interviewed) are receiving instructions from Judge Nelson not to talk or research about the case over the weekend. These jurors are being released and will report back to the courthouse on Tuesday morning at 9 a.m.

UPDATE, 4:53 p.m.: Judge Nelson is giving instructions to another group of jurors who are being released for the weekend. These jurors are going to report back to be interviewed on Monday at 9 a.m.

UPDATE, 4:21 p.m.: H6 has no opinion on Zimmerman acting in self defense. O’Mara questions H6’s definition of “victim” in reference to Trayvon Martin.

UPDATE, 4:16 p.m.: O’Mara is now questioning H6.

UPDATE, 4:13 p.m.: H6 thinks the media was biased toward Martin. He said that he has not spoken to his family about the case. He has expressed no opinion about Zimmerman’s innocence or guilt.

UPDATE, 4:03 p.m.: H6 remembers the screaming in the 911 call and debate over the Stand Your Ground law.

UPDATE, 4:01 p.m.: H6 gets his news from NBC News, CNN, and uses Facebook about once a week. He does not subscribe to any newspapers.

UPDATE, 3:58 p.m.: The next potential juror H6 is being questioned by the prosecutor, De la Rionda.

UPDATE, 3:48 p.m.: G87 said that she witnessed “make-shift memorials” as a tribute Trayvon Martin. She said buses of people were dropped off to take part in the memorial.

UPDATE, 3:45 p.m.: G87 said that she would have no problem taking time off to serve on the jury. She is now being questioned by Don West.

UPDATE, 3:40 p.m.: G87 said she has no idea how the shooting came about.

UPDATE, 3:31 p.m.: G87 thinks that the media sometimes “blows things out of proportion”.

UPDATE, 3:31 p.m.: G87 works at a school close to the location of the shooting. She has two jobs and does not have much time to watch the news. The only photograph she has seen were the injuries to Zimmerman’s head. She has heard the 911 call.

UPDATE, 3:28 p.m.: New potential juror, G87, is being questioned by state attorney Bernie de la Rionda.

UPDATE, 3:21 p.m.: G81 describes the loss of life of African-American males as “typical” in a historical context.

UPDATE, 3:14 p.m.: G81 said the media also emphasized the friction in the town.

UPDATE, 3:08 p.m: G81 lives within a half a mile of where the shooting incident happened. He is also from Miami, where Trayvon was from.

UPDATE, 3:01 p.m.: G81 said he read stories that explained the Stand Your Ground law and self defense in relation to the case. G81 said that he doesn’t have a reaction to the law, but his gut reaction about the whole situation was sadness.

UPDATE, 2:55 p.m.: O’Mara is questioning G81.

UPDATE, 2:52 p.m.: G81 is not on Twitter. He gets news from Yahoo, but did not look at the comments because people are “mean spirited”.

UPDATE, 2:45 p.m.: G81 talks about the governor and his involvement in the case. G81 has not formed an opinion and says that he can base his opinion off of the evidence of the courtroom. He believes the news can be biased and said, “It seemed that in the beginning they had a bias against the defendant”. He said more recently the coverage was biased against Martin.

UPDATE, 2:43 p.m.: Bernie de la Rionda is questioning a new juror, G81. G81 said that he heard about the case through local and national news.

UPDATE, 2:32 p.m.: G66 said that she has had no conversations about the case with family or on social media. She said that she remembers the 911 audio recording, has not formed a concrete opinion about the screams that were mentioned.

UPDATE, 2:19 p.m.: G66 said that she knew Martin was from Miami and remembered reports about photos on his cell phone. She thinks that she can set those memories aside if she was selected to be on the jury.

UPDATE, 2:14 p.m.: G66 said she watches TV news every day and stays involved with current events. She said she just subscribed to the Orlando Sentinel.

UPDATE, 2:11 p.m.: Don West is now questioning G66.

UPDATE, 2:09 p.m.: G66 said that serving on the jury would not present an insurmountable hardship.

UPDATE, 2:07 p.m.: G66 referenced the arrest of Mrs. Zimmerman, but then said that she is capable of only considering evidence that is presented n the courtroom.

UPDATE, 1:57 p.m.: G66 has watched TV coverage of the case, but does not believe that the media is always correct. She said that she has seen pictures of Martin and Zimmerman and referenced recordings pertaining to the case.

UPDATE, 1:55 p.m.: Court is back in session. Bernie de la Rionda is questioning the next potential juror, G66.

UPDATE, 12:41 p.m.: Judge Nelson has called a recess for lunch until 1:40.

UPDATE, 12:34 p.m.: He said he knows that there were “accusations of racism”. G63 doesn’t classify himself within a racial group and said racism isn’t a part of his daily life.

UPDATE, 12:29 p.m.: G63 doesn’t listen to media very much. He said the three things about the case that he finds significant are “self defense”, “gun laws”, and “it happened in Florida”.

UPDATE, 12:12 p.m.: O’Mara is now questioning G63.

UPDATE, 12:00 p.m.: G63 is having difficulty remembering details about the case. He did say that it seems like the same type of people are always protesting  and that they “annoy” him. He also remembers someone being fired for mishandling the case.

UPDATE 11:51 a.m.: G63 referenced the Stand Your Ground law and Zimmerman’s claim that the shooting happened in self defense.

UPDATE, 11:48 a.m.: G63 stopped researching the case after he received his jury summons.

UPDATE, 11:41 a.m.: G63 said he heard about the shooting that resulted in Martin’s death, but doesn’t remember all the sources of his information.

UPDATE, 11:40 a.m.: Potential juror G63 is being questioned by De la Rionda.

UPDATE, 11:29 a.m.: G47 said that he doesn’t think that the protests or the case have a racial element.

UPDATE, 11:07 a.m.: G47 stands firmly by statement that he hasn’t fully formed an opinion. He said “I reserve my judgement for when I’ve heard everything.” He expressed that the media is not a credible source to help him form his opinion.

UPDATE, 11:04 a.m.: G47 said, “Mr. Martin is not here today, that is a sad fact.”  He said Zimmerman is in an almost worse situation because he is stuck until found innocent or guilty.

UPDATE, 11:00 a.m.: Don West is now questioning to G47.

UPDATE, 10:56 a.m.: G47 said he may have done minor research to be informed, especially because the protests impacted his life and “shut down parts of the city”. He said being on the jury would cause him hardship because he was just promoted at work.

UPDATE, 10:49 a.m.: G47 said that he works at a restaurant where the news comes on TV, but is too busy to pay attention on a regular basis. He said that re remembers there was a lot going on in Sanford at the time and very prominent people showed up.

UPDATE, 10:46 a.m.: De la Rionda is questioning potential juror G47.

UPDATE, 10:30 a.m.: G29 recognizes a media bias with news and radio. She said, “… Everybody has their own spin on it.”

UPDATE, 10:22 a.m.: Mark O’Mara, attorney for Zimmerman, is now questioning G29.

UPDATE, 10:18 a.m.: She said she avoids the news “like the plague” and has had no extensive conversations about the case.

UPDATE, 10:15 a.m.: G29 said that her Facebook friends commented about the case in a way that was favorable to Mr. Martin. She said there is no doubt in her mind that she can remain objective.

UPDATE, 10:11 a.m.: G29 listens to talk radio and has heard various references to the case. She said she knows that Martin was killed by Zimmerman and that he is claiming self defense. She recalls pictures of Zimmerman and there being “racial tension”.

UPDATE, 10:08 a.m.: A new potential juror, G29, is being questioned by Bernie de la Rionda, the lead prosecutor.

UPDATE, 10:04 a.m.: Judge Nelson is releasing another group of prospective jurors because they will not be interviewed today. She has instructed them to limit their communication about the case with others and forbidden independent research. These potential jurors will be dismissed until Monday morning at 9 a.m.

UPDATE, 9:37 a.m.: Judge Nelson has instructed a group of potential jurors to limit their communication about the case, and released them from the court room until Tuesday morning.

UPDATE, June 14, 9:00 a.m.: Court is now in session.

[Read Day 4 Blogging of Jury Selection Below]

UPDATE, 5:17 p.m.: The court is in recess for the evening, the jury selection will resume at 9 a.m. tomorrow.

UPDATE, 5:14 p.m.: Potential juror B65 is back on the stand and has identified that it would be a hardship for her to serve on the jury. She was quickly released.

UPDATE 4:57 p.m.: G14 claims that she can  not form an opinion about why Zimmerman shot Martin. She said, “I know that I don’t have an opinion… that I would have to set aside”.

UPDATE, 4:52 p.m.: G14 said she remembers two motions that had been filed before jury selection had begun. She also remembers the police chief losing his job.

UPDATE, 4:49 p.m.: Don West is questioning G14.

UPDATE, 4:43 p.m.: G14 said she doesn’t feel like the local media “intended” to present a bias. She doesn’t think the presentation of news was slanted, but noticed the focus has shifted more heavily from one side to the other.

UPDATE 4:36 p.m.: G14 said she thinks the media coverage favored Martin.

UPDATE, 4:32 p.m.: G14 said that she has seen pictures of Mr. Martin in a hoodie and pictures of Mr. Zimmerman with injuries to his head.

UPDATE, 4:30 p.m.: G14 uses the internet at work to search for breaking news, not specific to this case.

UPDATE, 4:27 p.m.: New potential juror, G14, is being questioned by De la Rionda.

UPDATE 4:18 p.m.: P67 says he is capable of only considering the evidence.

UPDATE, 4:14 p.m.: O’Mara is now questioning P67.

UPDATE, 4:14 p.m.: P67 said he wants to be on the jury and agrees that this case is his opportunity to serve this country.

UPDATE, 4:05 p.m.: P67 said that he is not going to favor anyone until he can see how the case proceeds.

UPDATE, 4:01 p.m.: The potential juror, P67, does not think that the incident was a race issue. He said his impression was that the situation was an “accident”.

UPDATE, 3:59 p.m.: New potential juror is being questioned by De la Rionda. He said that the protestors had the right to free speech.

UPDATE, 3:54 p.m.: B67 said she would have a conflict being sequestered because she is enrolled in school and has a son that is taking leave from the Air Force to visit her. She was soon dismissed.

UPDATE, 3:46 p.m.: B67 said she saw a news broadcast about the case on local TV, and she saw pictures. She claims to not have payed attention and really doesn’t know anything about Trayvon Martin.

UPDATE, 3:44 p.m.: New potential juror, B67, is being questioned by Bernie de la Rionda.

UPDATE, 3:43 p.m.: B34 said that he thinks that Mr.Zimmerman is guilty. He said that this is a “tough position” for him but his mind is made up.

UPDATE, 3:39 p.m.: B34 said he searched Mr. Zimmerman’s name on YouTube and watched videos (that only contained audio) within the last few weeks.

UPDATE, 3:36 p.m.: B34 was informed about the case by his children at a weekly family dinner.

UPDATE, 3:33 p.m.: B34 has seen information about the trial on all of the local news stations, but does not read the newspapers.

UPDATE, 3:31 p.m.: Court is back in session. Potential juror B34 is being questioned by De la Rionda.

UPDATE, 3:17 p.m.: Court will be in recess for 15 minutes.

UPDATE, 3:01 p.m.: N18 said he has not talked about the case with anyone at church or in any social circle.

UPDATE, 2:53 p.m.: N18 referenced the 10 commandments and said, “I believe in god’s law”.

UPDATE, 2:52 p.m.: Zimmerman’s attorney, Don West is now questioning N18. N18 says he has seen O’Mara on the news.

UPDATE, 2:49 p.m.: N18 said that he believes Zimmerman is “guilty” but understands that a person is “innocent until proven guilty”.

UPDATE, 2:45 p.m.: N18 said that he was not completely able to understand some questions because his native tongue is Spanish.

UPDATE, 2:43 p.m.: New potential juror, N18 is being questioned by De la Rionda. N18 said he learned of the case through local and national news.

UPDATE, 2:29 p.m.: When asked for three things that she remembers about the case, K95 answered: the age differences of Martin’s pictures, a bag of skittles, and a hoodie. After being probed by O’Mara she offers more small memories.

UPDATE, 2:22 p.m.: K95 said her first impression was that the media tried to turn the incident into a race issue and that made her change the channel. She calls herself a “research buff” because she needs to know facts.

UPDATE, 2:20 p.m.: O’Mara is now questioning K95.

UPDATE, 2:16 p.m.: K95 said she remembers Martin’s photo on TV. She also said she would have no hardship if selected as a juror.

UPDATE, 2:06 p.m.: K95 said that she does not know much about the case. At the time of the incident she did not have thorough discussions with her family or classmates about the case.

UPDATE, 2:03 p.m.: Bernie de la Rionda, of the state, is questioning potential juror K95.

UPDATE, 1:53 p.m.: Judge Nelson just decided to sequester the jury for the duration of the trial. The trial is anticipated to last 2-4 weeks. Selected jurors would not be allowed to participate in day to day activities and would have limited to access to the outside world.

UPDATE, 1:36 p.m.: “I don’t think this case should be about anything racial it was a terrible accident that occurred,” said K80.

UPDATE, 1:25 p.m.: K80 is concerned for her safety and that of her family if the identity of the jurors is somehow released.

UPDATE, 1:15 p.m.: K80 said she tries to distance herself and compares this case to the Casey Anthony case. She said she followed the case when it first happened because of the protests.

UPDATE, 1:12 p.m.: She says that the news she watches puts their own “spin” on things and she tries not to watch negative news in front of her children.

UPDATE, 1:11 p.m.: Potential juror, K80 is being questioned by De la Rionda. She watched local TV news and has a subscription to the Orlando Sentinel.

UPDATE, 1:00 p.m.: Court is back in session.

UPDATE, 12:00 p.m.: The judge has called a recess, court will resume at 1:00 p.m.

UPDATE, 11:38 a.m.: E81 said she does not want to be separated from her husband, but could serve as a juror if called upon.

UPDATE, 11:25 a.m.: E81 thinks that she can set aside her “working knowledge” of the facts of the case and rule only on what is presented in the courtroom. She said “If it is not presented as evidence, it has no place.”

UPDATE, 11:15 a.m.: O’Mara is now questioning E81.

UPDATE, 11:13 a.m.: E81 said she thought about donating to the Zimmerman defense fund, but decided against it.

UPDATE, 10:55 a.m.: E81 said that she would be nervous to serve on the jury. She researched the case after she received her summons, and she said her opinion is based on what she knows about the case and her personal beliefs.

UPDATE, 10:50 a.m.: E81 said that her “mind is made up” unless presented with different evidence.

UPDATE, 10:40 a.m.: E81 referred to Trayvon Martin as a “street fighter” and said that he did not sustain the same type of injuries as Mr. Zimmerman. She said she remembers Zimmerman having a bloody nose and blood on his clothing. She said that she knows Trayvon Martin was smoking marijuana, interested in guns, and was “going down the wrong path”.

UPDATE, 10:37 a.m.:  A new potential juror, E81, is being questioned by Bernie de la Rionda. She admits that she believes that George Zimmerman is innocent and that he acted in self defense.

UPDATE, 10:26 a.m.: E75 said that he does not think that there is a racial issue in the case, but other people do. He said he heard others in school say that no one cared because it was a black person that was shot.

UPDATE, 10:14 a.m.: E75 was a junior in high school at the time of the shooting in February. He said classmates would talk about the incident at school and teachers would shut down the conversation. He said the majority of his classmates thought George Zimmerman was guilty.

UPDATE, 10:04 a.m.: E75 explains to West the access that he had to comments about the case through Facebook. He said there were comments during February pertaining to the case, but he did not post any comments specifying his opinions. E75 says that he saw comments from people who claimed to be friends of Trayvon Martin.

UPDATE, 10:01 a.m.: E75 said that he will not have any financial hardship if he is unable to work during the trial period.

UPDATE, 9:58 a.m.: Defense attorney, Don West, is now questioning potential juror E75.

UPDATE, 9:50 a.m.: E75 said that he doesn’t know very much about the case other than the two men involved. He said he has heard his peers at school discuss the case, and the topic was discussed heavily on social media when the incident first happened in February.

UPDATE, 9:47 a.m.: The next potential juror, E75, is being questioned by state attorney De la Rionda.

UPDATE, 9:43 a.m.: E50 speaks of the difficulty he would face caring for his 4 year old grandson if he were selected for the jury.

UPDATE, 9:37 a.m.: E50 does not use the internet.

UPDATE, 9:31 a.m.: O’Mara, of the defense, is now questioning E50. E50 says he did not remember much about the case but knows that Zimmerman was a watchman, and that Zimmerman and Trayvon were of different races.

UPDATE, 9:23 a.m.: E50 said he has lost a child, but it will not hinder his ability to be a juror.

UPDATE, 9:17 a.m.: E50 says he stays away from the news because it “depresses him”.

UPDATE, June 13, 9:11 a.m.: Court is now in session. Prosecutor Bernie de la Rionda is now questioning new potential juror, E50.

[Read Day 3 Blogging of Jury Selection Below]

UPDATE, 5:16 p.m.: The court will be in recess until 9 a.m. tomorrow.

UPDATE, 5:09 p.m.: E28 works in an operating room, but would have no issue if she could not work for the duration of the trial.

UPDATE, 5:03 p.m.: West is questioning E28. She admits to watching Law & Order, but not much news. On her morning commute she said that she listens to the radio.

UPDATE, 4:59 p.m.: E28 said that she does not watch the news because she works odd hours and admits to being “old school” in reference to her social media use.

UPDATE, 4:57 p.m.: Bernie de la Rionda is questioning a new potential juror, E28.

UPDATE, 4:51 p.m.: When asked to quantify how many times she has heard or talked about the case, E13 says 3 or 4.

UPDATE, 4:45 p.m.: She referenced the incident being a “racial thing” and then said she did not have an opinion because she did not pay attention. She said that she has a brother that is African American.

UPDATE, 4:40 p.m.: O’Mara is now questioning E13.

UPDATE, 4:34 p.m.: E13 said that her friends had  “diverse” opinions about the case but she does not know many details other than Zimmerman killing Martin.

UPDATE, 4:30 p.m.: Potential juror E13 is being questioned by De la Rionda, of the state. She said that she does not watch the news very much but remembers pictures of Martin.

UPDATE, 4:27 p.m.: Judge Nelson is asked E7 to confirm one of his postings on Facebook.

UPDATE, 4:15 p.m.: E7 said that he is “underemployed”, but sees no issues being sequestered.

UPDATE, 4:07 p.m.: “When he finally was arrested, I thought— well what took so long,” said E7.

UPDATE, 3:52 p.m.: Don West is questioning E7.

UPDATE, 3:50 p.m.: E7 calls himself a “devil’s advocate”

UPDATE, 3:40 p.m.: E7 said he has been involved with the entertainment industry. He has heard strong opinions from both sides of the argument.

UPDATE, 3:34 p.m.: After a 10 minute recess the court has resumed. Potential juror E7 is being questioned by De la Rionda.

UPDATE, 3:13 p.m.: B87 does not think he has heard the 911 recording. B87 does not have a newspaper subscription or cable television. He explains that he does not have an opinion about Zimmerman’s guilt or innocence, but he does hold an opinion about how the altercation began.

UPDATE, 3:05 p.m.: “At some point they came face to face… Who followed who–I don’t know,” said B87.

UPDATE, 3:01 p.m.: “The news sometimes takes these things and turns it into entertainment,” said B87.

UPDATE, 3:00 p.m.: Don West is now questioning the potential juror, B87.

UPDATE, 2:56 p.m.: B87 is concerned about his two children and full-time position at work if he were to be sequestered for the duration of the trial.

UPDATE, 2:46 p.m.: B87 said he remembers pictures of Mr. Zimmerman after the struggle with scratches on his head. He also remembers the mention of 911 recordings.

UPDATE, 2:40 p.m.: B87 said that “it would be hard to not form an opinion”  about the case, but he said that he could set his opinions aside if selected because he does not have all of the information.  He referred to the whole situation as a “tragedy”.

UPDATE, 2:34 p.m.: New potential juror, B87, is being questioned by Bernie de la Rionda.

UPDATE, 2:22 p.m.: E22 said thinks the media is not as “inflamed” as it was in the beginning. She also feels that the emotions surrounding the protests were “volatile”.

UPDATE, 2:17 p.m.: When asked how the media bias affected her opinions, E22 answered that she acknowledged the media but knew there had to be more information than what was shown.

UPDATE, 2:03 p.m.: E22 said that she consumes news from her subscription to the Orlando Sentinel, the “big 3” local TV stations, and some national news.

UPDATE, 2:01 p.m.: Defense attorney O’Mara is questioning E22.

UPDATE, 1:58 p.m.: E22 has discussed the case and her opinions with family and friends. She expressed that she thought the police should have been more proactive in their investigation, though she feels that she could set aside her opinions if selected for the jury.

UPDATE, 1:54 p.m.: E22 is a routine TV news and newspaper consumer and followed the case only as it appeared during her usual viewing. She remembers Mr. Zimmerman following Mr. Martin and that causing an altercation. She saw various pictures of Trayvon Martin, George Zimmerman, and the attorneys. E22 agrees that she can disregard opinions of the “experts” that would present their case in the media.

UPDATE, 1:52 p.m.: A new potential juror, E22, is being questioned by prosecutor De la Rionda.

UPDATE, 1:50 p.m.: The attorneys are having a more extensive sidebar with the judge.

UPDATE, 1:40 p.m.: B72 claims his “passionate” friend thinks that Zimmerman is guilty, but he is “the last person he would go to for advice”. B72 also has another friend that says Zimmerman was just protecting his area. B72 said he doesn’t have an opinion on the issue.

UPDATE, 1:29 p.m.: The prosecutor objected to the defense’s line of questioning and the attorneys paused to discuss with the judge.

UPDATE, 1:17 p.m.: Don West is now questioning B72.

UPDATE, 1:11 p.m.: B72 is being vaguely questioned about the occupation about one of his relatives, he said that his relatives will not affect his ability to be a juror.

UPDATE, 1:03 p.m.: B72 does not involve himself with the news because he finds it “pessimistic”. He says he will never forget the day of the incident, but he said he did not follow the case for very long because he got “sick of hearing about it”.

UPDATE, 1:00 p.m.: Court is back in session. Potential juror, B72, is now being questioned by Bernie de la Rionda, of the state.

UPDATE, 11:59 p.m.: The court has called for a recess for lunch. The jury selection will continue at 1 p.m.

UPDATE, 11:58 a.m.: B61 has expressed concern for her safety because of the high profile nature of the case. She said that she could put those concerns aside to focus on the case.

UPDATE, 11:49 a.m.: B61 thought it was “unique” that she heard Zimmerman asked for money to fund his defense.  She believes that media coverage has been slanted.

UPDATE, 11:40 a.m.: B61 said that she is aware that certain news outlets present information differently, which is why she watches Fox news and CNN in addition to Good Morning America.

UPDATE, 11:39 a.m.: O’Mara is now questioning B61.

UPDATE, 11:34 a.m.: B61 said that she believes that everyone has the right to express their opinions, but she doesn’t think she would participate in the protests.

UPDATE, 11:31 a.m.: “I don’t think it’s a racial issue,” said B61. She thinks that the race of Martin and Zimmerman are not very relevant.

UPDATE, 11:19 a.m.: B61 says that she remembered that there was a shooting in Central Florida and followed the case through broadcasts on Good Morning America. She participates in social media, but has not used it to discuss the case. She claims that she has not thoroughly discussed her opinions about the case with her family or friends.

UPDATE, 11:17 a.m.: The court is back in session. New potential juror, B61, is being questioned by prosecutor De la Rionda.

UPDATE, 11:06 a.m.: Potential juror R39 is being released without being questioned by the defense. The court has called for a 10 minute recess.

UPDATE, 11:03 a.m.: “I don’t have an opinion about this particular case, but I do have an opinion about murder… Even in self defense murder is still murder,” said R39.

UPDATE, 10:56 a.m.: R39 uses Facebook and Instagram and said that he gathers his news mainly from the radio. He has seen pictures of Trayvon Martin and the mugshot of  George Zimmerman, but the pictures made no lasting impression on him.

UPDATE, 10:53 a.m.: De la Rionda is now questioning new potential juror, R39.

UPDATE, 10:39 a.m.: M75 said there is a 60-40 split in her Facebook friends regarding their opinions on the case, 60 percent that have formed an opinion and 40 percent who have not. She said a majority of those who have formed an opinion align themselves with Trayvon Martin.

UPDATE, 10:26 a.m.: M75 watches Fox News and does not believe that they are swayed to broadcast one way or another pertaining to the case. She said she doesn’t think “black people were being targeted” and that she needs more facts to form an opinion. She claims to have been invited to protests by friends but has not participated.

UPDATE, 10:19 a.m.: Defense attorney O’Mara is now questioning M75. She said that initially the case peaked her interest because she heard that there was a “fatality” in Sanford and she has friends that live there.

UPDATE, 10:16 a.m.: M75 uses Facebook and Twitter, but said she does not really tweet or post about the case.

UPDATE, 10:13 a.m.: M75 said that she agrees speculation needs to be taken “out of the picture” and she needs to rely on the facts.

UPDATE, 10:05 a.m.: New potential juror, M75, is being questioned by state attorney De la Rionda about her source of news.  She said she has not formed an opinion about Zimmerman’s innocence or guilt pertaining to the case. She has been exposed to commentary about the case through Facebook.

UPDATE, 9:54 a.m.: E73 works with the community and had to form relationships with high ranking community members.

UPDATE, 9:46 a.m.: E73 says that she has not formed any opinion about the efforts to identify the voice on the 911 call.

UPDATE, 9:43 a.m.: She and her children have realized that there are differences in how events are reported by the media.

UPDATE, 9:35 a.m.: “I really like the city of Sanford and I don’t like to see any negative publicity surrounding it,” said E73. She admits that there is a racial element to the case but she doesn’t believe race was the reason that the incident happened. She does believe that the racial element drew out the press.

UPDATE, 9:30 a.m.: Don West, Zimmerman’s defense attorney, is now questioning E73.

UPDATE, 9:28 a.m.: She has two children, 15 and 18, and believes that she would have a hard time if the jury were to be sequestered. She has heard various opinions regarding the case from friends, though she hasn’t formed one herself.

UPDATE, 9:22 a.m.: “I have seen many instances where the press seems to sway things,” said E73. She said that she thought it was made to seem like a race issue when it may not have needed to be.

UPDATE, 9:14 a.m.: E73 says that she knows some details about the case through the news reports and local newspapers. She says that she has seen photographs of both Mr. Zimmerman and Trayvon Martin, and she had the impression of the case being “a tough concept” because of the struggle between an armed and unarmed person.

UPDATE, June 12, 9:11 a.m.: Court is now in session for day 3 of jury selection. Bernie de la Rionda is questioning potential juror, called E73.

[Read Day 2 Blogging of Jury Selection Below]

UPDATE, 5:11 p.m.: The court is now in recess for the evening until 9a.m. tomorrow.

UPDATE, 4:58 p.m.:  E54 said that he has no reason to believe that the hooded sweatshirt played a significant role in the case. He said he assumes that anything not presented in the courtroom is not applicable.

UPDATE, 4:51 p.m.: Don West, of the defense, is now questioning E54.

UPDATE, 4:41 p.m.: E54 says that he discussed the case with his wife and teenage son. His step-son is 16, which is close to Trayvon Martin’s age. He said his son “dresses the same way” as Martin and that prompted their conversation after the shooting.

UPDATE, 4:38 p.m.: E54 claimed that he “lost interest” after Zimmerman was finally arrested. He said he did not pay much attention to case proceedings after that.

UPDATE, 4:31 p.m.: E54 referenced a 911 call when asked what he recalled hearing about the case. After detailing all of what he remembered, E54 said his source was from the local TV station. He says his initial focus on the case began when protestors questioned about the lack of an initial arrest of Mr. Zimmerman.

UPDATE, 4:29 p.m.: Potential juror E54 is being brought forward to be questioned by De la Rionda.

UPDATE, 4:27 p.m.: E40 says she recalls the words “gated community”, “teenager”, and “struggle” when asked what she recalls about the case.

UPDATE, 4:22 p.m.: Defense attorney O’Mara is now questioning E40. E40 says she can make decisions based solely on the evidence presented in court.

UPDATE, 4:21 p.m.: E40 says she does not fully trust media in the way they present information. She agrees that she had no first opinions and continues to have no lasting opinions about the case.

UPDATE, 4:13 p.m.: Potential juror, E40, is being brought forward and is being questioned by De la Rionda. She moved to Seminole County this past November from Iowa and learned about the case through national news.

UPDATE, 4:05 p.m.: E6 claims to have heard both the 911 call and Mr. Zimmerman’s call to the police. She says the calls were thought provoking but didn’t cause her to form an opinion. She says she has seen headlines about the audio experts being used in court.

UPDATE, 3:56 p.m.: “I really can’t make a guess without knowing the facts” says E6. She said she has not thought much about the case one way or the other, and said she hasn’t been asked her opinion about the case before.

UPDATE, 3:46 p.m.: E6 says that she used the incident as a “teaching moment” for her kids. Don West, defense attorney, is now questioning her.

UPDATE, 3:42 p.m.: E6 says she has not done any intentional internet research and does not remember hearing any commentary about the case. She says she has not discussed the case with anyone, but may have mentioned it to her kids.

UPDATE, 3:35 p.m.: After a 10 minute recess, the next potential juror, E6, has been brought in and is being questioned by De la Rionda.

UPDATE 3:15 p.m.: On the issue of being sequestered B86 admitted that she may have difficulties focusing on the case.

UPDATE, 3:05 p.m.: B86 said that she could try to set her opinions aside if she was selected. She is now being questioned by defense attorney O’Mara.

UPDATE, 3:01 p.m.: B86 said that hearing that Martin was suspended from a previous school resonated with her because she is a single parent. She said she thinks she could keep an open mind if Trayvon Martin’s mother were to speak to the court.

UPDATE, 2:53 p.m.: B86 is a female middle school teacher. She said that she has had discussions about the case and has seen media coverage. She remembers the controversy around the 911 tape.

UPDATE, 2:49 p.m.: Potential juror, B86 is being questioned by De la Rionda.

UPDATE, 2:30 p.m.: According to the Huffington Post, bad weather in Florida has caused the live feed to go down temporarily.

UPDATE, 2:25 p.m.: B65 said she lived in Seminole County at the time of the incident between Zimmerman and Martin in February, 2012.

UPDATE, 2:20 p.m.: B65 admits that she is not sure that the person that she saw on the t-shirt was in fact Trayvon Martin. She is not exactly sure what Martin looks like or how old he was, only that he was the young man that died.

UPDATE, 2:16 p.m.: George Zimmerman’s attorney, Don West, is questioning B65. She says she had not seen a picture of Zimmerman before the jury selection began yesterday, but had seen Trayvon Martin’s photo on a t-shirt.

UPDATE, 2:14 p.m.: B65 says she does not have cable and has not followed the case through the media. She claims she has not really come in contact with information about the case, even indirectly.

UPDATE, 2:11 p.m.: B65 learned of the case at church in a prayer from her pastor on behalf of Trayvon Martin and George Zimmerman.

UPDATE, 2:09 p.m.: Potential juror, B65, is being questioned by Bernie De la Rionda.

UPDATE, 1:55 p.m.: B55 is planning a family vacation and it would be difficult for her to go if she was selected a s a juror.

UPDATE, 1:47 p.m.: B55 had no discussion with other people on Facebook, but she saw opinionated statuses from other people. She is a business student and has not discussed the case with classmates outside of one day in her class.

UPDATE, 1:46 p.m.: O’Mara is now questioning B55.

UPDATE, 1:41 p.m.: B55 learned about the case on Facebook, and remembered Trayvon Martin in a hooded sweatshirt.

UPDATE, 1:38 p.m.: Court is back in session. Potential juror, B55, is being questioned by De la Rionda.

UPDATE, 12:09 p.m.: The judge has called for a recess for lunch. The court will resume at 1:00 p.m.

UPDATE, 11:57 a.m.: West asks B51 if she felt that the investigation of Mr. Zimmerman and his arrest were”mishandled”. She answered that the police might have been trying to “protect his [Zimmerman’s] rights” before they arrested him.

UPDATE, 11:43 a.m.: B51 says that being in managerial positions has helped her be able to change her mind when provided with new information.

UPDATE, 11:40 a.m.: West asks B51 if she felt Mr. Zimmerman was wrong in the case. “I am certainly aware that is part of the situation– that he didn’t wait [for the police]… I guess he did do something wrong,” saidB51. She also said that she has not formed a rigid opinion. She calls herself “open-minded”.

UPDATE, 11:36 a.m.: B51 finds the case sad. She said “anytime there is a loss of life it is sad”. She mentioned that she did not realize that neighborhood watch groups were so “organized” or that they had residential participants.

UPDATE, 11:29 a.m.: Defense attorney Don West is now questioning B51.

UPDATE, 11:25 a.m.: B51 says her family is “not that interested” in the case and she is concerned about the media attention surrounding the courthouse.

UPDATE, 11:20 a.m.: B51 said that she would watch the local news and read the local newspaper when they covered information about the case.

UPDATE, 11:16 a.m.: New potential juror, B51, is being questioned by De la Rionda.

UPDATE, 10:59 a.m.: The court has taken a 10 minute recess.

UPDATE, 10:56 a.m.: B37 says she hasn’t talked about the case with anyone.

UPDATE, 10:50 a.m.: B37 described Martin as a boy of color around teenage years. She remembers a scuffle and the boy being killed.

UPDATE, 10:47 a.m.: O’Mara is now questioning potential juror B37.

UPDATE, 10:44 a.m.: B37 says she has not followed the case since the incident in February. She said “I didn’t even know what he [Zimmerman] was charged with until I got here.”

UPDATE, 10:38 a.m.: B37 says she gets most of her news from NBC local and national TV outlets, but does not read newspapers because she finds them to be untruthful. She does not surf the internet or listen to the radio.

UPDATE, 10:36 a.m.: New potential juror, called B37, is being questioned by prosecutor De la Rionda about what she knows about the case.

UPDATE, 10:32 a.m.: B35 does not believe that the prosecution fueled the focus on race after Martin’s death, and thinks that he can equally scrutinize both sides of the case.

UPDATE, 10:25 a.m.: B35 is now being questioned by Don West of the defense.

UPDATE, 10:18 a.m.: B35 says his friends and family are all “pro-Trayvon” and most of the news sources other than Fox News seemed to be “pro-Trayvon” as well.

UPDATE, 10:10 a.m.: B35 claims that he was upset about how the media politicized Trayvon Martin’s death based on race.

UPDATE, 10:05 a.m.: “I don’t know what happened because I wasn’t there, but I didn’t think it was racially motivated,” said B35.

UPDATE, 10:02 a.m.: Potential juror B35 is being questioned by De la Rionda.

UPDATE, 9:57 a.m.: B7 is concerned about alienating family members or friends or angering strangers with the jury’s verdict if he is to be selected.

UPDATE, 9:48 a.m.: B7 quantifies that he has been exposed to information about the case 40-60 times.

UPDATE, 9:46 a.m.: B7 explains popular opinions about both sides of the case. He says, “How do you know if you don’t know these people… Its offensive to speak that way about a dead man or someone who has been through what Mr. Zimmerman has.”

UPDATE, 9:41 a.m.: B7 remembers Stand Your Ground law and the controversy that surrounded it and the meanings of self defense.

UPDATE, 9:36 a.m.: Defense attorney Mark O’Mara is now questioning B7 about media preferences.

UPDATE, 9:31 a.m.: B7 said his father believes that “inappropriate things were done by Mr. Zimmerman and unfortunately someone died.”

UPDATE, 9:27 a.m.: B7 feels that media coverage did not provide all of the facts. He said,  “You should not be convicted in the court of public opinion” and he doesn’t have enough information to make an opinion.

UPDATE, 9:23 a.m.: B7 said he is an infrequent TV news consumer, but has car radio set on NPR. B7 remembers references to the Stand Your Ground law, a shooting, and a fight that lead to Trayvon Martin’s death.

UPDATE June 11, 9:21 a.m.: Court is now in session. Potential juror, called B7, is being questioned by prosecutor Bernie De la Rionda.

[Read Day 1 Blogging of Jury Selection Below]

UPDATE, 5:17 p.m.: The court is in recess until tomorrow.

UPDATE, 5:13 p.m.: Judge has called back the potential jurors into the courtroom and asked them not to discuss, research, or report upon the case overnight until they return tomorrow. The potential jurors are being excused for the evening. They will report back to the courtroom tomorrow at 9 a.m.

UPDATE, 4:30 p.m.: B76 said her family is in agreement that she will make a decision based fully on evidence and that she has only seen news coverage less than 10 times.

UPDATE, 4:24 p.m.: B76 denies signing a petition related to the case, nor has she donated money to either cause.

UPDATE, 4:20 p.m.: Don West, of the defense, is questioning potential juror B76 about her sources of news. B76 answers that she does not have cable and relies on local news.

UPDATE, 4:18 p.m.: B76 said her family has discussed the case, but “is open-minded and believes everyone deserves a fair trial”. She said her husband may have researched the case further but not disclosed any information with her.

UPDATE, 4:11 p.m.: B76 said she paid more attention to the case through a combination of local TV broadcasts because the incident happened in Seminole County.

UPDATE, 4:06 p.m.: Prosecutor De la Rionda is questioning new potential juror, they call B76.

UPDATE, 4:00 p.m.: B30 says he does not watch “national news” and denies attendance at any of the rallies that happened in Sanford. B30 claims to have discussed the case only 2-3 times since the incident in February 2012.

UPDATE, 3:54 p.m.: B30 talks about how his hearing loss only provides him with bits and pieces of what he overhears. O’Mara asks about the extent of conversations B30 had with his girlfriend, who has opinions about parts of the case.

UPDATE, 3:50 p.m.: B30 is aware of debate around the screaming on the 911 tape, but can not tell who it is.

UPDATE, 3:37 p.m.: Potential juror B30 says, “All I know is that there was fault on both sides as far as I can see. It was two people in the wrong place at the wrong time” when asked his current opinion. He says he can not lean one way or the other.

UPDATE, 3:33 p.m.: B30 claims to have been interviewed by a newscaster 2-3 months ago about his opinions on the case, though doesn’t remember his interview being broadcast and said he could not form an opinion at that time.

UPDATE, 3:30 p.m.: B30 has lived in the area for most of his life, but has not read anything about the case. He claims to have heard others opinions about the case, but has tried not to listen.

UPDATE, 3:25 p.m.: Prosecutor De la Rionda is questioning new potential juror B30.

UPDATE, 3:16 p.m.: “Everyone needs a fair trial. At the end of the day you have to listen to both sides,” says B29. She believes that she could give a fair trial to George Zimmerman.

UPDATE, 3:07 p.m.: B29 says that being sequestered for an extended period of time away from her family would be hard but she would be able to do it.

UPDATE, 2:59 p.m.: B29 is being questioned by Don West.  She says that she works late nights in a nursing home, does not read the newspaper, or watch the news.

UPDATE, 2:51 p.m.: Next potential juror is being questioned by De la Rionda, referred to as B29. This juror is from Chicago and just recently moved to Florida, she was not in the area for the time in question.

UPDATE, 2:50 p.m.: Defense attorney O’Mara asks B12 if she could quantify the number of times she heard about the case through media or friends. B12 answer”3 or 4″ for the conclusion of her questioning.

UPDATE, 2:37 p.m.: Defense attorney Mark O’Mara asks potential juror B12 more questions about what she remembers from initial reports and what she believed to be true. O’Mara asks if there are any specifics that the juror recalls.

UPDATE, 2:34 p.m.: Potential juror B12 says that they “didn’t really pay attention” to coverage of the trial after initial reports.

UPDATE, 2:28 p.m.: Court is back in session. Potential juror B12 is being questioned about their media consumption as it pertains to the case by prosecutor Bernie de la Rionda.

UPDATE, 12:29 p.m.: The court has called for a recess for lunch, it will resume at 2:00 p.m. Eastern time.

UPDATE, 12:02 p.m.: Judge Nelson and lawyers from both sides are sifting through juror questionnaires.

UPDATE, 10:19 a.m.: Shortly, prospective jurors will be handed their questionnaires. George Zimmerman will be allowed in that room as well as lawyers from both sides, with no objection from the state.

UPDATE June 10, 9:40 a.m.: Jury selection begins in the trial of George Zimmerman in the death of Trayvon Martin. Zimmerman’s defense has requested to bring up a previous motion citing concerns about the timeliness of discoveries from the State. Judge Nelson decided that she will address these concerns on a case by case basis.