"20/20," the george zimmerman trial verdict. we're live inside the courthouse and outside as a small florida town erupts in the national spotlight. those six women on the jury and what they didn't get to hear, would it have changed the outcome? >> what's the most important piece of evidence you think they didn't hear. >> announcer: tonight your most complete look yet at how it all came together. >> every child's worst nightmare, to be followed on the way home in the dark. >> this is the path where the lives of trayvon martin and george zimmerman collided that night. >> announcer: the neighborhood watch dog on a collision course with a kid in a hoodie, trayvon martin.

>> he said you're going to die tonight [ bleep ]. >> announcer: with today's verdict is a racial powder keg about to explode? here's david muir. >> good evening and welcome to "20/20." tonight the breaking news here, not guilty more than 15 hours after they got the case, six women just came out of that jury room and handed in their verdict. in essence delivering the future of george zimmerman. moments ago, trayvon martin's father tweeting this. we'll put it on the screen. got blessed me and sybrina with tray and even with his death, i know my baby would be proud the fight. a family in pain tonight. another family with tears hugging his defense team. abc's matt gut man has been on this case in florida ever since the case broke and we join him outside the courthouse there in

sanford. after george zimmerman shot trayvon martin on that cold february night, six jurors, five mothers coming to this verdict. let's pause for a second to hear judge debra nelson read that vert. >> in the circuit court of the 18th judicial circuit in and for seminole county florida, state of florida versus george zimmerman, verdict, we the jury find george zimmerman not guilty. so say we all, foreperson. does either side want to poll the jury? >> we would, your honor. >> ladies and gentlemen -- ladies, i'm sorry. as your juror number is called please answer whether this is your verdict. >> jury 25 is this your verdict? >> yes. >> juror b 76 is this your verdict? >> yes. juror b 36 37 is this your

verdict? >> yes. >> juror e 6 is this your verdict? juror e 40 is this your verdict? >> yes. >> reporter: just after that moment, he was released from his bond, he had his gps ankle bracelet cut off and he was whisked away. the defense team says to a safe location. they say he'll possibly live in hiding the rest of his life. the interaction will probably tie those two people and those two names eternally together. >> so much going on across the country. let's go to geo benitez. he's been reporting on this case for some time as a florida-based reporter. geo, what are they saying outside the courthouse? >> reporter: david, good evening to you. there are still people here,

many who support the state who wanted to see george zimmerman convicted. some were out here earlier today who also supported george zimmerman. those were outnumbered by the trayvon martin support he is and one of those is melinda, a mother of three. why did you bring your children out here? you told me it's important for you. >> i believe that this is a very historical moment in our country. this is something that's going to be put in the history books. i believe that. i wanted them to be firsthand witness along with me by my side. >> all three boys. at one point we saw you. you were crying here. >> yes, i was. deeply. my heart was shattered. >> because you've been following this from the very beginning. >> i have been there from the first rally, to the first march. the first time i heard about it. it broke my heart. i've never stopped. you have a necklace.

it says in loving memory of trayvon martin. you will never be forgotten and rest in peace baby boy. >> melinda, thank you so much and your kids here learning a lesson, of course, in law and the process. >> yes. >> melinda, thank you so much. david, back to you. >> thanks to you. i want to bring in our chief legal analyst. dan abrams who has been following this trial with me. dan, this jury made up of entirely women jurors, five of the six were actually mothers themselves. you make it very clear the legal bar they had to look at. not george zimmerman necessarily. the person across from them, but there was a legal bar. >> that's right. we don't know right now what these jurors think about george zimmerman. we don't know if they believe george zimmerman's account of what happened that night. remember, his account is that trayvon martin attacked him. we don't know what they thought about that. here's what we do know. we know that they had reasonable doubt in this case. what does that mean? the heart of the defense was

self-defense. george zimmerman basically saying that in that moment that trayvon martin was shot, he reasonably believed that great bodily injury was about to be inflicted on him. bottom line is george zimmerman argued that he was on the bottom, trayvon martin was beating him and at the moment that he shot him, it was at that very moment that he reasonably believed that great bodily injury would be inflicted on him. we don't know if they believed it. we do know they had reasonable doubt. i'd be very interested to know what they thought about that. >> so much was made of the 911 call, the screams on the tape, the 14 screams and who the jury would believe who was behind the screams. also the 911 operate toors. are you following him? we don't need to you do that. does that factor into this or does it come down to whether or not they thought that george zimmerman feared for his life at that moment? >> the prosecution tried to make it about who initiated the

altercation. the prosecution argued that it was clear that trayvon martin was stalked by george zimmerman. zimmerman's team competely disputes that notion. but as a legal matter, that may not even matter. as a legal matter, the most important question and maybe the only question is what happened at that very moment when george zimmerman shot trayvon martin? what was going on in george zimmerman's mind, would that be considered self-defense and at the least, was it reasonable doubt? because that's the big question. these jurors at the very least had reasonable doubt about self-defense. >> which is why it's going to be fascinating, dan, to hear what the jurors have to say about the family of trayvon martin and of course about george zimmerman. in the meantime, we knew of that question late in the day. they have been deliberating all day today. they asked for instructions again on manslaughter which of course was just beneath second

degree murder. the judge said you need to be more specific than that with your question and they never followed oup with a question. >> i thought that should make the defense team nervous. why? it meant at the least, they were seriously considering manslaughter. as a technical legal matter, i believed this was a tough case for prosecutors. the minute i heard the jurors were seriously considering manslaughter, this defense team has to be concerned about that. in retrospect, the jurors never got back to the judge. the judge said be specific and they never got back to the judge. there was one juror likely who had a question, who wanted something resolved. but that by the time the judge asked them the question, the jurors had really worked it out amongst themselves without even needing to go back to the court with a specific answer as to what they were looking for. >> our chief legal affairs anchor, dan abrams and co-anchor of nightline. as we continue here, we want to know what you believe at home.

did you agree with the jury's verdict or on twitter throughout the evening. #abc 2020. when we come back, we'll put you in the jury box. we'll show you what they heard and saw in the courtroom for three weeks. stay with us. john, it's over. don't punish yourself, it's my fault. of course it's your fault and i'm not punishing myself. i'm having dannon oikos zero per cent fat yogurt; twice the protein of regular low fat yogurt. that's what makes it so thick, rich. oh,.. this is kate... already? my sister... and that was my mother. dannon oikos greek nonfat yogurt, too delicious to be so nutritious. and try new rich creamy dannon oikos dips. so dippin' good. ♪ dannon. when you experience something great, you want to share it.

with everyone. that's why more customers recommend verizon, america's largest 4g lte network. because no mouthwash works like listerine®. its unique formula penetrates the layers of bacteria in your mouth deeper than any other mouthwash. for a cleaner, healthier mouth: #1 dentist recommended listerine®... power to your mouth™. her long day of pick ups and drop offs begins with arthritis pain... and a choice. take up to 6 tylenol in a day or just 2 aleve for all day relief. all aboard. ♪ ♪ this is the car that loves to have fun ♪ ♪ mile after mile, to and from ♪ now there are four for all to use ♪ ♪ tell the neighbors, friends, everyone the news ♪ ♪ and let's hum, hum, hum, hum ♪ let's hum ♪ a prius for everyone

♪ [ male announcer ] now get 0% apr financing for 60 months on the prius liftback, the number 1 selling hybrid. with plenty in stock, you can drive one home today. ♪ a prius for everyone you can drive one home today. (announcenergy cycle... natural cats. they were born to play. to eat. then rest. to fuel the metabolic cycle they were born to have, purina one created new healthy metabolism wet and dry. with purina one and the right activity, we're turning feeding into a true nature experience. join us at purinaone.com ♪ ula ula ula ula al revés, ♪ hago que lo imposible sea posible, ♪ ♪ que todo lo increíble se vuelva visible, ♪ ♪ tres, dos, hola, ula... ♪ aplaudan en la luna. ♪ ula ula, hagamos ula ula,

♪ ula ula ula ula al revés, ♪ ula ula, hagamos ula ula, ♪ ula ula ula ula al revés, ♪ ula ula, hagamos ula ula, ♪ ula ula, hagamos ula ula, ♪ ula ula, hagamos ula ula, no waves. ♪ [ female announcer ] savor the day with all the refreshing options that mccafé has for you, from a tasty frappé to a freshly prepared smoothie. ♪ there's something for everyone to love from mccafé. ♪

we'll have to wait and find out from the six women on the jury of what made up their minds. how would you have interpreted the evidence, the 14 screams in that 40 minutes. with george zimmerman deciding not to take the stand. we had two teams of impassioned

lawyers battling it out. the defense on behalf of the zimmerman family and trayvon martin's family with the prosecutors. here's a look at how they did it. your verdict finding george zimmerman either guilty or not guilty must be unanimous. >> the long awaited decision came after a tense three-week trial. >> we automatically presume that trayvon martin was a criminal. >> after long hours, short tempers. >> physically able -- >> even the judge storming out. >> finally in answer to the burning question, why did george zimmerman kill trayvon martin? was it murder, manslaughter or self-defense? >> the tale of how martin and zimmerman passed starts here in sanford, florida. a small bedroom community on the fringe of the world of -- orlando. it's a long way from the theme park crowds on a raw february

night inside this gated community. >> this guy looks like he's up to no good or on drugs or something. >> that's the voice of george zimmerman and the guy he's talking about is trayvon martin. earlier, he bought an arizona drink and skittles. he was heading back to his father's home where he was spending a ten-day school suspension after getting busted on a pot-related offense. something the jurors never heard. the family says martin was a normal teenage kid with girls, rap music -- >> he was interested in flying planes. that fascinated him which led him to go to a program to try to pursue his career in aviation. >> is there one thing that you missed most about him? >> i miss his mouth. he was a very affectionate teenager. i miss him smiling and giving me a hug. >> it's raining, walking around

looking about. >> initially, martin didn't know he was being tailed by zimmerman. by day an auditor, by night, zimmerman who had a past interest in law enforcement kept a wary eye out on behalf of neighbors. >> what was your first impression of zimmerman? >> that he was meek and easygoing. at first i had trepidation that this guy would be running the neighborhood watch. >> how do you think he did as a neighborhood watchman? >> fantastic. you know, his effort and his diligence yielded results. >> that firearm -- >> in court, prosecutors painted zimmerman as an overzealous wannabe cop. his language in this nonemergency call to police helped spark the racial debate over the case. >> he's got his hand in his waistband. he's a black male. >> fueled allegations that he was aggressively profiling a harmless teenage student. >> let me know if this guy does anything else. >> okay. >> these [ bleep ] always get

away. >> these [ bleep ], they always get away. those were the words in that grown man's mouth as he followed in the dark a 17-year-old boy. >> the prosecution wants to make it clear that he already had a mind-set when he got out of his car and began to follow trayvon martin. >> armed with a fully loaded semiautomatic pistol -- >> prosecutors argue that zimmerman was hell bent on talking martin even when police told him to call it off. >> are you following him? >> yes. >> we don't need you to do that. >> okay. >> then zimmerman hangs up and at that point martin is on the last phone call of his life with his friend. he's racked with worry about the strange man shadowing him. >> the man looked creepy. >> the man looked creepy? >> shan tell says she told

martin to runaway. then she heard him being confronted by zimmerman. >> why are you following me for? i hear him saying get off, get off. >> this is where their lives collided that night. here for about 30, 40 seconds there's a black hole of information. until dispatchers from 911 started getting flooded by calls from neighbors all around. >> they're wrestling in the back of my porch. >> someone is yelling, screaming, help, help. >> then a gunshot that shatters the night. >> oh, my god. somebody could be shot. >> oh, my god. there's a black guy down. it looks like he's been shot and he's dead. >> george zimmerman did not shoot trayvon martin in his head. he shot him for the worst -- because he wanted to. >> he said yo, you got a problem?

>> in this police reenactment, zimmerman said he confronted an angry trayvon martin. >> he said you got a problem now and he punched me in the face. possibly somewhere around here. that's when i started screaming for help. starting screaming as loud as i could. that's when he grabbed me by my head and tried to slam my head down. >> zimmerman says the confrontation escalated after martin spotted the gun in his hip. >> he looked at it and he said you're going to die tonight [ bleep ]. he reached for the -- i felt his arm going by my side. i grabbed it and i shot him. >> what did he say? >> after i shot him, he sat up and said you got me. >> about two minutes after the shot rang out, this photo was taken at the scene. the defense says it confirms zimmerman's account that he was attacked by martin. in court, even a prosecution

witness appeared to back up zimmerman's account that he was the one being attacked. >> i could tell the person on the bottom had a lighter skin color. >> the jury has been presented with two completely contradictory accounts of what happened with no solid evidence to back up either side's claim. that is, until a critical piece of evidence is introduced. >> going to play the whole thing. >> the 911 call where a voice is heard screaming for help. >> help! >> there's just someone screaming outside. >> do you think he's yelling help? >> yes. >> 14 screams in 40 seconds. does that desperate voice belong to trayvon martin or george zimmerman? >> if it was george zimmerman screaming for help, then it supports his theory that he acted in self-defense. >> i thought it was george. >> to identify the voice, the defense calls a parade of zimmerman's friends who not surprisingly say it's him on the

tape. >> do you know the voice screaming on the tapes? >> definitely, it's georgie. i hear him. >> there's no doubt in my mind that it's george zimmerman. >> the mothers of both martin and zimmerman also take the stand and they confidently identify the voice as that of their son. >> who do you recognize that to be? >> trayvon benjamin martin. >> i'm sure that's george's voice. >> defense calls tracy martin. the defense calls an unlikely witness. >> trayvon martin's father, tracy martin. he was informed two days after the shooting that he did not believe the voice was that of his son. after hearing the tape over 20 times, he now convinced it was his son crying for help. >> i was listening to my son's last cry for help. i was listening to his life being taken. i was coming to grips that

trayvon was here no more. >> i think at the end of the day, the testimony of these witnesses will cancel themselves out. the jurors are going to have to listen to that 911 tape and they're going to have to decide for themselves who they believe that voice is. >> and the only person who knows exactly what happened that night -- >> the defendant, george zimmerman. >> decided not to testify in his own defense. >> after consulting with counsel, is not to testify, your honor. >> the testimony of this woman, so-called star witness, had everyone talking. a lot of people criticized her for her hair or darker skin tone. >> her answers raised an ugly taboo, race. >> we can't get justice. >> to say this case is not about race is ignoring the pink elephant in the room. >> stay with us.

nks, but what about thick & creamy and whips!" and we were like, "done and done! now it's out of everything yoplait makes." and you were all, "yum!" and we're like, "is it just us, or has this been a really good conversation?" and you were like, "i would talk, but my mouth is full of yogurt." yoplait. it is so good! to fly home for the big family reunion. you must be garth's father? hello. mother. mother! traveling is easy with the venture card because you can fly any airline anytime. two words. double miles! this guy can act. wanna play dodge rock? oh, you guys! and with double miles you can actually use, you never miss the fun. beard growing contest and go! ♪ i win! what's in your wallet? it's time to rethink wet food for your pet. at petsmart, you'll find new innovations, quality ingredients and exciting flavors.

meal time will never be the same! right now, at petsmart, save big oyour dog's favorite wet food during our canapalooza event. olive garden's 2 for $25 is back. unlimited salad and breadsticks. two appetizers to share. then choose two summer entrees. like new tuscan garlic chicken. 3 courses, 2 people just $25. go olive garden! she just graduated. and got a freelance gig... it's not going very well.

time for a technology makeover. she's coming to the new samsung experience shop at best buy to spend her graduation bounty on a... new laptop, a smartphone, camera and a tablet. i'm starting from scratch. okay, how about we get started with the laptop. here, she can find all the galaxy devices she wants. have all her questions answered. how's the battery life? it's great. this is so light. what can you tell me about this? and get personalized demos, right on the spot. and you can just browse through your pictures?... that better be a belly button. ow! which means less of this... you shocked me! ...more of this.... and this... and especially this. well done, anne. now go show that freelance job the business. the samsung experience shop. the place to find the latest galaxy devices and get hands-on help. only in the best buy stores nationwide. that's 50% off lenses it's the lenscrafters semi annual sale including bifocals,

no lines even sunglasses made with your prescription so hurry in, 50% off lenses won't last forever. lenscrafters

no justice, no peace. some of the signs outside that sanford, florida courtroom at this hour. you're watching a special edition of 20/20. george zimmerman found not guilty in the murder of trayvon martin and this tweet moments ago from trayvon martin's mother. lord during my darkest hour i lean on you. you are all that i have. at the end of the day, god is still in control. thank you all for your prayers and support. i will love you forever, trayvon. in the name of jesus. the phrase racial profiling was not used in court but it came up for so many across the country who watched the trial so closely. did race play a role in what happened that night? once again tonight, matt gut manment. >> the star witness, supposed to give details of her phone call with trayvon martin moments before he was killed. then she opened her mouth. >> [ inaudible question ] 19

years old and just entering her senior year. she was pitted against savvy trial lawyers who kept her floundering on the witness stand for several hours. >> are you claiming that you don't understand english? >> i understand english. i do understand english. >> it was the moment that people were waiting for. to hear this star witness, if you will, and it turned out to be something very, very different. it ended up not being about trayvon and ended up being more about her. >> she was not only vilified. this professor says she was ma'am fied. >> tell me what you mean by that? >> a lot of people came out and criticized her for her hair her darker skin tone. for being overweight. >> when she thought she was out, he brought her back in. >> i think we should plan on at least a couple of hours. >> what? >> most of what she was supposed

to say got lost in how she said it. >> at that point, did you note anything more about the case? >> no. >> race surfaced again when she said martin referred to george zimmerman as a -- [ inaudible question ]. >> the defense team jumped on that. suggests it was martin who had done the profiling. the sideshow became the main attraction. >> to say this case is not about race is ignoring the pink elephant in the room. this case is about race. shortly after the bullet left zimmerman's gun race became the flash point. the wheels of justice in sanford were turning at glacial speed. >> we want a -- >> there was no arrest for six weeks. >> it divided sanford and a nation. >> if a black man had come into a white neighborhood and gunned down a 17-year-old boy, all hell

would let loose. >> celebrities and average joes alike put on the kind of hoodies that martin wore that night. it inspired the million hoodie march thousands of miles from san fard. >> high school walkouts and so many protests. the message was being heard all the way to the white house. >> if i had a son, he'd look like trayvon. >> knowing what i know today, if i were a d.a., i would not have touched this case. >> christopher darden, famous for prosecutoring o.j. simpson knows firsthand how race can influence a trial. >> do you think it can affect how the jurors decide a verdict? >> people say all the time all around, he wasn't black, he wouldn't have followed him. if he wasn't black, he wouldn't have confronted him? >> metro police department. okay and is this guy white or -- >> zimmerman was only responding

to a direct question from the police dispatcher. but those three words stung many. >> our father, we lift up this -- because you father god know exactly what happened that night. >> here at the ame allen church in sanford, church-goers say publicly what many feel privately. >> i can assure you, unequivocally, if i had been a black man had killed a 17-year-old white boy on the conditions that boy was murdered, i'd probably be in jail doing time now. i'm just calling it like it is. >> a third of sanford's 54,000 residents are black. as the trial gripped their community, some church members began speaking out on an unholy topic. >> until we become honest about the divide that exists in this community, there will be no getting better. >> still, this little church dreams big. the laundry list of prayers to be answered.

>> first thing we ask, what was the -- we asked for the chief of police to get fired. we did get our african-american black chief. that was our heart's desire. >> divine intervention? perhaps. but it was the city manager's intervention that fired the old police chief and hired sees he will -- >> were you hired because you were african-american? >> i think i was hired for my qualifications. >> ella tempt to play top cop, mediator and peace maker all at the same time. >> there have been essentially a separation between the two races for quite some time. our goal right now is at least for police chief is to try to bridge that gap. >> in closing arguments and speaking to the all-female jury, all but one of whom are white, de la rionda, invoked the i have a dream speech. >> i have a dream that today a witness would be judged not on the color of her personality but

on the content of her testimony. george zimmerman, the man charged -- >> folks in sanford are well aware the nation is walking. the trial broadcast wall to wall on tv. >> is it the race case? yeah because we've all integrated race into it. civil rights activists and the media. you helped to make this a race case. >> the most racially charged trial in memory, tv cameras spotted this law student working for the defense as a law clerk which means by extension she works for george zimmerman. the jaded will say he's nothing more than a legal prop. >> you sit there every day, you look at george zimmerman sitting right next to you. how do you feel about that? >> i feel bad for george. i think it's very unfortunate that trayvon martin lost his life because loss of life is always unfortunate. but i think that george is also fighting for a life that probably will never be the same. but it's still his. >> do you think of george zimmerman as a topic different

than you think of george zimmerman the person? >> absolutely. >> have other people asked you about her? >> yes. is she there because of her race? and the answer is pretty easy. no. >> another example of a case that's all about race, despite the work rarely mentioned in court. racism has been the elephant in the room in the trial but never overtly mentioned. >> the sort of ultimate personification of how race plays itself out. you don't really know. >> you can't put your finger on it. >> but you feel it if you're on the receiving end of that. >> are you claiming in any way that you don't understand english? >> even before the verdict was read, it was all hands-on deck. >> what percentage of your police force is going to be ready in anticipation of whatever happens? >> our entire police department. >> everybody? >> there's no vacation, no furloughs. >> just yesterday the family of george zimmerman released a statement saying the judicial

system has run its course. pray for justice, pray for baes, pray for our country. next, the city of sanford gripped by fear. death threats. anonymous phone calls. and their mayor, whose family is a target. >> chaos and casualties even before the verdict coming up. really? a turtle? yeah. and what about you? i'd rather be a slow turtle. wha...ummm... i know why! because when you're slower, you won't have to get in the street as fast and get ran over. but if you're a slow turtle and you're in the middle of the street what happens? austin? exactly. [ male announcer ] it's not complicated. faster is better. and at&t is the nation's fastest 4g lte network. ♪ now bring you firebaked stylee origiflatbread pizzas, stuffed, with authentic brick oven flavor. get 6 flatbreads in every box made 3 ways, 3 toppings each, for just $ 11.99

only from pizza hut i've got something for you too. (announcer) fancy feast delights with cheddar. a meal that is sure to delight your cheese lover.

fancy feast. the best ingredient is love. all this produce from walmart and secretly served it up in the heart of peach country. it's a fresh-over. we want you to eat some peaches and tell us what you think. they're really juicy. it must have just come from the farm. this right here is ideal for me. walmart works directly with growers to get you the best quality produce they've ever had. what would you do if i told you all this produce is from walmart? wow! is it really? (laughter) find fresh peaches and all your quality produce. backed by our 100% money back guarantee. walmart.

more than two weeks of testimony, 56 witnesses, hundreds of pieces of evidence. but only one man knows exactly what happened the night trayvon

martin was killed. friday in closing arguments, his lawyer called him a victim. >> it wasn't anger and hostility and ill will that night. it just had nothing to do with george zimmerman. that's not true. it has something to do with george zimmerman. he was a victim of it. >> defense attorney mark o'mara implored the jury not to assume anything or make snap judgments and laid the burden of proof squarely at the feet of prosecution. >> give me a shred of evidence that contradicts that he had any other option. >> sybrina fulton couldn't take it as pictures of her dead son were played for the jury. six women, five of them mothers. >> isn't that every child's worst nightmare, to be followed on the way home in the dark. >> and lawyers for the state of florida tried to depict george

zimmerman as a man who had choice and made a deadly one. >> trayvon martin may not have the defendant's blood on his hands, but george zimmerman will forever have trayvon martin's blood on his. >> two lives forever changed. >> your verdict is not going to bring trayvon benjamin martin back to life. your verdict is not going to change the past. but it will forever define it. and as the nation is about to turn its attention away from this tiny community, one person is left to pick up the pieces. >> a guy lost his life. another guy shot him. when you pull that trigger, no matter what's going on, your life has changed. whether you go to jail or don't go to jail, your life is totally, totally different.

>> sanford mayor says there's no going back. still, he's preserved every moment of this tragedy. >> this is like a little sliver of history. >> it's a scrap pook ofbook of >> he looks terrified there. >> of what's happening. >> the innocence of the children watching all this and trying to understand what's going on -- >> here in sanford, being mayor is only a part-time job. but keeping the city safe amidst nasty e-mails, anonymous phone calls, even death threats became a full-time occupation. >> there was a lot of pressure. i don't care if you're the mayor of new york city or the mayor of sanford, florida. there's no way you can truly be prepared for it. >> trayvon martin lost his life and others lost their livelihood. police chief bill lee, a 30-year veteran was fired. >> he's a good man.

for me, it wasn't what the investigation was. it was the handling afterwards. the chaos management so to speak. >> he didn't take the -- he took the life and left the town. >> weeks after the shooting, marches away as i try to talk to him. >> i understand your frustration. >> i thought for the good of the community and particularly for the good of the sanford police department, we needed to move forward. >> but lee wasn't the only casualty. once a star detective, lead mom side detective was banished to the graveyard shift, night patrol. on day six of the trial, he was called by the prosecution. ironically, ended up helping the defense saying george zimmerman was believable. >> his statement, what did that indicate to you? >> either he was telling the truth or he was a complete pathological liar. >> okay. >> and then there's the police

department's spokesman, david morgen stern as well. >> more again stern, still a sergeant? >> no longer the public information officer. >> he is right now on workers' comp. so he's on light duty. >> okay. >> but the public remains radical, especially in a sleepy development where neighbors are still defending george zimmerman. >> they may have thought but he's just -- >> he has these, okay. >> never be able to convince him that george zimmerman did anything wrong. >> never been on tv a while ago. mine is on a loop, matt. but he had it right, especially for those who never asked for it. >> you have jonathan good that actually saw the fight. you have jeremy and jen a who made the 911 call. you have selma, you have celine.

you have all these people who are casualties of this tragedy. >> lives destroyed, careers ended. a city ripped apart by the death of 17-year-old trayvon martin. jeff triplet, the mayor more of a custodian trying to piece the broken city back together. >> you apologize and you try to make things better. that's all you can do. you can't change the past. you cannot change it. but by god, you can walk through it and try to make it better. divisions on both sides of this case. in fact, at this hour from the sanford police department, one of the investigators for the police department saying it's very quiet, we have people patrolling right now. nothing different than usual. nothing out of the ordinary. en krurjing statements from sanford, florida. >> what the jury didn't get to hear. who it have made a difference in

their verdict? we want you to hear it, you decide when we come back. with applebee's new take two menu, you choose two seasonal favorites starting at $10.99. like a blackened sirloin with the wedge salad or lemon shrimp fettuccine and... [ male announcer ] you had us at $10.99. really? fist bump. [ male announcer ] applebee's new take two menu. two seasonal favorites, one amazing plate. see you tomorrow. that everyone should have access to good nutrition. so they're donating two meals to feeding america for every purchase of one a day women's multivitamins. help families across america

get nutrition they need. buy one a day women's, make a difference. ♪ this is the car that loves to have fun ♪ ♪ it's got something for everyone ♪ ♪ the car of the future many have said ♪ ♪ 'cause at the pump it's miles ahead ♪ ♪ and let's hum, hum, hum, hum ♪ let's hum ♪ a prius for everyone ♪ [ male announcer ] now get 0% apr financing for 60 months on the prius liftback, the number 1 selling hybrid. with plenty in stock, you can drive one home today. ♪ a prius for everyone yo...if not repelledee today. thanor killed,e... they may transmit disease-causing organisms. k9 advantix® ii repels and kills ticks and starts killing them within 10 minutes on dogs treated 3 days earlier. right now, at petsmart, save $10 on all k9 advantix® ii 6-packs.

once again, david muir. what wasn't the jury allowed to hear over the course of the three-week trial? possible skeletons from the closets of both george zimmerman and trayvon martin and would those details not permitted in court have changed the jury's verdict? once again tonight, matt gutman. >> for more than 15 days, this is what the jury saw. theatrics, fits of anger. >> it's outrageous that the state would seek to do this at this time.

>> knock, knock. who's there. >> even bad humor. >> george zimmerman. >> george zimmerman who? okay, good you're on the jury. >> what didn't the six female jurors hear and why? >> the judge excluded a number of negative personal items about trayvon martin. >> for a year the defense team desperately wanted the jury to see what it called 17-year-old trayvon martin's checkered past. like the three school suspensions including one for having been caught with traces of pot. and another for allegedly having burglary tools in his backpack. there's in video martin shot himself, the only available sample of his voice laughing as foolishness played out. then are these photos from his cell phone, him giving the finger, marijuana plant, blowing smoke. the only reason to introduce

that picture would have been to smear trayvon martin. that's not what this case is about. >> what's the most important piece of evidence they didn't hear? >> i think they had the right to hear about trayvon martin's past. >> zimmerman's defense attorney mark o'mara is talking about tex messages in which martin posts he could knock a man down with a single punch. i lost the first round but won the second and third. i'm not done with this fool. he's going to have to see me again. >> george zimmerman also had skeletons in his closet. he had a domestic violence accusation. then there's a 2005 arrest for allegedly assaulting a police officer. that charge was ultimately dropped. remember that explosive 911 call with the blood kucurdling screa. >> you think he's yelling help? >> yes. >> what is your --

>> so much was made of that 911 call. the screams. who was screaming. why was that toe important? >> well, i think for both sides that case is important because that if that was a definitive answer, that would tell us what happened. >> but the judge barred the prosecution from calling two audio experts who have testified they believed the desperate cries for help came from martin. the judge ruled that the science was too unreliable. it definitely would have helped prosecutors. you have experts, not just family members, but experts who could say, i believe very strongly that that's trayvon martin's voice on that tape. >> the most contentious arguments away from the jury's view, came this week. >> the defense, prosecutors and even the judge -- >> court is in recess. thank you very much. >> sparred over whether to admit

this elaborate 3d animation into evidence. it depicts what zimmerman said he witnessed moments before he killed trayvon martin. >> he did however reference it in the closing arguments. >> save for the two days of testimony when the words were picked apart by the defense, the spec tore was merely raised. >> you don't think that creepy [ bleep ] cracker is racial comment. >> for jury members that was all in an unspoken whisper to the prosecution's closing argument. >> somebody incorrectly when you automatically label him a criminal because he's acting in your mind and in his mind, excuse me, as suspicious, he's wearing a hoodie. >> banned from the courtroom was the racial profiling. there's no question that there's an undercurrent of race and that these jurors are very

pam with the fact that the prosecution believed trayvon martin was targeted because he left. in the end, none of zimmerman's side shows played a part in determining the outcome of this case because as far as the jury was concerned, they didn't exist. >> so many opinions about this nog verdict tonight for george zimmerman. many of you have been tweeting me@david muir. #abc 2020 and we'll read some of what you're saying when we come back. if you have moderate to severe rheumatoid arthritis, like me, and you're talking to your rheumatologist about trying or adding a biologic. this is humira, adalimumab. this is humira working to help relieve my pain.

this is humira helping me through the twists and turns. this is humira helping to protect my joints from further damage. doctors have been prescribing humira for over ten years. humira works by targeting and helping to block a specific source of inflammation that contributes to ra symptoms. for many adults, humira is proven to help relieve pain and stop further joint damage. humira can lower your ability to fight infections, including tuberculosis. serious, sometimes fatal events, such as infections, lymphoma, or other types of cancer, have happened. blood, liver and nervous system problems, serious allergic reactions, and new or worsening heart failure have occurred. before starting humira , your doctor should test you for tb. ask your doctor if you live in or have been to a region where certain fungal infections are common. tell your doctor if you have had tb, hepatitis b, are prone to infections, or have symptoms such as fever, fatigue, cough, or sores. you should not start humira if you have any kind of infection. ask your doctor if humira can work for you.

this is humira at work. grea that's why more people wo choose pizza hut every day. so pizza hut's bringing back the $10 any pizza deal. get any pizza. any size. any toppings. for just 10 bucks. the $10 any pizza deal is back. so tonight, make it great. [ female announcer ] only aveeno daily moisturizing lotion has an active naturals oat formula that creates a moisture reserve so skin can replenish itself. aveeno® naturally beautiful results. aveeno® and after nine years of working at walmart, i know savings. and right now we've got everything you need for a great summer. this 5-piece dining set on clearance, save over $49! marco! polo! and these op swim separates, on rollback you save over 20%. this nook hd's on rollback. you save $40. great for summer reading. coolers on rollback. sunscreen on rollback. and these towels on rollback. so soft. get more summer for your money

at walmart's super summer savings event going on right now at your local walmart. welcome back to a special edition of 20/20 this saturday night. the verdict reached in the george zimmerman trial shortly after 10:00 p.m. eastern tonight. not guilty in the murder of trayvon martin. the jury of six women all women, five of six were in fact mothers

breaking news. frustration and anger over the

verdict in the george zimmerman murder trial. and a very big game for tim lincecum. a first for his career. and the shocking death tonight of one of the stars of "glee."