how do you think mark o'mara did today? >> i think he did well and exactly what i expected, primarily a low-key methodical and talking as opposed to theater or drama to it but pretty much what i expected. i thought he did a nice use of the chart with the degrees showing what is not reasonable doubt, and what is reasonable doubt conversely. so i thought all and all it was effective and he hit the points he needed to hit. >> sunny, you were in the courtroom. how do you think he did? >> i think he did fine. i don't think it was great. i don't think he knocked it out of the park but i thought he was efficient. i thought he was effective. i thought it was good. some theater fell flat like the cartoon that we've been talking about. i expected more out of it. i don't think it was use that well. the slab of concrete. the jurors didn't stand up to look at it the way they looked at other things, but i did like his style in terms of the -- his manner. he did seem to be folks, approachable, an interesting speaking style and i think tha

how do you think mark o'mara did today? >> i think he did well and exactly what i expected, primarily a low-key methodical and talking as opposed to theater or drama to it but pretty much what i expected. i thought he did a nice use of the chart with the degrees showing what is not reasonable doubt, and what is reasonable doubt conversely. so i thought all and all it was effective and he hit the points he needed to hit. >> sunny, you were in the courtroom. how do you think he did? >> i think he did fine. i don't think it was great. i don't think he knocked it out of the park but i thought he was efficient. i thought he was effective. i thought it was good. some theater fell flat like the cartoon that we've been talking about. i expected more out of it. i donl't think it was use that well. the slab of concrete. the jurors didn't stand up to look at it the way they looked at other things, but i did like his style in terms of the -- his manner. he did seem to be folks, approachable, an interesting speaking style and i think th

mark o'mara is making a statement. live right now. >> everyone in the zimmerman family knows that that was george zimmerman screaming. there will be a lot of other evidence as well. we'll present the case. we're just getting started. >> will it go on the same day that the martin family got on the stand. >> i wasn't sure how and when the state was going to end their case and i had mine planned out. it's always fluid according to how things go and the witnesses do. i'm happy with the way it worked out. >> got two witnesses done. that's okay. >> why wasn't he here this week? >> why wasn't he here this week or why wasn't he on the stand or -- >> why wasn't he in court at all? why wasn't he -- >> we'll probably bring him in when the timing is right for him as a witness. >> what is the your opinion on the judge's decision to deny -- >> joas are a particular and unique way to look at everything that is out there and weigh it all towards the state's side they get every benefit of every doubt at this state, at this stage. i res

mark o'mara continuing to make his case to the judge. continue to cover the story without interruption at foxnews.com. right back here on "studio b" after a quick break. >>> george zimmerman's attorney, mark o'mara in the courtroom right now, arguing to the judge the case against his client, the charges of second degree murder, should be thrown out. he is citing previous cases throughout history where the judge should use in his view -- should use as precedent to throw out the charges against george zimmerman. he said george zimmerman did not act with ill will, spite and hatred and those would be the requirements to convict him of second degree murder. >> almost impossible for that ill will and hatred to grow so quickly in the middle of a fray or fight or altercation, quite honestly such as we have here. wiley vs. state, 60 southern 3rd, 588. in that case, there was a fight and wiley decided to take out his gun and smack it against the eventual victim. so, it was a deadly weapon, but used it as a gun, but used it as a hammer. as it hit h

mark o'mara could not give a fire eating summation. that's not his personality, it's not how he conducts himself in the courtroom. i thought it worked very well for him. but you never know how a jury is going to react until you hear the verdict. >> what did you think, mark? >> they're all successful, they're all top of their game. you can't be somebody else. when you talk to fellow trial lawyers, first thing you tell everybody, be yourself. you take your best points and adjust accordingly. and jeffrey is exactly right. if one of them tried to be the other, they would fall flat on their face. they all had to just give their style. do i think it would have been a little more effective if o'mara had been a little more passionate on some of the points he wanted to drive home? yes. i think that nobody in the normal circumstances just listens to somebody talk at them for three hours. there was a bit of a break but it's just not natural to have a three hour just where it's a monologue and you're staring at somebody talking to you. i think tha

tomorrow mark o'mara will do the close, not don west. what do you think, mark, is the most important thing that o'mara needs to convey to the jury tomorrow? we know he's going to be using that, what jeff, calls a cartoon, that animation. >> right, the -- he's going to use the rekeyuation and animation, but i don't think you'll see him yelling at the jury. i don't think you're going to see him getting into or trying to play on a motion. i think what he's going to try to do is he's going to try to emphasize, this is what the facts are, this is the law, and if you follow the law and do what you're supposed to do, you will find mr. zimmerman not guilty. and i think he's going to just passionately for a large portion of this, what it is to have reasonable doubt. i think he's going to detail exactly what the facts show, and i think he's going to do what i was saying last night, the definition of reasonable doubt is. if there is two reasonable interpretations, one that points towards guilt, one that points towards innocence, you must adopt the o

mark o'mara presented his arguments. he showed a chart called self-defense burden of proof. >> we're not going to ask you not to have impressions. that's absurd. my fear is that if that allows you to sort of diminish or minimize your task that you've taken on here, that it works against my client. because when we, even when we talk about things like common sense, we want you to use your common sense, but be, be careful with your common sense. but the reality is, until you get to the idea, the concept of guilt beyond a reasonable doubt, then you just don't get it. what happens if you don't get here? what stays in place? it's not a civics exam, but that presumption of innocence that we talked about, never dissipates, ever. >> and so the burden was on the state in their rebuttal to eliminate the reasonable doubt. he used his argument to refocus on the answers that took place before the confrontation. >> everything they want you to think about in this case starts from the t. don't do that. that's not fair. that's not fair. l

martin savage sat down with lead defense attorney mark o'mara, and we tried to do the same with prosecutors and the martin family. however, they are choosing to speak after a verdict is reached. but o'mara offered to open up just after he finished his closing argument, knowing he has said and done all he can for his client. >> you were not the first attorney in this case? >> no, i wasn't. i was sort of second and third. >> so there's a period you were actually a spectator before you became involved. >> and a commentator. i was commenting on it a little bit. >> what were you thinking about this case at that time? >> when i commented at first, i looked at it and said, you got to be careful with the stand your ground law, because it allows people to do things they can do sort of morally. don't take advantage of a statute in doing things you do. and there's a lot about this case we don't know yet, i also commented. i'm almost glad i said that, because when i got on this case, it became my mantra. >> was it going through your mind that, i hope i don't have to be a part of it. >> i knew he had a

mark o'mara talking about his early concerns of taking on a client he was being called the most hated man in america. >> was it a concern for you that he might have been a racist? >> when i saw the 12-year-old trayvon martin picture and the 270-pound george zimmerman picture, yes, no question. and strangely enough, i think that's why most of the people who believe george zimmerman is a racist today got their belief when they saw those two pictures 16 months ago. and you can't not have that thought. you can't look at 12-year-old trayvon martin and the size of george zimmerman and say there's any reason why trayvon martin should have lost his life that night. when you look at the reality, it's completely different. i see race being injected into this case in the first week that it existed. and i see that it's never left this case. >> let's consider the race factor now with two legal veterans on the scene right there, my cnn colleague don lemon and criminal defense attorney jeff gold, live in sanford, don? >> thank you very much, john. let's talk about the race factor in this. why do you

i want to stick with mark o'mara. what about his implying that the jurors should write in innocent at the bottom of the verdict form and come back early and send a message that this never should have happened? i guess he didn't get a quick friday verdict because the jury is gone for the day. was that over the top? was that too much? >> to me, yes. that was a big mistake. do not throw down the gauntlet with the jury. do not do that. when he did it, i just sat back, i go, oh, duh. that's a bridge too far. you know, you don't want to push a jury that way and say, i want you to write down innocent at the bottom and you're going to come back immediately. and then as joy said, i'm going to prove to you, i'm going to show -- i'm going to do what no defense attorney has ever, never gone there before, you know. right? where no defense has ever gone before, i'm going to prove to you that he's innocent. when you throw down that gauntlet, you better deliver and better deliver in a really solid, believable way where people walk aw

it was a which go day to mark o'mara. i spoke to him just a short time ago. mark, there seemed to be a bit of confusion earlier in the afternoon when the judge asked mr. zimmerman whether he would testify or not. he said he needed more time to decide. what finally made him decide not to? i assume for most of this trial, you've known he's not going to testify. >> actually, that's not true. he was really considering testifying. he really wanted to talk to his jury and tell him what he did, why he did it and what he was facing when he made that decision to fire the shot. i think the confusion was more of semantics than substance, though. whenever that decision is made, it's always with consultation of counsel, and george wanted to include that information. so that was confusion. >> what finally convinced him not to do it? i assume your advice was not to do it. >> yeah. the way i look at it, i have to convince myself if the state has proven their case beyond a reasonable doubt before i would consider putting any defendant on the stand, any client, and i just don't

that's what mark o'mara did very effectively. i think there were also some surprises though in this closing argument. concession that george zimmerman probably exaggerated the attack, the concession that his injuries probably were not as severe as he made them out to be? i mean i would run with that in prosecution rebuttalal. because you know what that is? that's imperfect self-defense. that's not reasonable fear of imminent bodily harm or death. that's unreasonable fear. a man who exaggerates, a man who panics is not in reasonable fear. that is manslaughter. i would like to hear that from the prosecution in rebuttal. lastly, i have to say, on social media people are going crazy with the idea that mark o'mara is condescending and arrogant. personal dli not see that but a lot of people are expressing that today. >> the jury is filing in. we expect the prosecution to begin its rebuttal any minute now. joy, that is a huge concession that george zimmerman may have been exaggerating the attack. >> yeah. because they are essentially co

mark o'mara says he can't eat, he can't sleep, he lost weight.ose and personal today. he is very skinny. also other members of the team as well, the defense team, can't sleep, can't eat, also very thin. don west as well when i saw him today. what are they dealing with? they didn't seem to be as -- in as good a mood as the prosecution when i bumped into them in the elevator today. >> today. and i think yesterday they were in a better mood. first of all, once the jury is out, there is nothing you can do, so you're just waiting. in most situations you go back to your office, start to do some of the work you've been avoiding, just try to do something else. that's one thing. i thought the defense was almost overconfident in its closing. i've never seen a defense -- and they said they would piss off defense attorneys, and they probably did, because not only did they say it's the state's burden to prove beyond a reasonable doubt, but they said they could prove he's innocent. and mark o'mara may have bitten off a little bit more than he can chew. >> do y

melvin is live outside the courthouse in sanford, florida, as he has been about. 90 minutes that mark o'maraallowed to have about three hours today. >> that was our count too as well. ten minutes from now, the jury is set to come back. they will hear from marker mar mar -- mark o'mar rah another hour and a half and then a lunch break and then state of florida will offer a rebuttal and of that, judge nelson will go through 27 pages of jury instructions that the lawyers spent so much time haggling over yesterday and the day before as well. it looks like at this point, that jury of six women, a jury will be getting the case some time this afternoon. we have been keeping a close eye on how the jurors have been responding to mark o'mara this morning and responding to his presentation and we can tell you that just like yesterday, a lot of the jurors that seemed to spend a great deal of time taking notes, have not been taking as many notes. in fact, they have been sitting wrapped. they have been paying close attention. we also heard from mark o'mara the beginning of his sort of midway there through

with me now for an exclusive interview is mark o'mara, zimmerman's defense attorney. mr. o'mara, nice to see you, sir. big last couple weeks for you, huge day for you all as you called your first two witnesses. i want to begin fair and square, i just spoke with co-counsel for the martin family. i want to begin similarly talking about these two mothers. first we see sybrina fulton this morning and then the mother you bring on opening up this afternoon, the mother of george zimmerman. let me just play both of these women, both testifying about one voice, a scream on a 911 call. >> ma'am, that screaming or yelling, do you recognize that? >> yes. >> and who do you recognize that to be, ma'am. >> trayvon benjamin martin. >> do you know whose voice that was screaming in the background? >> yes, sir. >> and whose voice was that? >> my son, george. >> and are you certain of that? >> because he's my son. >> on the same day, mark o'mara, do you think that the testimony of both of these women cancel each other out, negate one another? >> well, i think the jury is going to realize that

we've been talking about mark o'mara. he joins us and we'll and why his client did not testify, we know the answer, why he wants the jury to only consider the maximum charges, not the lesser charges and daryl parks is joining us. i'll get his take on the day in court and the job he believes and the family believes prosecutor haves been doing. follow me on twitter at anderson cooper. a lot more ahead. we'll be right back. i missed a payment. aw, shoot. shoot! this is bad. no! we're good! this is your first time missing a payment. and you've got the it card, so we won't hike up your apr for paying late. that's great! it is great! thank you. at discover, we treat you like you'd treat you. get the it card with late payment forgiveness. vietnam in 1972. [ all ] fort benning, georgia in 1999. [ male announcer ] usaa auto insurance is often handed down from generation to generation. because it offers a superior level of protection and because usaa's commitment to serve military members, veterans, and their families is without eq

and we'll talk to defense attorney mark o'mara. and we'll talk to one of the martin family attorneys, and how she thinks the prosecution's case is going. you might be surprised by her answer maybe not when we continue. >>> jasmine, how do you think the prosecutors have done who think they are having a tough time proving second degree murder at this point. >> i think the prosecution has done exceptionally well in this case. from the very beginning, they told us they were going to show zimmerman's tangled web of lies. that's exactly what is before us now. detective serino was a strong witness for the case. >> i don't know anybody who knows that thinks that detective serino was a strong witness for the prosecution. just about anybody discussing this case, my program and elsewhere, have said they have never seen a police officer testify so favorably for the defense. the police officer has been called by the prosecution. >> i think what we also have to remember, detective serino, whether this information gets to the jury. detective seri

i thought mark o'mara's chart on reasonable was very effective. it's the same chart i used in the michael jackson trial and i borrowed it from johnnie cochran who used it in the o.j. simpson trial. you go up the scale, is it probably guilty? guilt is certain, guilt is likely. you show how all of these very strong burdens of doubt are lower than proof beyond a reasonable doubt. it's responsibility versus reasonable doubt as i see the case. >> we've heard over and over from the prosecution that trayvon martin was unarmed the night he was killed, he only had skittles and an iced tea but the defense countered that today saying he used the concrete as a weapon by slamming george zimmerman's head into it. and to illustrate the point, mark o'mara actually brought a piece of seccement in the courtroom. l let's take a look. >> and then it was said -- how many times was it said that trayvon martin was unarmed? now, i'll be held in contempt if i drop this so i'm not going to do some drama and drop it on the floor and watch it roll around. that is cement. tha

this morning is, george's attorney mark o'mara made his closing argument emphasizing he acted in self-defense and the state had not proved otherwise beyond a reasonable doubt. then state attorney john guy asked jurors to bring common sense to bear in deciding this case and pointing out what he says was in zimmerman's heart on the night of the shooting. the jury had a question requesting evidence by number and description. the jury has finished deliberating for today and will resume tomorrow morning at 9:00 a.m. craig melvin has been following this case closely and joins me from outside the florida courthouse. it was an active day. now i guess quiet. >> yeah, you know what, very active. 3 1/2 hours, three hours, 30 minutes. that's how long the jury spent deliberating this afternoon into evening. shortly after they received the evidence and informed judge nelson they were done for the day. they'll go home until tomorrow morning at 9:00 a.m. and will begin deliberating once again. we should note here that judge nelson is leavinging this essentially up to the jury how long they'll deliberate, whe

yes, there are inconsistencies but, you know, i think mark o'mara is going to talk about what happens when you repeat stories a lot. i mean, i'm sure sunny disagrees with me but i didn't see inconsistencies that looked like devious lies. >> mark, the police have testified that they didn't really see glaring inconsistencies that pointed to lies. they saw the regular inconsistencies that you see when somebody repeated their story multiple times. >> that's exactly what they testified to. it's interesting that it would be characterized as a masterful change of the narrative, is, i think, what sunny called it. what struck me is that old saw about if you got the law, pound the law. if you got the facts, pound the facts. if you have neither, pound the table. this guy sat and yelled and yelled and yelled and i don't understand how this was masterful. if anything, it was comical in a bizarre way. i mean, yes, there is a dead 17-year-old and everybody regrets that and that's a tragedy but at the same time, this to me was an abomination. i just didn't understand what they thought was being accom

you know mark o'mara and these guys, don west, as well. did you refer mark o'mara for this case? >> you were supposed to be handling the case, weren't you? >> supposed is the big word. i turned it down twice. i got a call and a release and i got a call of george zimmerman when this case was initially under investigation. i turned it down. and then after he brought in two other lawyers that quickly were dismissed, remember the debacle on the courthouse steps, i then got a call of a friend of his and i said, no. i had signed a contract with cnn. i think i made the better of the choices. in all honesty, i just came off a trail of three cases, i have a young family and i gave several names but mark was atop of the list and several reasons that martin just talked about in his some of his discussions and interviews. i knew he didn't have a bigoted bone in his body. we worked on the casey anthony case. i knew that not having any prejudice was a good thing, of course. but in addition to that, i knew he had a calm demeanor and such an easy case where passions could be really just set afir

and i think mark o'mara is, too.'t think he hammered home enough the consequences will be the same. you are not allowed to talk about penalties. but you are allowed to be subtle, and you are certainly allowed to let them know a compromised verdict will have the same consequences. >> you can't cross the line and talk about penalties -- you and i agreed that the prosecutor tried to play to the emotions too much of the jury. here is an example, prosecutor john guy in his rebuttal today, talking about how a child's worst nightmare is being followed. >> was that child not in fear? when he was running from that defendant? isn't that every child's worst nightmare? to be followed on the way home? in the dark by a stranger? isn't that every child's worst fear? that was trayvon martin's last emotion. >> and there were really conflicting responses to that. some thought it was so powerful. but this came just after mark o'mara threw down the challenge to the prosecution, show me the evidence, connect the dots. instead, he decided

coming up next, we've been talking about mark o'mara. he joins us. we'll ask why his client did not testify and why he wants the jury to only consider the maximum charge of second degree murder. and martin family attorney darrell parks is joining us. i'll get his take on the day in court and the job he believes the prosecutors have been following. follow me on twitter and let us know what you're thinking. a lot more ahead. we'll be right back. i missed a payment. aw, shoot. shoot! this is bad. no! we're good! this is your first time missing a payment. and you've got the it card, so we won't hike up your apr for paying late. that's great! it is great! thank you. at discover, we treat you like you'd treat you. get the it card with late payment forgiveness. darrell parks is joining us. if you're looking to go to school, you deserve more than just flexibility and convenience. so here are a few reasons to choose university of phoenix. our average class size is only 14 students. our financial tools help you make smart choices about how to pay for school. o

maybe mark o'mara might be the best person. but i think don west has been a consistent person in terms of the witnesses. he has done a very good job of being able to turn state witnesses into actual defense witnesses. >> but lisa, i think they have clearly, and i said this to you a couple nights ago, divvied this up, good cop/bad cop kind of thing. when it's heavy lifting to be done, it's don west. and i'm not lessening the role that mark o'mara played. but he is the softer sell kind of a guy. i'm wondering if it won't be him who delivers the closing argument for the defense. >> i'm interested to hear that take from you. i don't have that impression. i think they're both outstanding attorneys. we have heard that mark o'mara is doing the closing arguments. that's why he was out of the courtroom for a portion of the hearing today, because he was preparing his closing. i think he is an extraordinarily effective advocate in that courtroom, mark o'mara is. he is the one who has been the most physical. he has been the one that has be

mark o'mara joins us and spoke with me earlier tonight. , this morning judge nelson threw out an exchange between you and the lead investigator, chris serino, that took place yesterday in court and i want to play that for the viewers. >> if we were to take pathological liar off the table as a possibility just for the purples of this next question, do you think he was telling the truth? >> yes. >> how important was that answer to your case? >> well, you know, i respect the judge's ruling, but i think that an investigating officer in a case, when he has to determine credibility of witnesses, including the suspect, i think he should be able to give insight as to what he thinks when he's doing his investigation. but it was sort of a comment on the credibility of another witness, and we have a rule that addresses that. >> i talked to an attorney for the martin family who said they were pleased with the testimony given by the lead investigator. but every other analyst that i have talked to, former prosecutors, defense attorneys, they say they've

you don't get bored watching mark o'mara.or the prosecution has a fantastic rhetorical style. and i understand that everybody in the courtroom wases really gripped by the way he spoke. almost like a preacher giving a sermon. >> tad nelson, to the uninitiated who will watching this guy and may have seen charts on burden of proof for the first time, they're normally part in parcel of a case like this. >> absolutely. the new chart that o'mara brought about the self-defense, that was pretty interesting. we're always going to hear the lawyers talk about the burden of proof beyond a reasonable doubt. what it takes to get there. and we've kind of seen it with cheney mason now, in the michael jackson trial. we're all using the same chart. we're even using them down here in texas, believe it or not. is it likely, most likely, is it relatively likely? you keep beating that point. all these things that the jurors are thinking, yeah, this is likely. you say, that doesn't get you there. it really is a powerful chart and it's impressive ho

thirdly, i was offended by mark o'mara's statements.al and unbecoming a lawyer, who just succeeded in a case. they are insensitive and further drive a wedge. and i think spur us to say that we're going to insist that justice be done in this case. we have as a father a young boy. this is a boy who lost his life. not a grown man who lost his life not at the hands of another teenager, not of another boy, but of a man. an unarmed teenager. i think from the very beginning, but for ben crump and the fact that the local community invited the civil rights leadership into this case, this matter would have been swept under the rug. and that's exactly what zimmerman and forces around him wanted to occur. we stop that from occurring and i think we want to send a strong message of solidarity with the parents and the family, but we want to send the message, this is not over and we'll continue. >> the other piece looking forward is legislative. there's talk about what laws can be changed in florida. you're familiar with what's on the books in virginia

that's where mark o'mara is trying to get away. ether he's successful with the jurors we have no idea. but that's o'mara's line. we'll stay on top of this and get some news in here. we'll be back with more on america's newsroom. map. >> i'm talking about the physical altercation, apologize. my understanding from -- what is your understanding as to when mr. zimmerman got to this area, what path he took? >> may i stand in. >> please do. >> would you face forward. >> yes. my understanding and interpretation is he's coming this way, he walks. i'll get a pointer. okay, he walks, her his statement, all the way over here. he says he doesn't see him, he says he doesn't see him. okay. and the altercation, physical altercation started right there approximately [indicating ] >> okay, great thank you. with that as context, then, do you know exactly where mr. zimmerman was when the nonemergency operator said, we don't need you to do that? >> based on his statement, he was at his vehicle, which would have been i believe -- wherever he parked it o

there you see mark o'mara.e is arguing that a computerized animation should be released as evidence in this trial. the jurors are not in the courtroom right now. judge debra nelson is hearing the arguments between both sides. we'll be right back with more coverage. >>> the major legal discussion under way, a lot of technical issues before judge debra nelson right now. there's daniel schumacher, he's making the case for this computerized animation that he created of what happened when trayvon martin was shot and killed by george zimmerman. these are largely still photos that the defense wants released as evidence. the jurors are not hearing this discussion, they are not in the courtroom right now. that was mark o'mara, the criminal defense attorney. they are making a pitch to the judge, release this animation. the prosecution, the state, doesn't want it released. soon we'll find out, we assume, from judge nelson, whether or not she will admit this animation as evidence. and then after that, the jurors will come

and mark o'mara brought her up in his closing argument. >> miss fulton, how dare you question the mom of a passed away 17-year-old. doctors cut people sometimes when they do their work, and that was something i had to present to you to something about the way it happened. >> how important and effective was sybrina fulton's testimony that o'mara even clarified why he did what he did? >> well, you know, rev, i think any time the mother of the victim testifies, it's obviously impactful. it obviously effects the jury and it's effective. she said what you would expect her to say, that she heard her son crying out on that 911 call. i think she was a very good witness for the prosecution. but mark o'mara has a job here, which is to try to get the juries to step back from the natural sympathy and emotion you'll feel when talking about a dead teenager. he's got to get them to put that aside. i think anything that he can do to mitigate what jurors might feel was a tough questioning of her, i don't think it was tough questioning of her. listen, i und

but i think the jury was -- had to be startled by how quiet o'mara was today. >> mark, i want to play something that o'mara said about instructions to the jury. >> what happened that day is what happened that day, but what i don't think you should do is fill in any gaps at all. connect any dots, for any fact, for any witness. if the decision was made by the state not to present additional evidence to you, do not assume and do not give anybody the benefit of any doubt except for george zimmerman. >> mark, that's essential for the defense, because the prosecution, i mean, there are a lot of gaps in their version of events, a lot of sort of possibilities. >> and this fits in completely with the theme we've been talking about several nights in a row. it's a reversal of the usual roles. usually that is kind of the prosecutor's argument. here you've got the defense saying look, all they're doing is poking holes in this, and you can't just poke holes. they really, i think, today were very effective, and they meaning the defense, in putting together a narrative and then backing it up with the

weekend on sunday. >>> up next, as the jury deliberates in the george zimmerman trial, his lawyer, mark o'mara, just revealed what he thought of his client when he met him. the answer may surprise you. we have don lemon and mark nejame joining me next. this day calls you. to fight chronic osteoarthritis pain. to fight chronic low back pain. to take action. to take the next step. today, you will know you did something for your pain. cymbalta can help. cymbalta is a pain reliever fda-approved to manage chronic musculoskeletal pain. one non-narcotic pill a day, every day, can help reduce this pain. tell your doctor right away if your mood worsens, you have unusual changes in mood or behavior or thoughts of suicide. anti-depressants can increase these in children, teens, and young adults. cymbalta is not for children under 18. people taking maois, linezolid or thioridazine or with uncontrolled glaucoma should not take cymbalta. taking it with nsaid pain relievers, aspirin, or blood thinners may increase bleeding risk. severe liver problems, some fatal, were reported. signs include abdominal pain a

>> absolutely, absolutely, i think they listened to mark o'mara, they respect him.he is a terrific lawyer, but they did not take their eyes off of john guy, and that is very telling. >> reporter: trayvon martin's parents have been in court every day. their attorney spoke to us this afternoon. 23 days of this trial they sat through every single day. have they been affected by that, at all? >> very much so at times you see just the tears in their eyes and they quietly weep to themselves, but yet they continue to be dignified and graceful and try to say we have a purpose that we won't let our son's death be in vain. >> reporter: the testimony started with a flat joke. from the start, the state argued regarding the self defense, with witnesses like martin's friend, rachel jeantel, appearing to falter on the stand. >> i thought it could have been, you said, for all you know, trayvon martin smashing george zimmerman in the face, is what you actually heard? >> what? >> yeah, just earlier today. >> no. you didn't get that from me. >> reporter: and the prosecution's key witn

frankly, he's better off having it in the closing, he being mark o'mara. because then you're not going to have the person that made this up have to concede point after point where this doesn't fit with the prosecution's theory. you get to put that animated feature, if you will, on in the closing argument. it's going to be played, uncross examined and the jury will watch it. i think it's a wonderful way to break up a closing argument which may sometimes go on too long. >> this is an example of zealous advocacy. i don't think hever thought it would come in as substantive evidence. but again, that is the adversarial process. he shoots for the moon and he get as many as where in the middle. if he had gotten it in as substantive evidence, good for him. we saw that with the thc. that was admitted, they didn't even use it. but mark o'mara said we want to be the ones to decide whether or not to introduce evidence. he fought for it to get it and he made a decision we're not going to use it. >> let's remember something, though, about the cartoon. the prosecution did

mark o'mara said, we're not going to do that. we're going to waive george zimmerman's stand your ground right. bottom line, they decided to go to a jury. george zimmerman's story is really not a stand your ground kind of story. he says he's pinned down with trayvon martin on top of him, ground and pay mma style. obviously, he wouldn't have an opportunity to retreat if that's what were going on. now we're back to having stand your ground back in the trial in those jury instructions. >> yeah, it is incredible. lisa, i hope you can stick around. we've got ten more minutes in the show. as i mentioned, jury watch now underway in the george zimmerman trial. our coverage will continue after this break. >>> george zimmerman is not guilty if you have just a reasonable doubt that he acted in self-defense. >> the defendant didn't shoot trayvon martin because he had to. he shot him because he wanted to. ♪ [ male announcer ] you wait all year for summer. ♪ this summer was definitely worth the wait. ♪ summer's best event from cadillac. let sum

coming up next, we've been talking about mark o'mara. he joins us. we'll ask why his client did not testify and why he wants the jury to only consider the maximum charge of second degree murder. and martin family attorney darrell parks is joining us. i'll get his take on the day in court and the job he believes the prosecutors have been following. follow me on twitter and let us know what you're thinking. a lot more ahead. we'll be right back. i wanted to ask you a couple questions.card. i've got nothing to hide. my bill's due today and i haven't paid yet. you can pay up 'til midnight online or by phone the day it's due. got a witness to verify that? just you. you called me. ok, that checks out. at discover, we treat you like you'd treat you. get the it card with payment flexibility. "that starts with one of the world's most advancedy," distribution systems," "and one of the most efficient trucking networks," "with safe, experienced drivers." "we work directly with manufacturers," "eliminating costly markups," "and buy directly from local farmers in

mark o'mara asked serino about concerns had he with zimmerman. i want to play that. >> then there was this question about why he didn't simply acknowledge to trayvon martin who he was or what he was doing, correct? >> yes. >> and you questioned him a couple different ways on that, as well. >> yes. >> did his answer to you satisfy you? >> not necessarily. >> tell me what your concern was. >> he has made reference to mentoring children, specifically african-american children. why it didn't occur to him to go ahead and try to say something to somebody he was following? >> sure. in hindsight. >> of course. >> that might have resolved things? >> absolutely. >> that's something the prosecution would like to continue to hammer on, it could have all been avoided. >> sure. he threw the prosecution a bone there, but for the most part there, his testimony was remarkable. but i do agree that that's part of the prosecution's theme. had he not gotten out of the car, had he done what he had been instructed to do by the neighborhood watch folks by the dispatcher

it also stood out to me when mark o'mara said, be careful with common sense. it seems he's almost afraid of the jurors using their common sense. >> yeah, and by the way, i haven't seen that movie. you have to be careful when you refer to movies an you're assuming everybody has seen it. i didn't know what he was talking about there. he also never responded to the prosecution's point that it would have been impossible for trayvon martin to have seen the gun, giving the way it was positioned and the inside holster in the back of george zimmerman's pants and that george zimmerman would not physically have been able lying on his back to have pulled that out and shot from that position. i mean, utter silence on some of those key prosecution points. one more quick thing. >> i want to get on that point. that is the big thing you've been pushing out. that the prosecution has not been pointing out that the gun was on his back. trayvon martin could not have possibly seen it. john guy started to touch on that. >> yeah, he started to. but he didn't really hit it. i would s

, tell me your reaction. >> well, i think mark o'mara has made a decision to come after my law partner for whatever reason. the truth of the matter is, mr. o'mara and the rest of the world must understand that at a time when no one else was given justice to the martin family, my law partner was the guy who took on this crusade to get justice for trayvon martin. when the police refused to arrest him, he was the one person that believed in moving forward to try to get justice in this case, so he may not have an appreciation for it, but at least there was enough evidence there that we needed to have him arrested and have the trial we're having now. he may not have an appreciation for it at all, this is how we got to justice. >> let's turn to some of the key things that came out today. particularly the late revelation in the day that trayvon martin's toxicology report will be made public in court, which will include the fact that he had cannibis in his system, albeit a small amount of cannabis. what is your response to that. >> the law had to -- the judge had to allow it in. i think we hav

mark o'mara said, no, it's only one. a number of witnesses said they only heard one. there is a fair amount of screaming and it stops. and then it stops when the bullet rings out. >> let's listen. >> something's wrong with him. yeah, he's coming to check me out. he's got something in his hands. i don't know what his deal is. >> okay, just let me know if he does anything. >> that is not the 911 call. >> that is the first one with the profanity on it. that's the very first call to the police that night by george zimmerman when he looks out the window and sees trayvon martin. >> what's interesting about that call to me and i've talked to friends that are police officers and what strikes them is the way george zimmerman talks. that he always sounds like a police officer. and there's a classic defense to a shooting, but every way that he defends himself after the shooting is the way police defends shooting, he was going for my gun, he has something in his hands, just the way he talks cop talk, which in a sense made him more comfortable with the police officers. his uncle,

mark o'mara was saying right before he called ms. dilligard to the stand that this would be the last witness. they will, of course, have that hearing that you alluded to right after she testifies, and then they also have to spend some time talking about two other witnesses. but there seems to be at this point, at least, a pretty good chance the defense will wrap its case tomorrow, and of course both sides would then begin making its closing arguments shortly thereafter. the hearing you just alluded to, the hearing on this particular animation, that consumed the better part of the morning, a hearing that was supposed to take about 30 minutes. >> craig, i've got to interrupt you briefly and politely, because ms. dilligard is about to give evidence once again, so we're going back to the courtroom. but do stay with us, craig. >> no, then he asked me my name and i gave it to him and i gave him my phone number. >> okay. and then -- now we move back to the time you were in the area of the event. went back looking for mrs. zimmerman, didn't

it appears mark o'mara will close for the defense instead of don west. mark o'mara will not be scheduled for the charge this morning. >> what's your sense with this judge? i feel like in watching her, she has given a lot more difference to the prosecution than the defense. so does that mean you would be surprised if lesser charges aren't allowed in the jury instructions? >> well, i agree with the first part of that. i think she's been relatively tough on the defense. although mostly outside the presence of the jury so they may not be aware of that. under florida law, i think she's obligated to if there are facts to support it. the fact that the defense is confident enough for this all or nothing approach, second degree murder where george zimmerman would be facing up to life in prison or an acquittal, boy, the stakes could not be higher if the defense is able to defeat the idea of a manslaughter charge. but they are that confident going into this. i mean, i think that really tell, you something. >> all right, lisa bloom, thank you both. we'll check back