abc's matt gutman has been on this story from the start and brings us the latest answers to these questions tonight. >> we the jury find george zimmerman not guilty. >> reporter: those two words breaking george zimmerman's solemnity, forcing that smile inside the courtroom. but outside -- >> murder is a crime! >> reporter: fury and protests across the country. >> we will commit ourselves to ending the plague of gun violence on our streets! >> reporter: the reaction to george zimmerman's acquittal in the shooting death of 17-year-old trayvon martin has been as contentious as the case itself. >> let's talk about ill will. >> reporter: but there's mounting criticism that the prosecution overreached, going for a hard to prove second-degree murder charge doomed to fail. >> we wouldn't have filed it if we didn't believe in it. >> reporter: the former prosecutor spoke exclusively to abc news, offering a narration of what they thought really happened that night, that zimmerman pulled his gun when martin tried to get off of him. >> he got the gun out. >> reporter: and that zimmerman killed him in co

and we begin here with an abc news exclusive, abc's matt gutman one an one with george zimmerman's defensem. good evening, matt. >> reporter: good evening to you, david. we learned tonight that george zimmerman is huddling close to his family. last night, after the verdict was read, he walked straight out of the front doors of that courthouse, still his attorney tells me that he will never be able to live a normal life. because of all the death threats against him he will always have to look over his shoulder. >> reporter: it was the gun that killed trayvon martin, and tonight george zimmerman's attorney tells abc news in an exclusive interview that his client will get it back. >> does hi get the gun back? >> yes, he does. how do you think he feels about guns now? >> i think that he feels truly in his heart that if he did not have that weapon that night he might not be here. >> reporter: so do you think if he could he would carry a gun again? >> yes, even more reason now isn't there? there are a lot of people out there who actually hate him though they shouldn't. >> reporter: so you say he

abc's matt gutman is on the story. >> have you made a decision on whether or not you want to testify that's -- >> overruled. >> reporter: tensions boiled over in court today as judge deborah nelson demanded that george zimmerman answers the question on everyone's minds for months. will he finally take the stand in his own murder trial? >> mr. zimmerman, have you made a decision on whether or not you want testify in this case? >> no, not at this time, no. >> reporter: later, she asked again. finally, he gave his answer. >> and what is your decision, sir? >> after consulting with counsel, not to testify. >> reporter: he didn't testify but it was the most he's spoken in court in the 21 days since this contentious trial began. with that the defense rested its case. seemingly confident it had established to the six-person, all-female jury that when he former neighborhood watchman shot and killed 17-year-old trayvon martin in february 2012, it was an act of self-defense. >> the jury has already heard him give his version of events, right? so it doesn't make a lot of sense for him to get on

but first, abc's matt gutman live in sanford, florida, live outside the courthouse. with breaking developments. matt, good evening. >> reporter: good evening, david. those jurors are still in the courtroom. they have had dinner and lunch. they're working through it all. the most pivotal so far in the trial. the judge is assembling everyone in the courtroom. after nine hours of silence today, finally the jury had a question -- >> may we have please have clarification on the instructions regarding manslaughter. >> reporter: manslaughter lesser of two charges that zimmerman faces. >> the court cannot engage in the general discussion if you have a specific question please submit. >> in that nearby room, those six women, five of them mother, and just outside the courthouse, a growing protest, now in its second day, demonstrators shouting each other down. the trial ended with the state's rebuttal. prosecutor john guy besieging those jurors to use their hearts as much as their heads. to convict zimmerman for shooting 17-year-old trayvon martin. >> who's responsible for this

thank you matt gutman. let's bring in "nightline" anchor dan abrams. all these weeks almost over. take us back to what you think was the turning point so far. >> the testimony of the neighbor and eye witness, john good. he had the best vantage point, the clearest testimony about exactly what happened during that alt occasion. here was the key moment. >> the person who you now know to be trayvon martin was on top, correct? >> correct. >> he was the one who was raining blows on the person on the bomb, george zimmerman, right? >> that's what it looked like. >> that was key because? >> no matter who started this incident, if george zimmerman was on the bottom and getting pummelled, he had argue self-defense and the prosecution has to disprove it beyond and reasonable doubt. you can make an argument that john good in conjunction with the injuries that george zimmerman had is right side. >> do you think it's going to go the way of the defense? it's over? >> it's almost impossible to think how these jurors could follow the letter of the law, based on the evidence that's been presented, a

. >> matt gutman abc news. >>> we head overseas tonight, a nation crucial to america in the middle east is seething again, demonstrations growing larger than those who brought down mubarak. we have more from cairo. >> reporter: moments after the ultimatum was given, helicopters swooped down over protestors who erupted in cheers. huge excitement. the people feel like the military are behind them and it has given them energy for the protest. they feel like they can now take down the president. since morsi was elected a year ago, these egyptians say their lives have only gotten worse. >> the country is basically not functioning. the economy is doing badly. i have much less purchasing power. my business is not doing well. >> reporter: they accused the muslim brotherhood when morsi belongs to of imposing their islamist values on their egyptian life. >> they were changing the way we dress, the way we talk and deal in society. >> reporter: egypt gets more than $1.5 billion a year from the u.s. and is a crucial regional ally particularly in the israeli, palestinian conflict. tonight a cable cha

tonight, here, we're now learning how authorities were finally able to end this and abc's matt gutman is right there. >> reporter: for more than eight hours a gunman turned this neighborhood into a near war zone. those flashes, police exchanging fire with a gunman, finally killing him, after he shot six people in this building. and look there, on the balcony, you see officers clearing the scene -- after five hours of a cat-and-mouse chase with a man police identified as pedro vargas. >> and we tried and tried engaging him at first in the hallway and he kept running from us as he fired at us and we fired at him. >> reporter: the shooting spree began at 6:30 friday evening, the gunman setting fire to his own apartment. his landlords alarmed, ran to help. vargas killing them, spraying more than a dozen bullets at them, then shooting from his fourth floor balcony across the street killing another man. running down the stairs he kicked the door down to another apartment, killing two parents and their 17-year-old daughter. after hours of a gun battle with police vargas raced to the fifth fl

matt gutman, abc news, sanford, florida. >>> next we want to tell you about an inconceivable crises 260iles straight up in space, an astronaut at the international space station on a space walk radios back to the command center with an unusual sos. >> i can still hear perfectly but my head is really wet. >> floating water droplets were filling up his helmet, a nasa estimate two cups of water maybe from a hydration bag in the suit. his team raced to get him back to safety. 24 minutes later he was on board, his helmet so full of water he was having trouble hearing. tonight he's rattled but okay. >>> how about this, a mystery ship from cuba was busted today heading into the panama canal on its way to north korea. what was inside? inspectors found big bags of brown sugar. buried inside the sugar? giant illegal metallic parts to be used in rockets and weapons. the north korean captain of the ship reportedly tried to commit suicide after the inspection. >>> and now an investigation delivers startling proof how easy it is to get big weapons in america. some of them the kind used to topple gove

i spoke to his attorney mark o'mara, he said it's not likely. >> matt gutman, tonight, thank you. >>> now to the economy this evening and to the new jobs numbers that are getting a lot of attention this evening. american employers creating nearly 200,000 jobs last month. and new jobs for april and may were revised upward as well. what do the numbers really mean? is it a real recovery, and if so, why are mortgage rates and rates you pay on your car suddenly going up? here's our chief business and economics correspondent rebecca jarvis tonight. >> reporter: it's a new and welcome sign in store windows across america, we're hiring. the labor department reporting today our economy has created nearly 200,000 jobs a month not just this month, but for three straight months. good news for jobseekers, but a challenge for home buyers. lisa handler is racing to buy a home for her family in atlanta, hoping to lock in record-low rates. >> we've been looking for a few months now. >> reporter: but since starting her search, rates have already climbed almost a full point. the average 30-year mortgage

he faces the prospect of life in prison or freedom. >> thanking matt gutman. i want to bring in abc's chief legal analyst and "nightline" anchor dan abrams. only 12 days of testimony seems awfully short in a trial like this to me. >> many of the facts weren't in dispute here. no one challenges the notion that george zimmerman shot and killed trayvon martin. the question is why and how and that allows it to go quicker. >> you have been saying that the prosecution has an uphill battle here. can they ever turn it around, really turn the whole thing around in a closing argument? >> they certainly have to try and they have to focus on the human aspect of this, that it's just wrong, that this shouldn't have happened. it didn't need to happen. this is a 17-year-old walking home with skittles and an iced tea who didn't need to die. i think that that's got to be the focus and the fact that they believe george zimmerman initiated the encounter. >> they will be arguing the human emotion in this. does this mean the whole question of race which has been debated around this

on the case from the start, on the case from the start abc's matt gutman. >> reporter: they were the words of a father channelling anguish into action on capitol hill. >> i vow to do everything in my power not to give up the fight for him. not only to fight for trayvon but to fight for so many other young black and brown boys of this country. >> reporter: ten days after george zimmerman was acquitted of murdering 17-year-old trayvon martin, his father, tracy martin, made the opening remarks at the first ever meeting of the congressional caucus on black men and boys. martin, a truck driver by profession, has appeared in multiple interviews and public appearances since the july 13th verdict. george zimmerman had all but disappeared until last week when police say he happened upon an suv that rolled over and helped a family of four escape the vehicle. witnesses called 911. >> there was smoke and other people were starting to rush towards the vehicles. >> reporter: zimmerman's lawyer acknowledged the incident was awfully coincidental and invited the family to tell their side of the story

abc's matt gutman was there. >> reporter: with grief on his face trayvon martin's father took the stand. >> my world has been turned upside down. sglb >> reporter: asked about this 9/11 call the night his son was shot. >> he's yelling help? >> yes. >> i was listening to his life being taken. >> reporter: today he said the howls on the tape are his son's. >> i didn't tell them, no, that wasn't trayvon. i think the chairs had wheels on them and i kind of pushed away from the table and just kind of shook my head and said i can't tell. >> reporter: homicide investigator chris serrino says that's not what he told them when he first listened to it. >> he looked away and under his breath, as i interpreted it, said no. >> reporter: george zimmerman's fate could hinge on the screams and in its first full day on the case the defense played it for witness after witness, all zimmerman friends, all agreeing -- >> that's george's voice. >> i thought it was george. >> definitely it's georgie. >> they want to say he's the victim because now he's use self-defense. >> reporter: under cross-examination th

. >> that guy did look like matt gutman. he is moonlighting as an actor. >> abc don't pay like it used to. >> coming up. scientologists lost one of their celebrity followers. details coming up in. ♪ the skinny >> uh-huh. but first an important medical story for women who work the night shift like i do. researchers say may be at a higher risk for breast cancer. we'll tell you why coming up next. you're watching "world news now." >> announcer: "world news now" weather brought to you by swiffer sweeper. >> announcer: "w ews now" weather brought to you by swifer sweeper. how much dirtcan we manufac? more than you think. very little. [ doorbell rings ] [ lee ] let's have a look, morty. it's a sweeper. what's this? what's that? well we'll find out. we'll find out. [ lee ] it goes under all the way to the back wall. i came in under the assumption that it was clean. i've been living in a fool's paradise! oh boy... there you go... morty just summed it up. the next 44 years we'll be fine. oh. ♪ [ female announcer ] stress sweat smells

abc's matt gutman is in sanford, florida. >> reporter: good morning, paula. good morning, dan. that is a heavy burden they bear. and the six jurors are expected back here this morning. they're probably going to take up a room on the other side of that courthouse. for the past two weeks they've been listening, prohibited from talking about the case, even that each other. now, it's their turn to talk. they spent about 3 1/2 hours deliberating yesterday. and judging by the first act as a jury, they are taking this responsibility very seriously. it was the first decision as a jury. >> it's in the form of a request from the jury. is there an inventory list of the evidence by number and description? >> reporter: the controversial case put in their hands, after attorneys for both sides made their last pitch. >> i'm asking you to use your common sense. >> reporter: an appeal from prosecutor john guy, for the six jurors, five of them mothers, to think with their hearts. >> who is responsible for the state, not being able to ask trayvon martin to come forward. and put my hand on his shou

matt gutman, abc news, sanford, florida. >>> you know, returning to what attorney general eric holderw, in that -- when he was making that speech. what he essentially said was, the conversation that he had to have with his son that his father had with him was, if you are ever presented with a situation where you feel like someone is treating you unfairly or you run into someone in the street and you have to defend yourself in a way that clearly is racially motivated, this is what you need to do in that situation. he was -- i think what he was trying to say is how sad it is in this day and age because of the verdict he had to sit down with his son and have that conversation at all with his child. >> we've made progress but still the same conversation my dad had with me "x" number of decades ago, i have still in 2013 still have to have, pointing out that we've come a long way. we have miles to go. and the other four jurors distancing themselves from that juror who spoke to anderson cooper. they released a statement. one line in that statement was -- serving on this jury has been a highl

for more about the acquittal and what happens next, here's abc's matt gutman. >> reporter: it was the that killed trayvon martin. and george zimmerman's attorney tells abc news, in an exclusive interview, his client will get it back. does he get that gun back? >> yes, he does. >> reporter: how do you think he feels about guns now? >> i think he feels, truly in his heart, if he did not have that weapon, he might not be here. >> reporter: do you think if he could, he would carry a gun again? >> even more reason now. a lot of people out there actually hate him, though they shouldn't. >> reporter: because he needs to protect himself. and the way to do it is carry a weapon. >> one way. >> because of those threats, george zimmerman isn't free despite being acquitted on all charges. >> what will he do now? >> i don't know. he will never be able to walk down the street and not worry about who is looking at him or walking behind him. >> does george zimmerman walk around with his bulletproof >> he wasn't wearing it during the trial a lot but i know when he was out in public he wears it. he has

matt gutman, abc news. >>> in spain a train crash killed dozens of passengers.expected to rise. rescuers were working to free people trapped inside the derailed cars. the train was packed with christian pilgrims traveling to a religious festival in the northwestern part of the country. >>> a rookie member of the tennessee titans hailed for helping rescue a family from a burning vehicle. linebacker jonathan willard was driving off to training camp and saw smoke from an suv. when the driver pulled over, willard and a witness helped a woman, three kids and a dog get out. moments later that suv exploded. >> at the time it wasn't scary like -- i guess i just figured that i had to do it. but afterwards, i realized, you know, how dangerous and how scary it really was. >> willard stayed at the scene until fire fighters arrived and extinguished the suv. he is an undrafted free agent trying to win a spot with the titans. >> he is officially my sentimental favorite to make the titans what a great guy. >> i think so, too. he said, i am not a hero, just at the right place at

you've got abc news matt gutman who from the beginning manipulated video to make it look like zimmerman didn't have any injuries. now this week and last week we see gutman making all sorts of mistakes. he is not reporting the facts. he is dramaizing. the judge gutman has decided. when the media come in and they decide a case before we even started hearing the facts, i think then the american public gets outraged at the media. i think that is what we're seeing now, the story is completely switched as to what we once were told by the media. >> eric: final judge will be the jury when they get that case. thank you. next on news watch, crime and the media. >> high profile and big money n.f.l. stars make headlines after a string of arrests. can bad boy behavior be blamed on the adoring media? answer next on news watch. your business is more reliable, secure, and agile. [ all ] who's new in the fridge! i help support bones... [ ding! ] ...the immune system... [ ding! ] ...heart health... [ ding! ] ...and muscles. [ ding! ] that can only be ensure complete! [ female announcer ] the four-in-one

matt gutman, abc new, sanford, florida. >> for the first time the boston bombing suspect will come face of the blast, and family members of those killed. dzhokhar tsarnaev due to make his first public court appearance today to hear the charges against him. the mother of who men severely injured says she wants to stare down what she calls the face of evil. attorney general airing holder will decide whether to seek death penalty. >> developments in the high profile case involving former patriot, newly released document showing aaron hernandez admitted to killing former football player odin lloyd. a third suspect arrested in lloyd's murder told him the football star admitted to the shooting. hernandez pled not guilty to murder. >> we are learning details about the asiana jumbo jet crash in san francisco. >> what was happening inside the plane after the powerful impact. abc's tahman bradley joining us from san francisco with the very latest. good morning, tahman. >> good morning, john. good morning, diana. the wreckage of the crash landing is still on one of the runways here at san francisc

once again, matt gutman. >> reporter: rachel jeantel was the state's star witness.y with details of her phone call with trayvon martin, just moments before he was killed. then, she opened her mouth. >> that's real retarded sir. >> i'm sorry? >> that's real retarded to do that, sir. >> reporter: rachel jeantel, 19-years-old, and just entering her senior year. jeantel was pitted against savvy trial lawyers who kept her floundering on the witness stand for seven hours. >> are you claiming in any way that you don't understand english? >> i don't understand you, i do understand english. >> reporter: this 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. >> reporter: jeantel was not only vilified, this professor says she was mammified. >> reporter: tell me what you mean by the mammyfication of rachel jeantel. >> a lot of people came out and criticized her for her hair, for her hair, her skin, her darker skin tone

here's abc's matt gutman. >> reporter: with grief etched on his face, trayvon martin's father on thetand. >> our world has just been turned up side down. >> reporter: tracy martin, called by zimmerman's attorneys, asked about this 911 call the night his son was shot. >> so, you think he's yelling held? >> yes. >> i was listening to his life being taken. >> reporter: he said those howls on that tape were his son's. >> i didn't tell them, it wasn't trayvon. i kind of -- i kind of pushed away from the -- away from the table. and just kind of shook my head and said i can't tell. >> reporter: but homicide investigator chris sereno says that's not what he told him when he first listened to it. >> he looked away and under his breath, as they interpreted, said no. >> reporter: george zimmerman's fate could hinge on those screams. and on his first full day of the case, defense called witness, after witness. all zimmerman friends, all agreeing. >> that's george's voice. >> yes. that's georgey. >> they want to say he's the victim. when he's the victim, now, he can use self-defense. >> reporter:

those six jurors will write the final chapter in the long debate and abc's matt gutman is on the scene where he has been since the beginning. he joins us from florida. matt? >> reporter: diane, the six jurors wrapped tonight. they are deciding the case. they asked for a list of all the evidence, a clear sign of how very seriously they are taking this. tonight, zimmerman's fate is in the hands of the jury. the six female jurors -- all but one, mothers -- asking the judge late today for a list of all the evidence. the last word in the trial was from the prosecution. >> to the living, we owe respect. to the dead, we owe the truth. >> reporter: john guy, mesmerizing the jury. his voice alternately soaring, and whispering. >> not being able to ask trayvon martin to step forward to put my hand on his shoulder. man, i would love to do that. >> reporter: casting this as a historic choice. >> your verdict won't change the past, but will forever define it. >> reporter: telling them zimmerman's claim of self defense is a lie, and the responsibility for the shooting began when he left his car and

more now from abc's matt gutman. >> reporter: with grief etched on his face.ther on the stand. >> my world has been turned upside down. >> reporter: tracy martin called by zimmerman's attorneys, asked about the 911 call the night his son was shot. >> i was listening to his life being taken. >> reporter: he said the howls on the tape were his sons. >> i didn't tell them, no, that wasn't trayvon. i think the chairs had wheels on them. i kind of pushed away from the, away from the table. and just kind of shook my said, and said i can't tell. >> reporter: homicide investigator, says that's not what he told hem when heap fim listened to it. he looked away, under his breath as i interpret it said no. >> reporter: george zimmerman's fate could hinge on the screams. the presentation of witness after witness, all zimmerman friend all agreeing. >> that's george's choice. >> i thought it was george. >> yes, definitely that was georgie. >> they want to say he is the victim. when heap is the victim he can use self defense. >> reporter: when zimmerman heard the tape he didn

matt gutman has more from the florida courtroom. >> reporter: it was a full scale assault on george zimmerman's cred biblt, the prosecution catching him in an parent lie, asking the former law instructor if the defendant knew anything about a florida law allowing someone to use deadly force if mortgageally threatened. >> did you discuss specifically self-defense and stand your ground laws in connection of violent crimes such as murder? >> yes. >> reporter: it was only yesterday that jurors watched zimmerman saying the exact opposite in a fox news interview. >> prior to this night, this incident, had you even heard of stand your ground? >> no. >> you never heard about it before? >> no. >> reporter: zimmerman got an a in that class, his team arguing this all comes down do self-defense. >> you don't have to wait until you're almost dead to defend yourself. >> no. i would advise you don't do that. >> a chuckle from zimmerman. that smile squikly faded. ace cred ability hammered away. only one person was there for the start of the fight and the shooting that night. that's george zimmerman. we're like

matt gutman has more from the courtroom. >> reporter: its case on the ropes, the prosecution today trying to punch its way out of a corner. >> i'm hitting you, correct? >> yes. >> reporter: the prosecutor hacking into zimmerman's claim of self-defense. >> that's what the defendants is claiming. i'm suffocating you. i'm not going to put my hand in your mouth. would you have your hands like that, like this or would you be fighting me? >> i'd be fighting you. >> reporter: swinging for one of the key clauses defining second degree murder, ill will and spite, using zimmerman's own words from that night. >> they [ bleep ] always get away. >> in your opinion calling somebody referencing them as -- pardon my language as [ bleep ] punks? >> this is ill will. >> reporter: the state called a medical examiner who said his head may have been only slammed into the concrete once. zimmerman told police he had been struck up to 30 times. >> the injuries on the back of the defendant's head consistent with one strike against a concrete surface? >> yes. >> reporter: moments ago we spoke with zimmerman's lead

abc's matt gutman was there. >> reporter: it was a closing argument laden with emotion. >> a teenager is dead. he is dead through no fault of his own. he is dead because another man made assumptions. >> reporter: and theatrics. >> oh, he's skipping away. la, la, la. that's what he's claiming. >> reporter: prosecutor bernie de la rionda had george zimmerman credibility in the cross hairs, suggesting he lied that night. >> why is he able to yell if the defendant claims the victim was -- how is he going to talk? or is he lying about that? >> reporter: de la rionda using power points. this foam mannequin and zimmerman's own words to try to convince the jury that zimmerman murdered trayvon martin for the way he looked. >> he automatically assumed that trayvon martin was a criminal. >> reporter: and again today jurors shown pictures of martin's body. >> this is one of the last photos that will ever be taken of trayvon martin. and that is true because of the actions of one individual, the man before you, the defendant, george zimmerman. >> reporter: one juror turned away. another seemed to n

abc's matt gutman has the story. >> reporter: the six are silent no more. overnight, a woman who said she was b-37, one of the six anonymous female jurors, describing the tense hours in the jury room to cnn's anderson cooper. >> i want people to know that we put everything into everything, to get this verdict. we didn't just go in there and say, we're going to come in here and just do guilty/not guilty. we thought about it for hours. and cried over it afterwards. >> reporter: zimmerman was charged with second-degree murder with a lesser charge of manslaughter for shooting 17-year-old trayvon martin. the jurors were sequestered for 12 days, away from their families. the juror who appeared in shadow, said the first vote on guilt or innocence was split. >> we had three not guilties. one second-degree murder. and two manslaughters. >> reporter: interesting point. jury b-37 refers to zimmerman as george and trayvon as that boy. ultimately, it seems zimmerman's claim he shot martin in self-defense won jurors over. >> it doesn't make any difference. >> how so? >>

abc's matt gutman is in sanford, florida, with the very latest. matt, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, amy. that's right. closing arguments today and likely jury deliberations tomorrow. that dramatic moment in court yesterday. the judge demanding to know whether or not george zimmerman would testify on his own behalf. and in declining, it was the most we have heard from him during the trial. it all comes down to this -- >> the defense would rest. >> reporter: with testimony now over, jurors will begin hearing closing arguments later today. the final moments in court wednesday, again heated. judge deborah nelson asking george zimmerman again and again, whether he would take the stand in his own defense. >> have you made a decision as to whether or not you want to testify in this case? >> i object to that question. i that's -- >> your objection is overruled. >> reporter: finally, zimmerman answered. >> after consulting with counsel, i've decided not to testify, your honor. >> reporter: those words, the most the 29-year-old has spoken during h

and abc's matt gutman has the latest from hialeah. >> reporter: good morning, dan, bianna. it was a helter skelter scene here overnight. every police officer of hialeah was brought on the scene. that building, four separate shootings, in that building. the hostage situation ending with the s.w.a.t. team moving in and killing the gunman. the people you see there, 12 hours or more since the shooting. they are still locked out of their homes. >> just happened out of nowhere. >> reporter: this morning, residents evacuated overnight, are still shaken after a terrifying shooting that left seven people dead. a series of shots shattered a quiet friday evening, along this street in hialeah, florida. a husband and wife who managed a building went to talk to a tenet, filed a complaint. minutes later, an argument, exploded into gunshots. >> i heard about 15 to 20 shots. and so, i went outside. and my neighbors were screaming that my parents had been shot. >> reporter: she identified the shooting victims as her parents. the landlords. police say the gunman then turned his weapon at a bu

the mothers of george zimmerman and trayvon martin both took the stand friday and matt gutman has then's second degree murder trial is in his own lawyers' hands. his team tells abc news while the prosecution spent nine days arguing zimmerman shot martin because he wanted to, the defense will argue he shot him because he had to. >> my client acted in necessary self-defense. >> reporter: focusing on forensics barraging the six female jurors with images of his bloody head, his face. one of his primary concerns, the jury acquitting him on second degree murder but convicting him on lesser charges. >> i'm really hopeful the jury will understand that self-defense is self-defense to every crime possible and they do not look at this and say, well, maybe we'll compromise when this is not a situation where anyone should compromise. >> reporter: on friday they opened their defense. >> whose voice was it. >> my son george. >> reporter: and much the same way the prosecution closed it with the mother hearing her son's voice in these howls. >> who do you recognize that to be. >> trayvon benjamin mart

matt gutman has the latest from our miami bureau. good morning, matt. >> reporter: good morning, dan. that's right. both sides trying to use a lot of emotion here. that's because the central question in this trial on facing the jury is, what were george zimmerman's intentions that night? the prosecution spent nine days trying to prove that zimmerman shot martin because he wanted to. expect the defense to try to prove he shot him because he had to. this morning, george zimmerman's case is finally in his attorneys' hands. and the first witness the defense called friday, his mother, gladys. at question, the howls in this 911 call. >> do you think he's yelling help? >> yes. >> who's voice was that? >> my son, george. >> reporter: moments later, rare emotion from zimmerman, who claimed self-defense as his uncle also defendanted him. it was another mother's testimony that captivated the court on friday. sabrina fulton, also asked about the 911 calls. >> who do you recognize that to be? >> trayvon benjamin martin. >> reporter: the grieving m

. >> and we begin with matt gutman in florida. >> reporter: good morning, dan. this case didn't start as front page news, it was a routine homicide that triggered a national debate about race. but last night, as those six jurors filed back into the courtroom exhausted after 16 hours of deliberations, it wasn't about race. it was about the law. those jurors saying the state didn't provide enough evidence for them to convict zimmerman of second-degree murder. a moment 17 months in the making. >> we, the jury, find george zimmerman not guilty. >> reporter: a flicker of a smile from george zimmerman. handshakes with his attorneys and the embrace of his family. moments later, a free man. unfettered from the gps ankle bracelet and his million-dollar bond. >> you have no further business with the court. >> reporter: where the trial played out for 24 -- >> judge, this was a trick. >> reporter: -- days. minutes after the verdict, the defense attorney lashing out at the prosecution. >> i think the prosecution of george zimmerman was disgraceful. >> reporter: and defending

here's abc's matt gutman. >> reporter: tensions boiling over in the courtroom. >> have you made a decision >> your honor, i object to that question. >> overruled. >> three times debra nelson addressing george zimmerman directly. >> have you made a decision to testify in this case? >> no, not at this time. >> reporter: her insistence to try to ensure zimmerman wasn't pressured not to testify. finally, his answer. >> what is your decision, sir? >> after consulting with counsel not to testify, your honor. >> reporter: it was the most he'd spoken in court on a day in which the defense rested. earlier the defense called law enforcement trainer, the witness saying zimmerman was by no stretch an athlete. under cross-examination the ; @ prosecution used a faux mannequin to simulate the struggle that night. were you aware the defendant described to his best friend that, when he slid down, the defendant slid down, trayvon martin was up around his armpits. were you aware of that? >> no, i've not heard that. >> reporter: curious jurors and the defense craning their necks to see. >> where would the gu

once again tonight, matt gutman. >> for more than 15 days, this is what the jury saw., 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. >>

matt gutman has covered this all the way. good morning, take us inside that courtroom last night. >> reporter: good morning, george. that courtroom was intense. so many eyeballs on it. but it wasn't always this way. it wasn't always headline news. it began as a routine homicide that ignited the national debate about race. the six female jurors filed in, you could see the tension on the prosecutor's face with the defenses face, everybody looked tired. they made a decision not based on race, but about the law. they decided the state didn't have enough evidence to convict them he should be convicted on second degree murder other manslaughter. and just after that, you saw george zimmerman with a muted response. once he started hugging his family and attorneys, you saw him break a smile there. now noticeably absent from the courtroom, trayvon martin's parents, george. >> and the security situation has been so tight, everyone still on high alert? >> reporter: very much so. especially the family of trayvon martin. there was a reason