Jury Acquits George Zimmerman In Shooting Of Trayvon Martin

The jury in the George Zimmerman case has acquitted the defendant of second degree murder in the shooting of Trayvon Martin in Florida.

The verdict was reached after 15 hours of deliberations that started on Friday and continued all day today.

Judge Debra Nelson will reconvene the jury in her courtroom later Saturday evening and have them read their verdict according to CNN.

The six-member, all-woman jury began deliberating at 2:30 p.m. Friday after spending part of the day listening to the defense closing arguments and a rebuttal from the prosecution.

Earlier in the day, they asked the court for clarification on its instructions regarding manslaughter. The jury couldn't have even posed such a query a few days ago: Judge Nelson ruled Thursday, over the defense's vehement objection, to include manslaughter as an option for jurors, in addition to a second-degree murder charge according to CNN.

Zimmerman is charged with second-degree murder in the death of 17-year-old Martin, Zimmerman claims he shot Martin in self-defense.

The case drew massive protests after a 44-day delay in Zimmerman's arrest. Demonstrators demanded Zimmerman's arrest.

The police chief in Sanford, where Martin was shot and where the trial is being held, urged peace after the verdict is read.