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George Zimmerman trial: 5 poignant moments

The jury is set to begin deliberations on whether George Zimmerman committed murder when he shot an unarmed black teenager, Trayvon Martin, on Feb. 26, 2012, in Sanford, Fla., or whether it was an act of self-defense. Here are five moments stand out from the trial.

2. The mannequin

Gary W. Green/Reuters
Defense attorney Mark O'Mara uses a foam dummy to describe the altercation between George Zimmerman and Trayvon Martin to defense witness and law enforcement expert Dennis Root (r.) during Zimmerman's trial in Seminole circuit court in Sanford, Fla., Wednesday.

  • By Patrik Jonsson Staff writer

In the closing moments of the trial, prosecutors brought out a black man-size mannequin, put it in front of the witness box, and attorneys from both sides grappled with the foam dummy to establish how the fight and ensuing gun shot might have happened.

A stand-in for Zimmerman was used to raise questions about how Zimmerman was able to reach his gun, the angle at which he shot Trayvon, and whether it was possible that Zimmerman fired as Trayvon was starting to step away from the fight.

Assistant State Attorney John Guy tried to demonstrate how it would have been difficult for Zimmerman to even reach his gun if Trayvon were straddling him “in the belly-button area.”

Defense Attorney Mark O’Mara didn’t let the moment go to waste when he straddled the dummy and commenced to beat the back of its head against the courtroom floor, asking expert Dennis Root whether that may have been the way Zimmerman received his head wounds.

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Mark Sappenfield
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