The prosecution has rested their case against George Zimmerman as the trial for the Trayvon Martin shooting death continues.
Prosecutors rested their case Friday against Zimmerman, who is standing trial for second-degree murder charges against Martin, a Florida teen who was shot to death during an altercation with Zimmerman the night of Feb. 26, 2012.
As CBS News reports, the state spent nine days presenting testimony from a list of witnesses that included Martin's brother, mother, neighbors and a DNA analyst, as well as emergency personnel and police officers who had either seen the shooting or were there afterwards.
Trayvon's mother, Sybrina Fulton, told the court on Friday that she could identify her son as the individual who was screaming in the background of a 911 call during the incident that led to the shooting. The defense, which continues their case on Monday, countered with calling to the stand Gladys Zimmerman, George's mother, who said that the screams came from her son.
Approximately 38 witnesses were called by the prosecution, according to NBC News. In their case, prosecutors pointed out the words recorded as coming from Zimmerman during the night in question. That and other evidence has been used to paint the picture of Zimmerman as having shot Martin because he simply wanted to.
However, defense attorneys for Zimmerman argued that he had acted in self defense, and asked Judge Debra Nelson, who presides over the case, to acquit the case, as they claimed it was clear that the evidence against Zimmerman did not show the intention needed in a second-degree murder charge.
"It was a sad and tragic affair but Trayvon Martin did in fact cause his own death, and this man should not face a jury any longer than he has already," lawyer Mark O'Mara said of Zimmerman.
However, prosecutor Richard Mantei countered that the evidence, both direct and circumstantial, illustrated that Zimmerman has acted with malicious intent and then invented his self-defense argument after the fact.
"There are two people involved here: one of them is dead and one of them is a liar," Mantei said.
The judge declined to issue an acquittal verdict.
During the cross examination of Martin's mother, O'Mara questioned where Fulton had wanted to hear her son's voice in the recording of the altercation with Martin because if Zimmerman had been screaming, it would have been more likely that Fulton's son has caused his own death--to which Fulton answered that she heard Trayvon screaming in the recording.
"You certainly would hope that your son Trayvon Martin did nothing that could have led to his own death?" O'Mara pressed her later.
"What I hope for is that this wouldn't have never happened and that he would still be here," Fulton replied, adding that she did not believe Martin was responsible for his death.