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charge of manslaughter in the fatal shooting of unarmed black teen Trayvon Martin.
• The defense, which claims Zimmerman killed Martin in self-defense, was expected to give its closing arguments Friday, a day after the prosecution spent two hours summarizing its case.
• Prosecutors reserved one hour of the three they are allotted for rebuttal once the defense concludes. After that, the jurors will begin deliberating.
• "A teenager is dead. He is dead through no fault of his own," prosecutor Bernie de la Rionda told the jurors during closing arguments. "He is dead because a man made assumptions. ... Unfortunately because his assumptions were wrong, Trayvon Benjamin Martin no longer walks this Earth."
• Zimmerman is charged with second-degree murder, but the jury will also be allowed to consider manslaughter. But because of the way Florida law imposes sentences for crimes committed with a gun, the lesser charge could also carry a life sentence.
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(Continued on page 27)
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