Trayvon Martin Verdict: George Zimmerman Found Not Guilty

After more than sixteen hours of deliberation, a Florida jury has found George Zimmerman not guilty in the shooting death of Trayvon Martin last February.
The verdict brings to a close a case that has led to passionate debate over the past year, often focusing on issues of race and gun control, especially Florida's controversial "stand your ground" law, which allows deadly force to be used by a person who believe he or she is in imminent danger, issues which have made this case a flashpoint in the media and on social media.
The fact that George Zimmerman fired the bullet that killed Trayvon had never been in dispute, but rather the details of the events leading up to that fateful moment were the factors being debated throughout the trial, with Zimmerman's defence using the "stand your ground" law as its justification for the shooting in February 2012.
May God console the Martins at this time; as well as every other family that's gone through this type of injustice.
— Nicki Minaj (@NICKIMINAJ) July 14, 2013 Immediately following the verdict, many in the hip-hop community, which had been united in its call for a guilty verdict, took to Twitter to express both disbelief and disappointment, including Nicki Minaj who tweeted "May God console the Martins at this time; as well as every other family that's gone through this type of injustice."
Man I'm praying for all of us who are upset over the Zimmerman verdict. #nojustice
— QTip (@QtipTheAbstract) July 14, 2013 ?uestlove, remarked "knock knock.....who's there? justice....just us who?", while Wyclef Jean took to his twitter account to say "May God be with the family of Trayvon Martin". Q-Tip expressed disbelief, remarking "This is worse than Rodney King. So Crazy".
I feel sick. #RipTrayvonMartin
— Miley Ray Cyrus (@MileyCyrus) July 14, 2013Miley Cyrus, who had been tweeting using the hashtag #justicefortrayvon in recent days, Tweeted "I feel sick. #RipTrayvonMartin", later tweeting again "No justice. No peace."

On Friday, the six person all-female jury was left to deliberate with three choices for a verdict: guilty of second-degree murder; guilty of manslaughter; and not guilty.

The manslaughter charge had just been introduced Thursday after the Judge Nelson, who presided over the case, ruled over the defence's objection to allow for a manslaughter conviction as an alternative to a murder verdict.