Trayvon Martin murder trial: jury finds George Zimmerman not guilty The shooting in a gated community in a town of 50,000 people 30 miles north of Orlando, caused a national public outcry last year after the Martin family and civil rights leaders alleged police had failed to properly investigate Mr Zimmerman, who was not arrested until 44 days after the shooting. The black teenager had been walking to his father's house after buying some sweets at the local shop when he was seen by Mr Zimmerman who called the police, but ignored the orders of police dispatchers not to confront the boy. A fight then ensured during which Mr Zimmerman shot Martin dead. News of the shooting caused a furore which led to the sacking of Sanford's white police chief, even drawing in Barack Obama who said that if he had a son "he'd look like Trayvon," sparking a national debate over race relations in America more than 20 years after infamous beating of Rodney King. However, as time passed and more details emerged about Mr Zimmerman, whose mother is Hispanic, the racial tensions surrounding the case eased. The family's demands for a full investigation and trial were met and a new, black police chief, Cecil Smith, was installed in Sanford with a mission to promote even-handed policing. Last night supporters of Trayvon Martin's family gathered outside the court to await the verdict expressed anger and disappointment at the outcome. Martin's father Tracy tweeted: "God blessed Me & Sybrina with Tray and even in his death I know my baby proud of the FIGHT we along with all of you put up for him GOD BLESS. Even though I am broken hearted my faith is unshattered I WILL ALWAYS LOVE MY BABY TRAY. His mother, Sybrina Fulton, also said on Twitter that she appreciated the prayers from supporters. Lord during my darkest hour I lean on you. You are all that I have," she wrote. Bernie de la Rionda, the assistant state attorney who was the chief prosecutor in the case againstMr Zimmerman, said he and his two fellow prosecutors were unhappy about the outcome of the trial. I am disappointed, as we are, with the verdict. But we accept it. We live in a great country that has a great criminal justice system. It's not perfect, but it is the best in the world and we respect the jury's verdict," he said. Prior to the verdict both families, civil rights leaders including Jesse Jackson and local police had all called for a calm response to a case that has riveted America over the last three weeks. The trial turned on several key defence witnesses who appeared to support Mr Zimmerman's claims that he had acted in self-defence and shot Martin as an act of last resort after the teenager banged his head repeatedly into the concrete pavement, a claim consistent with his head injuries. In one of the most telling testimonies, Vincent DiMaio, a forensic pathologist who has testified in several high-profile cases, said that examination of the bullet wound had supported Mr Zimmerman's contention that Martin was on top, straddling him during the fight. "The wound itself, by the gap and the powder tattooing ... indicates that this is consistent with Mr Zimmerman's account that Mr Martin was over him, leaning forward at the time he was shot," Mr DiMaio testified, adding that it was "not exactly a complicated case forensically." Another key witness, Jonathan Good, who was a resident at the gated community and observed the fight from his house, also supported Mr Zimmerman's contention that he was underneath in the scuffle. "The person you now know to be Trayvon Martin was on top, correct?" asked defence attorney Mark O'Mara, "He was the one raining blows down on George Zimmerman, correct?" "That's what it looked like," Mr Good answered. Also central to the trial was the question of whether it was Mr Zimmerman or Martin that was heard screaming for help on a 911 call moments before the fatal shot was fired. Experts from the FBI ruled that with Trayvon Martin dead, it was impossible to prove who was screaming scientifically - using voice analysis or other techniques which ultimately left the matter inconclusive. The defence called a succession of character witnesses who swore that the voice on the tape belonged to Mr Zimmerman while the prosecution relied on testimony from both of Trayvon Martin's father, Tracy and, mother Sybrina Fulton who said that it was "absolutely" her son's voice. With Mr Martin dead and no other witnesses to prove the precisely what happened on the night of February 26 impossible beyond reasonable doubt, the prosecution case turned on convincing the jury that Mr Zimmerman had maliciously "profiled" the black teenager and made racist assumptions. The prosecution zeroed-in on Mr Zimmerman's words to a police dispatcher on the night of shooting when had said, "F***ing punks. Those assholes, they always get away,'" - words that were quoted at the opening of the trial. "Those were the words in that grown man's mouth as he followed in the dark a 17-year-old boy who he didn't know," John Guy, for the prosecution averred to the jury. Those were the words in that defendant's head moments before he pressed that pistol into Trayvon Martin's chest and pulled that trigger. However, the defence vigorously contested that characterisation of Mr Zimmerman, who is of Hispanic ethnic origin and who, they contended, had been a pillar of support in a community that had been plagued by recent burglaries and break-ins. To support their case they called Olivia Bertalan, a neighbour of Mr Zimmerman, who described how she had been the victim of a home invasion. She testified that Mr Zimmerman gave her a dog to comfort her after the crime. The defence also contested accusation that Mr Zimmerman was a racist, citing his work as a mentor to black children and his taking a black girl to his prom as clear evidence of his non-racist beliefs. In the end the jury were persuaded that the prosecution had failed to disprove beyond all reasonable doubt that Mr Zimmerman had acted either maliciously or illegally when he shot Mr Martin. "Fundamentally the problem was that the prosecution didn't have a witness, they didn't have someone who could describe who took the first swing, who was the aggressor," said Jeffrey Toobin, the senior legal analyst for CNN. But it is a sombre reflection on this country and our criminal justice system that Trayvon Martin went out there and bought an ice tea and a bag of Skittles and is dead. I'm not saying the verdict is wrong, but that is a very troubling thing. Among some black residents of Sandford, there was anger and sadness at the verdict. Rosie Barron, 50, and Andrew Perkins, 55, stood in the parking lot of the courthouse and wept. "I at least thought he was going to get something, something," Ms Barron said. Mr Perkins, so upset he was shaking, asked: "How the hell did they find him not guilty?" He killed somebody and got away with murder. He ain't getting no probation or nothing. Demonstrations against the verdict were being held in San Francisco, Chicago and Washington DC, but community leaders have called for calm. Avoid violence, it will lead to more tragedies. Find a way for self construction not deconstruction in this time of despair," wrote rights leader Jesse Jackson in a Twitter message. Another rights activist, Al Sharpton, issued a statement posted on his Facebook account describing Mr Zimmerman's acquittal as "a slap in the face to the American people but it is only the first round in the pursuit of justice." "We intend to ask the Department of Justice to move forward as they did in the Rodney King case and we will closely monitor the civil case against Mr. Zimmerman," said Mr Sharpton, adding that he was convening "an emergency call with preachers" to "discuss next steps."