Day two of testimony in George Zimmerman's second-degree murder trial begins Tuesday -- one day after the attorneys' opening arguments seemingly flipped the old adage that jurors are the unpredictable ones inside the court room.
"F---ing punks," are the words prosecutor John Guy used as he began his opening statement Monday. These are the words Zimmerman said under his breath during his 2012 call to 911 about 17-year-old Trayvon Martin.
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Not to be outdone, Zimmerman's lawyer Don West opened his client's defense with a joke.
"Knock knock. Who's there? George Zimmerman. George Zimmerman who? All right, good –- you are on the jury," he said.
West was apparently attempting to poke fun at the marathon nine-day jury selection.
"Sometimes you have to laugh to stop from crying," he said.
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Zimmerman, 29, shot and killed Martin as the teen was walking back to the home of his father's fiancee from a Sanford, Fla., convenience store on the night of Feb. 26, 2012. Martin had a bag of candy.
The "f-bomb" and ill-conceived knock-knock joke that each of the attorneys used both seemed to fall flat on the all-female jury panel.
The openings did, however, make it clear that both sides are unpredictable –- an interesting change in atmosphere for veteran trial watchers, and a shared strategy that could ultimately give one side an advantage over the other.
Zimmerman's family was barred from the courtroom as the state claimed they may be witnesses later in the trial. Under Florida state law, Martin's family was permitted to sit in the gallery as relatives of the alleged victim. Robert Zimmerman Jr. issued a statement to The Huffington Post on behalf of his family.
“Mr. West made it abundantly clear to the jury the limitations the rule of sequestration places upon Mr. & Mrs. Zimmerman's ability to support their son George with their presence. Our parents were in the courtroom & determined to support their son but the State of Florida prevented them from doing so. George can count on his parents' & his family's unwavering & unconditional support, as he has throughout this ordeal, until he is acquitted.”
The trial will kick off Tuesday morning with Judge Debra Nelson making a pivotal ruling on whether calls Zimmerman made to a police dispatcher in the months before he killed Martin can be admitted into evidence. Following that ruling, the jury is expected to hear from a slew of prosecution witnesses that the state plans to call in an effort to show Zimmerman profiled Martin before killing the unarmed teen.
Zimmerman has pleaded not guilty in Martin's slaying. The defense team claims Zimmerman was attacked by Martin and acted in self-defense. He faces a possible sentence of life in prison if he is convicted.
The trial is scheduled to resume at 8:30 a.m. EST.
Read below for minute-by-minute updates from court Tuesday:
The Huffington Post is live blogging Tuesday's testimony. Check back here for updates.
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