SANFORD, Fla., July 3 (UPI) -- Prosecutors can present testimony about George Zimmerman's criminal justice studies at a Florida state college, a judge ruled Wednesday.
Circuit Judge Debra Nelson also said the prosecution expected to rest its case in Zimmerman's murder trial by the end of the day, the Orlando Sentinel reported.
Zimmerman, a neighborhood watch volunteer in his gated community in Sanford, is charged with second-degree murder in the shooting death of unarmed black teenager Trayvon Martin.
The 17-year-old was walking to a relative's house in 2011 when Zimmerman began following him. Defense lawyers say Zimmerman killed Martin in self-defense after the youth attacked him.
Anthony Gorgone, a DNA analyst with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, gave evidence that appeared to contradict that version of events. He said no DNA from Martin was found in Zimmerman's gun and that none of Zimmerman's DNA was found under Martin's fingernails or on his hooded jacket.
U.S. Army Capt. Alexis Francisco Carter Jr., a Judge Advocate General officer who taught Zimmerman in a criminal litigation class at Seminole State College testified that Zimmerman was a good student. He said the class frequently discussed Florida's Stand Your Ground law, contradicting Zimmerman's story that he only heard of the law after the shooting.
Don West, one of Zimmerman's lawyers, cross-examined Carter about Florida's self-defense law.
