George Zimmerman's defence attorney has told a jury not to make "snap judgments" over the neighbourhood watch volunteer who fatally shot unarmed teenager Trayvon Martin.
Delivering his closing arguments, the attorney told the jurors he would convince them of Zimmerman's "pure, unadulterated innocence" of second-degree murder.
"He's not guilty of anything but protecting his own life," Mark O'Mara said.
Zimmerman says he fired in self-defence when he shot the 17-year-old Trayvon during a night-time confrontation in February 2012 in his Florida gated community.
He has pleaded not guilty to the charge of second-degree murder.
Mr O'Mara told jurors that the prosecution had failed to prove Zimmerman's guilt beyond reasonable doubt.
Zimmerman with lawyer Mark O'Mara in court He said the prosecutors had built a case on a series hypothetical "could've beens" and "maybes".
"If it hasn't been proven, it's not just there," Mr O'Mara said.
"You can't fill in the gaps. You can't connect the dots. You're not allowed to."
The case drew national attention and protests when Zimmerman, 29, was not arrested for weeks after the shooting, and the case is rife with racial overtones.
In Sanford, the small Florida town where Trayvon was shot and the trial has been taking place, police are trying to head off any potential protests as the trial draws to a close.
Zimmerman identifies himself as Hispanic and the prosecution maintains he was racially profiling Trayvon, who was black and unarmed at the time of the confrontation.
Zimmerman says Trayvon was slamming his head into the concrete pavement when he fired his gun.
Holding up a picture of his client's bloody nose, Mr O'Mara told the jurors: "This is undeniable. This is significant injury."
At one point during the defence's closing arguments, Trayvon Martin's mother, Sybrina Fulton, walked out of the courtroom, local media reported.
After the defence wrapped up its case, the prosecution began delivering a rebuttal before the jury can start deliberations.
Jurors can also consider the lower charge of manslaughter.
Because there were no eyewitnesses, jurors will have to largely rely on testimony from police, neighbours, friends or family members.
In his final argument, prosecutor Bernie de la Rionda depicted Zimmerman as a "wannabe cop" who took justice into his own hands.
"A teenager is dead. He is dead through no fault of his own," he told the jurors.
On the night of the fatal shooting, Trayvon was visiting his father and his father's fiancee at the same housing complex where Zimmerman lived.
Zimmerman observed the Miami teen while driving in his neighbourhood, called police and the fight ensued after the neighbourhood watch volunteer got out of his vehicle.
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