Civil rights leaders said if the black teenager had been white, Zimmerman would have been arrested and charged the night of the shooting.

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Zimmerman's father is white, and his mother is Hispanic of Peruvian descent.

Earlier, Zimmerman's parents and wife testified by phone at the hearing because of worries about their safety.

They said he was not a flight risk or a threat to the community. "He is absolutely not a violent person," his wife, Shellie Zimmerman, testified.

Zimmerman's father, Robert Zimmerman Sr., said that even when confronted his son was likely to "turn the other cheek."

The father also described his son's injuries the morning after Martin was shot.

"His face was swollen quite a bit. He had a protective cover over his nose. His lip was swollen and cut. And there were two vertical gashes on the back of his head," Robert Zimmerman testified.

Zimmerman's mother, Gladys, said her son was "very protective" of vulnerable people such as the homeless and children.

She described how he got involved in a mentoring program for children in Orlando, noting that both of the children he mentored were African-American like Martin.

Gladys Zimmerman said she was concerned about her son's safety in that program because he traveled twice a month to a dangerous neighborhood.

"He said, 'Mom, if I don't go, they don't have nobody,'" Gladys Zimmerman said. Prosecutor Bernardo de la Rionda asked the family members about two incidents.

In 2005, George Zimmerman had to take anger management courses after an undercover law enforcement officer accused him of attacking him as he tried to arrest Zimmerman's friend.