[Suzanne Malveaux, Cnn Anchor:] We're down to the final point, a critical moment in the George Zimmerman murder trial. You're looking at the seal there, the Florida state seal. That means that the jurors are not in the courtroom, but they'll be there momentarily. That's when they are expected to get the judge's instructions and will start their deliberations and the fate of George Zimmerman. We're also following this. Who can forget of course the horror this Pakistani girl went through when she was shot in the head by the Taliban for encouraging girls simply to go to school? Last year's attack on Malala Yousafzai got worldwide attention. She was shot point blank. Today she's marking her 16th birthday at the United Nations. In her morning address, Yousafzai talked about the importance of education.
[Malala Yousafzai, Victim Of Taliban:] Let us pick up our books and our pens. They are our most powerful weapons. One child, one teacher, one book and one pen can change the world. Education is the only solution. Education first.
[Malveaux:] Pretty amazing young woman. After the shooting, she was flown to Britain for treatment, and she and her family lives in Birmingham. That's where she is back in school. Former Governor of New York Eliot Spitzer said he's passed a big hurdle in his run to be New York City's top financial officer. He announced he's submitted more than 27,000 signatures to the city's Board of Elections. That's about seven times the number necessary to get on the ballot. He told our Christine Romans he's optimistic that the public will hear his case as he tries to get back into public office.
[Fmr Gov. Eliot Spitzer, D-new York:] Just as I would never predict a jury verdict, I don't want to predict elections. I don't want to predict what the public will do. I've asked for it. If the public is willing, I want to serve. That's the most I can serve. If I get that opportunity I'll be happy. And I certainly hope that I make a case as comptroller.
[Malveaux:] Spitzer was governor in 2008 when he was caught up in a prostitution scandal. One poll shows him leading a Democratic challenger in the race to be New York City's comptroller. Day after the stock market hit new highs, investors showing more caution. On Wall Street you're taking a look at this it's down 25 points or so. The Dow and S&P; 500 hit a record closing highs. That was yesterday. Not so much today. The NASDAQ hit its highest level in more than a decade. Plenty of compelling testimony in the George Zimmerman trial but certain witnesses stood out and provided key moments for the prosecution and the defense. Watch.
[Don Lemon, Cnn Correspondent:] 56 witnesses testified in the George Zimmerman trial. There was never any doubt that Zimmerman killed Trayvon Martin. The job for Zimmerman's lawyers was to show he pulled the trigger in self-defense. To do that, they tore into some of the state's witnesses, trying to discredit them or turn their arguments around to suit the defense. The first target was the prosecution's star witness.
[Don West, Defense Attorney:] Describing the person is what made you think it was racial?
[Rachel Jeantel, Witness:] Yes.
[West:] That's because he described him as a creepy
[Jeantel:] Yes.
[West:] So it was racial, but it was because Trayvon Martin put race in this?
[Jeantel:] No.
[West:] You don't think that's racial comment?
[Jeantel:] No.
[West:] You don't think that "creepy
[Jeantel:] No.
[Lemon:] Then there was Zimmerman's story that Trayvon beat him up, hit his head against the concrete, backed up by the testimony from a neighbor.
[John Guy, Prosecutor:] What did you notice about the condition of his jacket?
[Ofc. Tim Smith, Sanford Police Department, Witness:] The back was wetter than the front of it. It was also covered in grass.
[Guy:] Do you recall the condition of his pants?
[Smith:] Vaguely.
[Guy:] You said they were blue jeans?
[Smith:] Yes, sir.
[Guy:] Anything else about the condition of his pants?
[Smith:] Again, the back was wetter than the front.
[Bernie De La Rionda, Prosecutor:] You mentioned the second position or the change of position, as we call it, they were horizontal. At that point, it was two individuals, the same people?
[John Good, Witness:] Yes.
[De La Rionda:] OK. In terms of describing the individuals, were you able to describe their faces or anything or just clothing descriptions?
[Good:] Well, going back to when they were vertical, I could tell the person on the bottom had a lighter skin color.
[Lemon:] George Zimmerman's teacher said Zimmerman knew about Florida's Stand Your Ground law, contradicting previous statements by the defendant, but he presented a scenario that was more favorable to Zimmerman's defense.
[Alexis Carter, Zimmerman's Teacher:] Someone feels they were being threatened and they countered that threat with a force that was disproportionate to the force that was directed towards them, yes, that would be defense claim or an imperfect self-defense scenario.
[West:] Even under that scenario, the person that may have started it with some lower level of force, and the table turns on them and there's great level of force, a disproportionate level, they have the right to defend themselves.
[Lemon:] Did the defense strategy work? We shall know soon enough. Don Lemon, CNN, Sanford, Florida.
[Malveaux:] We will know soon enough. The jurors are expected to be back in the courtroom. That's when they will get the instructions from the judge and begin their deliberations process. It could take hours or days. It will be in the hands of the jury. We'll bring that to you next.