Zimmerman acquitted of all charges for killing Trayvon Martin | Ellen Wulfhorst

Credit: Reuters/Gary W. Green/Pool

July 13, 2013 -- 10:06pm EDT -- SANFORD, Florida (Reuters) - George Zimmerman was acquitted of all charges on Saturday for the fatal shooting of unarmed black teenager Trayvon Martin in this central Florida town in February of last year.

If he had been convicted, the 29-year-old former neighborhood watch volunteer, who claimed he acted in self-defense, could have been sentenced to life in prison for second-degree murder or up to 30 years for manslaughter.

A panel of six women jurors rendered its verdict in the case, which sparked a national debate on issues including race and profiling, after a trial that began in Seminole County court on June 10.

(Reporting by Ellen Wulfhorst; Editing by Paul Thomasch)