- Closely watched trial drew comparisons to Trayvon Martin case
- Florida State Attorney: "It was too long before victims' voices were heard"
- Jordan Davis' mother, Lucia McBath: "We're so very happy to have just a little bit of closure"
- Michael Dunn's lawyer said his client was "in disbelief" at verdict
(CNN) -- It was a hot-button trial that drew comparisons to the proceedings against George Zimmerman in the killing of Florida teenager Trayvon Martin. The outcome, however, was vastly different.
The jury in the case of Michael Dunn found him guilty Saturday night on four charges, including three of attempted second-degree murder, but they couldn't reach a verdict on the most significant charge -- first-degree murder in the death of 17-year-old Jordan Davis. The decision came of the eve of what would have been Davis' 19th birthday.
"It was too long before victims' voices were heard," Florida State Attorney Angela Corey, who also prosecuted the Zimmerman case, said after the verdict.
"Justice for Jordan Davis is as important as it is for any of our other victims," she added, saying that the Zimmerman verdict had nothing to do with her pursuit of the Dunn case.
Like the Dunn trial, the earlier case had racial overtones and claims of self-defense, but Zimmerman was found not guilty in Martin's death on July 13, 2013. The verdict that inflamed passions throughout the nation.
Davis' shooting also angered many people. It happened on November 23, 2012, when Dunn, who is white, pulled into a gas station in Jacksonville, parking next to a red SUV full of black teenagers. Loud music blared from the car. Dunn expressed his displeasure. Words were exchanged. Dunn opened fire, killing Davis. Dunn said he saw a gun. The teens were unarmed, prosecutors said.
Moments before the Dunn verdict, Benjamin Crump, the attorney for the family of Trayvon Martin, appeared on CNN. He urged viewers to "respect" the jury's decision. "Do not do like the killers of our children, who have taken the law into their own hands," he said.
After the verdict, Crump said: "As black males and black people in America, and other minorities and Hispanics as well, it is somehow, if you kill us, the justice system isn't equal. It is almost as if your life is less valuable ... The rules are different. If it were equal, I believe Michael Dunn would have been convicted of first-degree murder."
Still, Davis' mother, Lucia McBath, expressed her gratitude to the jury. "We are so grateful for the truth," she said.
"It's a long, long road," she said, "and we're so very happy to have just a little bit of closure."
She added, "It's sad for Mr. Dunn that he will live the rest of his life with that sense of torment, and I will pray for him, and I've asked my family to pray for him."
Ron Davis, the teen's father, said he had waited 450 days for this moment.
"The whole world is looking at all of us here in Jacksonville," he said.
Dunn's lawyer, Cory Strolla, talked about an appeal but acknowledged the likelihood that his client, at age 47, was looking at "basically a life sentence."
The jury convicted Dunn on three counts of attempted second-degree murder, one for each of the other teens in the SUV. Dunn was also found "guilty of shooting ... as charged in the indictment," according to the jury's decision read out in court.
As the verdict became clear about 7 p.m. ET Saturday, Dunn looked ahead solemnly with a frown but no tears. Strolla said his client was "in disbelief."
"Even as he sat next to me, he asked, 'how is this happening,' " Strolla said. "... It has not set in. I don't think it will set in anytime soon."
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