In their first television appearances since George Zimmerman was found not guilty in the shooting death of their teenaged son, Trayvon Martin’s parents said Thursday morning that they were stunned at the trial’s outcome.

“We felt in our hearts that we were going to get a conviction,” Tracy Martin, the teen’s father, told NBC’s “Today.” “We thought that the killer of our unarmed child was going to be convicted of the crime that he committed.”

“I was in a bit of shock,” Sybrina Fulton, Martin’s mother, said on “CBS This Morning.” “I thought surely that he would be found guilty of second-degree murder, manslaughter at the least. But I just knew that they would see that this was a teenager just trying to get home. This was no burglar. This was somebody’s son that was trying to get home.”

Asked by “Today” anchor Matt Lauer whether they wanted to say something to the jurors, Martin responded: “How can you let the killer of an unarmed child go free?”

You can watch both interviews below:

Your support matters…

Independent journalism is under threat and overshadowed by heavily funded mainstream media.

You can help level the playing field. Become a member.

Your tax-deductible contribution keeps us digging beneath the headlines to give you thought-provoking, investigative reporting and analysis that unearths what's really happening- without compromise.

Give today to support our courageous, independent journalists.

SUPPORT TRUTHDIG