It is hard to understand how Juror B37 believed that she was speaking on behalf of the entire panel when she sat down with CNN’s Anderson Cooper and made some shocking revelations on what happened during jury deliberations, especially the insensitive things she said about Trayvon Martin and witness Rachel Jeantel. CLearly her words were not co-signed by the other members of the jurors and as such they have done the following:
Late Tuesday evening, a letter requesting privacy signed by four jurors in the George Zimmerman trial was released.
The request made through Public Information Officer for the Eighteenth Judicial Circuit Court Michelle Kennedy comes amid Juror B37’s interview with CNN’s Anderson Cooper this week.
Jurors B51, B76, E6 and E40 signed the letter, which called their service on the jury a “highly emotional and physically draining experience.”
Juror B29 was not included in the letter, but Kennedy said she also wanted her identity kept private.
It is not clear if Juror B29 will speak out or remain silent.
Below is the full statement:
We, the undersigned jurors, understand there is a great deal of interest in this case. But we ask you to remember that we are not public officials and we did not invite this type of attention into our lives. We also wish to point out that the opinions of Juror B-37, expressed on the Anderson Cooper show were her own, and not in any way representative of the jurors listed below.
Serving on this jury has been a highly emotional and physically draining experience for each of us. The death of a teenager weighed heavily on our hearts but in the end we did what the law required us to do.
We appeal to the highest standards of your profession and ask the media to respect our privacy and give us time to process what we have been through.
Thank you,
Juror B-51
Juror B-76
Juror E-6
Juror E-40
While all the jurors returned a unanimous guilty verdict in the George Zimmerman murder trial, one could only wonder what was the dynamics taking place behind closed doors in the jury room. What influences did juror B37 have on the rest of the panel? How much of her biases in the deliberation tainted what other jurors believed? These are just some of the questions we are hoping will be answered in the days or weeks to come.
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