Juror B37 Speaks, Feels ‘Sorry For George’ After Trayvon Verdict
Juror B37 in the Zimmerman trial appeared on Anderson Cooper’s AC360 tonight, discussing why she and five other jurors decided on the “not guilty” verdict that shocked a nation and sparked widespread outcry and protests.
Today we learned that juror B37 is writing a book about her experiences serving on the jury of the Zimmerman trial, and she kept her identity obscured while speaking to Cooper tonight.
Many on Twitter felt juror B37 seemed overly sympathetic to Zimmerman, who she repeatedly referred to as simply “George.” When asked by Cooper if she felt bad for Trayvon Martin — the slain, unarmed teen whose shooting death led to the drawn out investigation and trial ending Saturday night — B37 told the anchor she felt bad for “both of them.” The woman openly wept at several moments of the interview.
Juror B37 said in response to a question about culpability:
“I think both were responsible for the situation they got into. I think both could have walked away.”
The unnamed woman began to cry harder as she answered regarding the decision to free Zimmerman:
It just hard, thinking that somebody lost their life. And nothing else could be done about it.
Many who’d hoped for a conviction found juror B37’s words hard to bear, and on Twitter, people reacted:
A child died. Zimmerman went too far but he learned his lesson. He’s gonna be the most responsible person with a gun now. JurorB37 I CAN’T.
— Kelly Price (@KellyPrice4Real) July 16, 2013
Jury of 6 women were divided: 3 not guilty, 2 manslaughters, 1 second-degree. Juror B37 “I was not guilty.” #ZimmermanTrial
— Christina Coleman (@ChrissyCole) July 16, 2013
Juror B37 basically admitted that they found Zimmerman guilty of manslaughter, but decided to acquit him anyway because they liked the guy.
— Tom Head, Ph.D. (@_tomhead) July 16, 2013
Did you tune in to watch juror B37 tell all on AC360? Will you read her upcoming book?
