Juror B37: We did care about Trayvon Martin
In an exclusive interview on AC360, Juror B37 talked to Anderson Cooper about the sadness she feels for Trayvon Martin and his family.
"I feel bad that we can't give them the verdict that they wanted, but legally we could not do that."
The juror said Martin played a "huge role in his death, " because he could have walked away from the confrontation with Zimmerman. "He didn't have to do whatever he did and come back and be in a fight."
Juror B37 told Anderson that she thought Zimmerman's actions were in self-defense. "I think the roles changed, I think George got in a little bit too deep, which he shouldn't have been there. But Trayvon decided that he wasn't gonna let him scare him ... and I think Trayvon got mad and attacked him."
 |
Post by: Anderson Cooper Filed under: Crime & Punishment • George Zimmerman • Juror B37 • Trayvon Martin |
About this Show:
Anderson Cooper goes beyond the headlines to tell stories from many points of view, so you can make up your own mind about the news. Tune in weeknights at 8 and 10 ET on CNN.
Questions or comments? Send an email
Want to know more? Go behind the scenes with AC361°
Subscribe to the podcast
On Twitter
Search the AC360 blog
Zimmerman needs to pay O'Mara millions of dollars in lawyer fees for getting a NOT GUILTY verdict by persuading the jurors to only look at Zimmerman's side of the story and ignore the evidence that the prosecution presented.
If Zimmerman had a FREE court-appointed public defender, Z's behind would be in jail right now for life. Come on jurors, you have NO PROOF that Trayvon slammed Zimmerman's head on the cement multiple times and no proof that T hit Z's nose.
Even Trayvon's autopsy did not show he was beating anyone and let alone beating anyone to death. He only had one 1/4 x 1/8 small abrasion on his left ring finger. No other injuries, bruises, cuts from beating up anyone.
If Zimmerman could tamper with evidence with his altercation with his wife on the iPad and hiding the gun, the jurors should have really looked at Trayvon's side and his body. His body tells the truth. The jurors took Zimmerman's and the lawyer's story at face value and believed it 100% with no firm evidence.
The court system in the USA is manipulated by skilled lawyers and jury instructions to favor who the system wants to win.
Martin had more cuts to his hands than you describe.
I was sicked by Juror B37 's interview. She had so much sympathy for Zimmerman who had no business getting out of his car. The neighborhood watch program there needs to be investigated. The department that allows Zimmerman to have a gun in the first place needs to be investigated. The laws in Florida NEED to be changed if thats the reason we have this verdict because we ALL know it was wrong. I have so much respect and empathy for Treyvon's parents in how they have handled everything. We need to do whatever we can to help them change these laws and the system that has allowed this to happen in this way.
Getting out of your car to follow a suspicious character does not constitute a charge of murder. It is the constitution that permits Zim from carrying a gun.
All I have to say is...where was the DNA evidence on Trayvon Martin's hands...I believe they did not find any of Zimmerman's blood on his hands....even though he covered up Zimmerman's bloody nose and grabbed the back of his bloody head. Also, people...he was 45 seconds from the backyard of the home he was staying in, in Stanford. When you have an open area attached housing development; being 45 seconds away is his back yard...so I consider this as him being at home.
I'm a Latino mother and I had worked hard to teach my kids that we all equal on the eyes of the law, God and people but after living in USA I had found difficult to probe this right to my kids. It's not race is the class you in. We need to educate and protect poor young American people. God bless America she is crying.....
This is impossible to believe that this woman cared about Trayon. Zimmerman had NO RIGHT to even approach Trayvon. I think all they saw was skin color. If you are white your are right; if you are Black get back. Trayvon would still be alive if Zimmerman had not approached him that night.
You could also say Martin would be alive if he did not attack Zimmerman. That was a crime. Following a suspicious person to report to law enforcement is not a crime.
In my opinion: GZ should not have confronted,or followed TM. once the dispatcher instructed him not to confront the young man, he should have backed off. Question why does the neighborhood watch person carry a 9mm? watching does not mean that you should confront, call the authorities and allow them to do their job. I personally think that GZ is a coward that wanted to feel like a big man and had acquired a false sense of security with the firearm. He did not expect the young man to stand up for himself and feel the outrage that he felt due to him following him and confronting him, because only a black man or woman would feel that. we have had to live with it our entire lives. GZ was not on board with what the young man dished out and decided to kill him rather than get a good old fashioned whooping; which by the way he would have walked away from. because TM did not have a weapon. He should have at least received manslaughter.
I do not believe the Jury did a good job of sorting out and considering the possibilities of other things that could have happened and the prosecution did not give them enough doubt to think it through. What is Zimmerman approached Martin with his gun drawn and Martin tried to take the gun away and they fell to the ground? That could have been the way Zimmerman got his head injuries. The can of soda in Martin's jacket could have bumped Zimmerman's nose and caused his nose bleed. A can of soda has a bit of weight and could make a good weapon, even accidently. It would have fallen forward if Martin was on top when they first fell. There was no blood on Martins hands to sugget he was punching Zimmerman in the nose. If he was pinning Zimmerman's arms down while screaming for help could explain why Zimmerman was not fighting back. Also if Zimmerman had not had his gun drawn, he could have been desperately trying to retrieve it from his person and that would also explain why he was not fighting back as he was concentrating only on getting his weapon. He knew it was loaded with a bullet in the chamber and that might have been his only focus. Otherwise, why would a "wanna be" cop not fight back. He weighed about 50 lbs more than Martin and might have been able to push him off. I feel that Zimmerman, knowing there was no living witness to dispute his claims, skewed the facts in his favor. He did change his story early on after he had time to think about it. I think there are just too many unanswered questions and there was no way Zimmerman was going to testify and possibly lie under oath.
How iit that j-37 has so much faith that George Zimmerman is telling the truth? This was a one sided verdict as soon as I found out there were five white women.I am a parent of a adult male.The law is the law,but people know how to manipulate their desires. Trayvon did not have the opportunity to tell his side of the story. May the Lord have mercy on those who refuse to note that this all started because George Z. disregarded orders. Editing out the truth of the facts does not make it right. I am grieving and praying . for the Martin family
Trayvon "got mad and attacked him?" How does the juror know that? Suppose Trayvon got scared and attacked him? Suppose he attacked Trayvon first - after all, he got out of his car and confronted Trayvon in some manner. You assume that GZ was telling the truth just because he is the only witness? Please.
So what would you have done. Put Zimmerman in prison for following a suspicious person and reporting it to police? Please consider all the evidence.
Juror B37 needs to keep her mouth shut. Her comments are insulting.
how can we protect our children from people who I believe will start a fight and shoot to murder but claim "stand your ground" law?
I'm a 60 year olf white woman from South Africa, how can you say the USA has the best judicial system in the world when a 17year old Trayvon Martin is dead and he is getting the blame, did he not have a STAND YOUR GROUND RIGHT, was he not profiled by a over zelous grown man with a gun, who's to say that did not George Zimmerman and his brother not blow his injuries out of portion, the pavement was a weapon, REALLY!!!!!!! there was not justice for Trayvon. You people have double standards.
Please CNN! The trial is over, verdict in! Those of us that live in Central Florida would appreciate that the news drop it! There are further cases on the prosecuting of the States Attorney's office in the future and this has been ignored.She went way above her post by getting involved with a case in a county that did the right thing. Pressure by news media and the usual "face time" pot stirrers caused this to become national. It has done a great deal of damage to this area of Florida. It had nothing to do with race. No one has brought up the fact that Mr. Zimmerman was just reporting suspicious activity in HIS FATHER'S NEIGHBORHOOD! It became a problem when a young man decided to use violence instead of talking his conversation with the girlfriend We will never know because she will never tell his conversation completely. The tension is felt in central Florida and Mr Sharpton and Mr Jackson have done a huge deal of damage to race relations and to Sanford. They need to shut up and stay away while we lick out wounds.
Oh yes stop putting up the 13 year old Travon Photo! He was NOT 13...misrepresentation of people and twisted truths are not acceptable just to further news...This young man made a fatal mistake his size and attitude caused his demise, If Mr Zimmermen had dies he would have been tried as an adult! please put that in your news.
Never really liked florida after recall said to myself their system might be screwed up down there. Then these jurors only confirmed what I suspected earlier "There is something definately wrong with these people" One of the jurors said Zimmerman didn't break any laws? What law did Mr.Martin break? Race problems still exsist down there
To the juror that went public... My heart hurts for you (and the others), but if Trayvon where a white boy in a black neighborhood, and shot by a black man, and the facts were presented the same way to an all black jury, would the verdict be the same? I would seek more than State justice if my white son were FOLLOWED and KILLED in any neighborhood if he were under 18! Zimmerman is an adult, Trayvon will never see adulthood. Trayvon could not even buy beer. All he did was buy Skittles and a Watermelon tea... Just food for thought...
I found this show to be very biased against white people. Why didn't you talk about Trayvon being on marijuana that night and the stolen jewelry the Police found in his bedroom a few weeks before that. He was also trying to buy a gun the week before, WHY!!!! Did he have more apartments to break into. He was no choir boy and you insulted the jury and George Zimmerman. I see that you playing right into the leftists civil rights movement that is going on here.
After reading the interview of Juror B37 with CNN I believe Trayvon was the one on trial not Zimmerman. How do anyone of us know he did not try to walk away. Didn't he have a right to stand his ground also? One man's word against a dead boy's word.
The physical evidence and eye witness testimony did not point in that direction. In fact it solidified Zimmerman's story.