© 2024 All Rights reserved WUSF
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

4 Zimmerman Jurors: Juror B37 Does Not Speak For Us

George Zimmerman "probably feared for his life," juror B37 told CNN.
Gary W. Green
/
EPA/LANDOV
George Zimmerman "probably feared for his life," juror B37 told CNN.

Four women who served on the jury that acquitted George Zimmerman are distancing themselves from Juror B37, the anonymous woman who gave an extensive interview to CNN about the case.

As Mark reported, Juror B37 said she believed it was Zimmerman screaming for help the night he shot and killed 17-year-old Trayvon Martin. She also said she believed the unarmed teenager threw the first punch and that "Zimmerman probably feared for his life" during the altercation.

Zimmerman, Juror B37 said during the second part of the interview Tuesday, "wanted to do good."

"I think he had good in his heart, he just went overboard," B37 said.

Just after the second part of the interview aired, CNN received a statement from four other jurors saying B37's comments were "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 statement said. "The death of a teenager weighed heavily on our hearts but in the end we did what the law required us to do."

The jurors also asked for privacy.

"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," they said.

The statement was signed by Jurors B51, B76, E6 and E40.

Copyright 2020 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

Eyder Peralta is NPR's East Africa correspondent based in Nairobi, Kenya.
You Count on Us, We Count on You: Donate to WUSF to support free, accessible journalism for yourself and the community.