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'I felt like it should have been 20 minutes': Chauvin juror says verdicts could have come quicker

'I felt like it should have been 20 minutes': Chauvin juror says verdicts could have come quicker
I guess I didn't really realize how much or how much people were affected. I mean, the, by standards really, really brought that out of, you know, how emotional it was for him and um, that they couldn't, I think a lot of them did the best they could to bring attention to, you know, hey, pay attention to this guy, and it just, it just didn't work out that way. So, um and police officers, Yes, Yeah, it did, it clarified on their use of force policy. Um it was helpful that the few officers that came in and said, hey, you know, I'm the train in this class, I teach this class, um, what you see, Mr chauvin doing is something that we don't teach. I I don't even know what that is. So yeah, so yeah, Dr Tobin was like the turning point for me, um obviously he's very intelligent and I appreciate him explaining it in the way that all of us could understand it, I understood what he was saying. Um I thought it was very powerful, probably the most important witness they had, um and why he was powerful to me is because I feel like he could actually point out going through the video and saying, hey, at this instance right here is when Mr Floyd lost his life, you know, he pointed out the seizure and he's like, this is what happened right here. So jurors knew from the jury question that this was big, but did you really understand big? No, not until we were dismissed, and Judge CAhill said that, you know, you're free to turn on the news and talk to whoever you want to, and you know, you could go out here and have a press conference if you want to and um no, I wasn't aware, what was it like being in the same room as Mr Shelvin, obviously you knew little bit about case before you. The start of the space was it describe your emotions in the same room? I mean, I do feel bad for him. You know, whether you know, he made a huge mistake and it costs somebody their life, you know, nobody is a winner out of this whole situation. I feel bad. I was sitting pretty much across from him. So when I was done, note taking or looking between the lawyers and paying attention to the witnesses, I did lock eyes with them a couple of times and it was a little uncomfortable. You know, I mean, no intent on any messages or anything going back and forth and just, you know, you look up in there, there he is. So, I mean, he has to look up at some point too. So and one of the parts, during, during jury questioning in the beginning was, you know, asking about if you had seen anything about the story, I mean you live in the area, it's impossible to have missed this story going back to May and june, but I'm curious now being on the other side of the trial and literally seeing every piece of evidence, How has that changed your perspective on what you thought about the story? Maybe before you were selected as an alternate juror? And now I think it's more about just this case. Um I didn't I didn't want to say I don't realize that, but um you know, this could be a turning point going forward for the better Minnesota has an opportunity to show our best um come together as a whole and and make some changes um hopefully on police reform. So Mr Blood Mr White House said didn't do a comparison bystanders Under Brandon there, right? That became sort of from all different places, different ages because be there. And it was kind of like came all selected for random places. Yeah, I do. I mean it was a pretty diverse group of us there, you know, races, sexes, um, ages. So I think we all add a unique perspective to it, so which is a good thing and.
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'I felt like it should have been 20 minutes': Chauvin juror says verdicts could have come quicker
Video above: Alternate juror in Derek Chauvin trial speaks about experienceA juror who cast one of the unanimous votes to convict a white former Minneapolis police officer of killing George Floyd said most of deliberations was primarily spent trying to convince one person who was uncertain about part of the jury instructions.Brandon Mitchell is the first juror that deliberated in Derek Chauvin's trial to talk publicly about his experience. An alternate juror who was dismissed before deliberations, Lisa Christensen, spoke to reporters last week, saying she would have voted to convict Chauvin."I felt like it should have been 20 minutes," Mitchell, 31, said of the deliberations, which led to Chauvin's conviction April 20 on all counts: second-degree murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter.Mitchell, who is Black, told ABC's "Good Morning America" on Wednesday that much of the time in deliberations was spent going over terminology and "making sure we understood what exactly was being asked." The identities of jurors and alternates are protected under a judge's order."I think the one juror that was kind of — I wouldn't say slowing us down — but was being delicate with the process, more so, was just kind of hung up with a few words in the instructions. They wanted to make sure they got it right," Mitchell said.Mitchell, who first shared his story with gospel artist Erica Campbell on her podcast, wrote in his jury questionnaire he wanted to serve as a juror "because of all the protests and everything that happened after the event. This is the most historic case of my lifetime, and I would love to be a part of it."Mitchell speculated that he was picked for the jury because he was mild mannered. He said the images during the trial trouble him. "It was just dark. It felt like every day was a funeral and watching someone die every day," Mitchell told CNN. "It was tense every day. I wasn't nervous, but it was stressful. It was a lot of pressure."Prosecutors said Chauvin pinned Floyd to the pavement outside Cup Foods in Minneapolis for 9 minutes, 29 seconds on May 25. Floyd had been accused of passing a counterfeit $20 bill at the store. Three other officers, since fired, face trial in August.Prosecutors played a wide range of videos for the jury, including teenager Darnella Frazier's bystander video that was seen worldwide in the hours after Floyd's death. That video and the officers' body camera video captured bystanders shouting at Chauvin and the other officers to get off Floyd, warning that they were cutting off his breathing and asking them to check for a pulse.Mitchell told "Good Morning America" that he didn't think the jury was affected by tensions in Minneapolis or concerns about what effect their verdicts would have. Floyd's death triggered worldwide protests, violence and a furious reexamination of racism and policing in the U.S."We weren't watching the news, so we don't know what was going on. We were really just locked in on the case. There was so much stress coming through the case. Those things are so secondary because you're literally, throughout the trial you're watching someone die on a daily basis. That stress alone is enough to take your mind away from whatever's going on outside of the four walls of the courtroom," he said. Mitchell also said he thought Chauvin hurt himself by choosing not to testify. "It probably was to his detriment that he didn't take the stand because people were curious on what his thoughts were throughout the entire incident," he said.In the wake of the attention and weighty deliberations, Mitchell said he has been decompressing."I'm starting to feel like the weight is lifted off my shoulders now," Mitchell told Campbell.

Video above: Alternate juror in Derek Chauvin trial speaks about experience

A juror who cast one of the unanimous votes to convict a white former Minneapolis police officer of killing George Floyd said most of deliberations was primarily spent trying to convince one person who was uncertain about part of the jury instructions.

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Brandon Mitchell is the first juror that deliberated in Derek Chauvin's trial to talk publicly about his experience. An alternate juror who was dismissed before deliberations, Lisa Christensen, spoke to reporters last week, saying she would have voted to convict Chauvin.

"I felt like it should have been 20 minutes," Mitchell, 31, said of the deliberations, which led to Chauvin's conviction April 20 on all counts: second-degree murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter.

Mitchell, who is Black, told ABC's "Good Morning America" on Wednesday that much of the time in deliberations was spent going over terminology and "making sure we understood what exactly was being asked." The identities of jurors and alternates are protected under a judge's order.

"I think the one juror that was kind of — I wouldn't say slowing us down — but was being delicate with the process, more so, was just kind of hung up with a few words in the instructions. They wanted to make sure they got it right," Mitchell said.

Mitchell, who first shared his story with gospel artist Erica Campbell on her podcast, wrote in his jury questionnaire he wanted to serve as a juror "because of all the protests and everything that happened after the event. This is the most historic case of my lifetime, and I would love to be a part of it."

Mitchell speculated that he was picked for the jury because he was mild mannered. He said the images during the trial trouble him.

"It was just dark. It felt like every day was a funeral and watching someone die every day," Mitchell told CNN. "It was tense every day. I wasn't nervous, but it was stressful. It was a lot of pressure."

Prosecutors said Chauvin pinned Floyd to the pavement outside Cup Foods in Minneapolis for 9 minutes, 29 seconds on May 25. Floyd had been accused of passing a counterfeit $20 bill at the store. Three other officers, since fired, face trial in August.

Prosecutors played a wide range of videos for the jury, including teenager Darnella Frazier's bystander video that was seen worldwide in the hours after Floyd's death. That video and the officers' body camera video captured bystanders shouting at Chauvin and the other officers to get off Floyd, warning that they were cutting off his breathing and asking them to check for a pulse.

Mitchell told "Good Morning America" that he didn't think the jury was affected by tensions in Minneapolis or concerns about what effect their verdicts would have. Floyd's death triggered worldwide protests, violence and a furious reexamination of racism and policing in the U.S.

"We weren't watching the news, so we don't know what was going on. We were really just locked in on the case. There was so much stress coming through the case. Those things are so secondary because you're literally, throughout the trial you're watching someone die on a daily basis. That stress alone is enough to take your mind away from whatever's going on outside of the four walls of the courtroom," he said.

Mitchell also said he thought Chauvin hurt himself by choosing not to testify.

"It probably was to his detriment that he didn't take the stand because people were curious on what his thoughts were throughout the entire incident," he said.

In the wake of the attention and weighty deliberations, Mitchell said he has been decompressing.

"I'm starting to feel like the weight is lifted off my shoulders now," Mitchell told Campbell.