Tuesday, July 16, 2013

Zimmerman juror eagerly claims her fifteen minutes of fame, even while trying to protect her identity.

Courtesy of the Atlantic: 

One of the six jurors who decided to acquit George Zimmerman of the charges against him for the shooting death of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin spoke to Anderson Cooper on Monday evening. In short, the juror more or less completely believed Zimmerman's version of events. It was Zimmerman's voice screaming for help heard over the 911 call, she told Cooper. And she does not believe that race played a role in Zimmerman's assessment of Martin. Overall, her take on Zimmerman himself was very sympathetic. 

Juror B37 sat across from Anderson Cooper, with her face in darkness. She told Cooper that she hadn't been following the trial, or story, "at all" before become one of the six jurors in the trial. During her interview, she referred to George Zimmerman as "George," and Trayvon Martin as "Trayvon." Overall, she found the evidence presented more interesting than the testimony. 

The first vote during deliberations among the 6-woman jury on the verdict, the juror said, was 3 not guilty; 2 manslaughter; 1 second-degree murder. The juror was one of the three not guilty votes. The juror said that she initially found the law surrounding the case "very confusing," specifically referring to the last-minute addition of manslaughter to the charges they were to consider against Zimmerman. "there was a couple in there who wanted to find him guilty of something," she said, but that neither of the options on the table, second-degree murder or manslaughter, were feasibly options given the way they read state law. 

This juror, number B37, is also the one that had, at least temporarily, a book deal.

Here are a few nuggets that came out of this interview.



On the scream for help: 

She was most convinced by the Lauer tape, which captured the whole thing. "I think it was George Zimmerman's" voice on the tape screaming for help, she said, because of the cuts and abrasions on his body after the incident, and because of one witness account identifying Zimmerman as at the bottom of the scuffle between Zimmerman and Martin. She believes that all but one juror thought it was Zimmerman's voice on the tape. 

On Rachel Jeantel's testimony:  

"I didn't think it was very credible, but I felt sorry for her. She didn't ask for this... I think she felt inadequate towards everyone because of her education and her communication skills. I just felt sadness for her...she just wasn't a good witness." The juror found it hard to understand what she was saying "a lot of the time" because she was "using phrases I have never heard before, and what they meant."

On Zimmerman's motivation: "I think George Zimmerman is a man whose heart was in the right place," the juror told Cooper, "but just got displaced by the vandalism in the neighborhoods. [He] wanted to catch these people so badly that he went above and beyond what he should have done...it just went terribly wrong." Cooper then asked her if she thought Zimmerman was guilty of anything: "I think he's guilty of not using good judgement...he shouldn't have gotten out of that car," but she thinks that the 911 operator "egged him on."

Interestingly enough Gawker has video of her selection to the jury, and it raises some rather troubling facts that perhaps should have had her watching the trial from her living room rather than the jury box.

Here are the points raised by Gawker:

- She dislikes the media in general and considers it worthless. "You never get all the information... it's skewed one way or the other." 

- "I don't listen to the radio" or read the internet, she said. Her only news about the case came from the Today show. "Newspapers are used in the parrot's cage. Not even read," she said. "It's been so long since I even read one. The only time I see em is when I'm putting them down on the floor." 

- During questioning, she referred multiple times to "riots" in Sanford after Trayvon Martin was killed. "I knew there was rioting, but I guess [the authorities] had it pretty well organized," she says at one point. In fact, despite a great deal of salivating anticipation by the media both before and after the trial, there were no riots in Sanford, Florida. 

- She referred to the killing of Trayvon Martin as "an unfortunate incident that happened." 

- Asked by George Zimmerman's attorney to describe Trayvon Martin, she said, "He was a boy of color."

Over at Slate they watched the video as well and then asked a prosecutor/law professor what SHE thought:  

Gail Brashers-Krug, a former federal prosecutor and law professor, is currently a criminal defense attorney in Iowa. She also jumped back when B37 said, ”You never get all the information.“ “That's exactly what a defense attorney loves to hear,” says Brashers-Krug. “That's reasonable doubt, right there. If I were a prosecutor, that would make me extremely nervous about her.” She adds that B37’s devotion to animals might raise flags for her as well. “The animal thing is weird. She doesn't know how many animals she has, and she mentions her animals far, far more than her two daughters. She strikes me as eccentric and unpredictable. I never, ever want eccentric, unpredictable people on a jury.” 

Brashers-Krug has another reservation about seating B37: “She really wants to be a juror. She seems to be going out of her way to minimize the disruptive effect of a multiweek trial on her life. Jurors rarely do that. She is also taking pains to avoid saying anything particularly sympathetic to either side. Both sides tend to be very skeptical of jurors who are particularly eager to serve on high-profile cases. Often they have their own agendas, or are attention-seekers.”

From my perspective choosing this lady seems like a fairly substantial mistake  on the part of the prosecutors.

And that is not the ONLY mistake they made as evidenced by a recently uncovered My Space page of Zimmerman's.

Yeah I don't think that there was any way that Trayvon Martin was going to get any justice in that courtroom. 

60 comments:

  1. Anonymous10:26 AM

    I was hoping too, that he would get justice. But- I also know how these juries want to let bad people go. Just read topix and see how no matter what happens we can't judge the person or it was someone else's fault. I would nave had no problem finding Zimmerman guilty. You just do not shoot a young boy of 17 for nothing. You have to have proof someone did something just not liking them walking around the neighborhood. What had happened that was so bad that he had to take matters to this level instead of just calling the police. This is going to have consequences for all our children whatever color they are, more death needlessly and these are the same people who have to have every fetus born.

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  2. Anonymous10:36 AM

    Juror B37 sat across from Anderson Cooper, with her face in darkness. She told Cooper that she hadn't been following the trial, or story, "at all" before become one of the six jurors in the trial.

    What? Juror B37 hasn't been following the story?
    I believe that Juror B37 is Sarah Palin!

    Sarah Palin doesn't know shit!

    Sarah Palin doesn't know the difference between North and South Korea, if Africa is a continent or country, who impregnated Bristol the first time.

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    1. Anonymous11:12 AM

      Anon 10:36 AM: This is not the Sarah Palin thread here! Stop trying to interject her into this!. *sigh*

      Delete
    2. Anonymous1:47 PM

      The cross eyed tarantula has its own threads for you to comment on, thank you very much.

      Delete
  3. Anonymous10:36 AM

    I don't mean any disrespect to those who have served jury duty, but the people who can handle the disruption of being on the jury of a major trial are probably not the people who should be on a jury in the first place.

    I was dismissed from a jury because I have a cousin who is an attorney. One woman on this jury has a HUSBAND who is an attorney. WTF?

    And I can't stand how quickly the holdouts give in to the group.

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    1. Anonymous1:01 PM

      Exactly. But the prosecution didn't reject b37. Did they maybe WANT b37? Isn't it reasonable at this point to ask: Why did Angela Cory deliberately lose this case?

      Delete
    2. physicsmom4:15 PM

      My understanding at the time of jury selection, was that the Prosecution did try to dismiss this juror for cause, citing the characterization of the protests as "riots." The judge didn't allow it.

      I too think that Angela Cory didn't instruct her prosecutors to vigorously pursue this case. She represented the state herself in the case of that poor woman who shot the ceiling trying to scare off her abusive boyfriend, and got her 20 years. Yet, she couldn't/wouldn't take this case on herself. Pitiful, and a travesty of justice.

      Delete
  4. Anonymous10:42 AM

    This juror, number B37, is also the one that had, at least temporarily, a book deal. 


    The book is titled "Juror B37's Alaska"

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    1. Anonymous10:56 AM

      Does "B" in B37 stand for "Betcha"?

      Delete
  5. Anonymous10:52 AM

    Saw the interview and totally agree here that this juror seemed overly sympathetic with the gun-toting Zimmerman.

    What is it with some people who assume just because Rachel Jeantel doesn't speak perfect english that she is uneducated? I found her very smart and witty and funny last night on Piers show. Of course, Anderson egged this juror on with the questions he knew would get the most conflicting stuff out of her.

    Her "unfortunate incident" comment on Trayvon's murder is callous. She chose to believe Zimmerman. No evidence to support his claims, just his account.

    I try to put the time together between Trayvon's last moment on his cell with Rachel and his phone suddenly shutting off, and a few minutes later he's dead. It didn't take much wrestling before the trigger was pulled. I cannot see how two men could pull and push and wrestle to the ground and not try to talk sense into each other and retrieve. How stupid would Z. be to have walked so close up to someone he deemed a threat? And then be yelling "Help" so soon after Trayvon's phone went out. How can a boy suddenly be on the phone and turn into a sociopathic beater and within minutes, seconds, be shot in the heart? The wrestling couldn't have lasted more than 2 minutes and Zimmerman couldn't find another way to end the scuffle peacefully? I do not buy his story at all.

    It makes no sense that a teen was that angry and aggressive that he'd jump Z. without thinking of the consequences, and thinking about his stepbrother waiting for him at home for his Skittles. He wouldn't have had time to call the police if Z. kicked his phone out of his hand, or he dropped it in surprise as well.

    All those who would like to blame Trayvon for not calling the police........why didn't Z. call stay back and draw his weapon and call the police, while asking Trayvon to stay where he was?

    So many scenarios that could have ended up positively and when it ends up negatively, it's always the black kid's fault.

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    1. Anonymous11:39 AM

      agreed - GZ's version of events stinks like the bullshit it is. Jeantel testified she heard the initial confrontation. Then the phone went dead and Trayvon was dead as well.

      Sad that the jury believed GZ's version of events. There were NO WITNESSES. John Good's story is not credible. EVERY other witness says it was too dark to see who was on top, except for Jane. She was close enough to see the person on top stand up after he shot the other.

      This is a travesty of justice.

      Zimmerman is hiding out in Peru with his gay brother Robert. It's not because he's afraid. He just does not want to be subpoenaed for the civil case.

      I hope there is a civil case because I hate to think that Zimmerman will profit from the book that's already written for him. He's made enough money on this murder. He spent the $300K in donations from people across the country. He's also received more than a million dollars from the NRA.

      Also, a civil case will allow Zimmerman's history of pedophilia, violence and domestic abuse.

      He is such a jerk, he still refuses to pay back his mother the $3500 he owes her for his previous criminal cases.


      Delete
  6. Anonymous10:56 AM

    OT
    Sarah Palin's facebook posted an announcement that America by Heart has been released in papebook with a new cover photo.

    LOL however the new cover photo shows flat Sarah on a horse. Even though Sarah Palin is wearing a vest, it doesn't show her new recent inflatable chi-chi's.

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    1. Evelyn Waugh11:18 AM

      I'll be interested to see IMers reaction to the new paperback edition of America by Heart.
      From my days of riding, I remember holding a horse's reins differently than Sarah does in the picture on the cover of her book. Plus, she's using her right hand to hold onto the pommel. Which means they were either standing still or walking the horse at about two miles per hour.

      Interestingly, she says you can get the book through HarperCollins or at your local bookstore. I guess she doesn't like amazon or barnes an noble on-line services? Or she gets a bigger percentage if she sells it for list price.

      Shameless self-promotion, showing her supposedly riding at the Reagan ranch. And quoting Reagan. Because he, at least, didn't serve up word salad, but juicy, red-meat bits.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous11:26 AM

      That photo of Sarah on horseback shows that Sarah does not know how to ride a horse. She is holding the reins wrong. She should be holding them down, not up, with her fingers between the left and right rein. The real give-away that she is a "dude" (and I don't mean "dude" as in First Dude). A dude is someone who has not been on a horse and has no idea what they are doing. Sarah is holding on to the saddle horn, the sign of a beginner, someone who does not know the first thing about riding horses. The first rule of riding on a Western saddle is DON'T HOLD ON TO THE SADDLE HORN OR PEOPLE WILL KNOW THAT YOU ARE A NOVICE, A BEGINNER, A FAKE.

      Sarah posted a photo of Piper on horseback, shooting a pistol. Piper was also holding on to the saddle horn, and someone else was leading the horse because one hand was on the saddle horn and one hand was shooting the pistol. That means that Piper was not holding the reins. Her toes were pointing down and her feet barely touched the stirrups. The rule in riding Western is heels up. Her stirrups were set too low for her. Maybe Piper had better learn to ride a horse before she starts shooting from horseback.

      It was a stupid photo for Palin to post, and it is even more stupid for her to show herself on horseback on the cover of her book. Anyone who does know how to ride will spot her as a fake. But then, anyone who saw Sarah try to shoot a caribou knew that she didn't know how to shoot, either. Sarah is all about image with no substance at all. Fake fake fake as you know what.

      Delete
    3. jcinco11:43 AM

      I'm surprised she hasn't chimed in on the zimmerman verdict..still smarting from Begich's epic smackdown I suppose.

      Delete
    4. Anonymous11:54 AM

      10:56 What's the deal with Palin and horses lately?

      Piper on a horse and now Sarah on a horse.

      And anyone familiar with horses knows they are not riding properly so who are they trying to appeal to and what are they trying to prove?

      Delete
    5. Anonymous12:29 PM

      “America by Heart” is back! I’m very excited that HarperCollins has released “America By Heart” this month in paperback. I hope you’ll enjoy the changes and the new cover photo showing an iconic day of riding at the Reagan Ranch. It was such an honor to experience President Reagan’s beautiful ranch and then speak later that day at the Young America’s Foundation’s 100th anniversary celebration of President Reagan’s birthday.


      https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151733595328588&set=a.10150723283643588.424640.24718773587&type=1&theater

      Delete
    6. jcinco1:57 PM

      She forgot to mention she wasn't invited to the true 100th anniversary celebration birthday bash with ronnie's family in attendance... she was invited to the "fake" one the family didn't endorse. Wasn't that where she made the Eureka College faux pas?

      Delete
  7. Anonymous11:11 AM

    More on the Zimmerman prosecution. From Johnathan Turley. There are a number of issues which call the actions of the prosecutors into question.

    "Angela Corey Fires Whistleblower Who Revealed The Withholding Of Evidence From Zimmerman Defense"

    http://jonathanturley.org/2013/07/15/angela-corey-fires-whistleblower-who-revealed-the-withholding-of-evidence-from-zimmerman-defense/

    "...
    Kruidbos received a letter today telling him that he “can never again be trusted to step foot in this office.” This obviously angry termination followed his extraction of photos from the cell phone of shooting victim Trayvon Martin that showed a gun, a marijuana plant and jewelry, as well as a text message referring to a gun transaction. Kruidbos was surprised that the evidence was not turned over to the defense — a common violation in criminal cases where prosecutors withhold evidence to prevent its use by the defense.

    Corey’s office makes no bones about the primary complaint about Kruidbos, though it throws in a couple of other prior complaints: “Your egregious lack of regard for the sensitive nature of the information handled by this office is completely abhorrent. You have proven to be completely untrustworthy. Because of your deliberate, willful and unscrupulous actions, you can never again be trusted to step foot in this office.” This is a curious objection from an office accused of violating core evidentiary rules in a push for conviction at all costs..."

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  8. Anonymous11:30 AM

    sadly B37 never had to read about the case. She claimed she used her newspapers to line the birdcage. She didn't watch TV, etc.

    Turns out she didn't HAVE to read about it. Her husband was the first choice for Zimmerman's lawyer before he got O'Mara. Her husband is a legal analyst for CNN. She knew everything about the case long before she became a juror.

    She's a liar and there should be a mistrial declared.

    BTW, the only reason the book deal fell through is because the publisher pulled it. They reacted to the thousands of twitters condemning the book profiting on the murder of a child.

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    1. Anonymous12:41 PM

      Where is the information about her husband? If that's true she was ringer.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous12:53 PM

      Where did you get the info about the juror's husband? Interesting stuff.

      Delete
  9. Anonymous11:31 AM

    It's pretty amazing to me (not really) that Zimmerman seems to deserve SO much consideration and so much benefit of the doubt, yet Trayvon does and did not.

    As a matter of fact, it seems to be perfectly okay to cast all manner of aspersions on the dead child, but say one word about how Zimmerman set all this in motion and brought all that he will go through for the rest of his life on himself and some folks lose their minds...

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    1. Anonymous2:08 PM

      i really cant beleive the stupid bullshit i'm reading here. what consideration did zimmerman get?? hello, he was charged and tried for 2nd degree murder.... which was obviously a trumped up bullshit charge just looking at the bare facts. it is not illegal to follow someone around your neighborhood. he is the one that actually called the cops. if travon had thought he was in danger- he should have called the cops- he obviously had a phone on. instead he was the first to initiate actual physical contact, jumped zimmerman, and got shot. both of them are culpable of acting stupid.

      thats why zimmerman is a free man, this case was entirely about the circus, not the reality. grow up folks. a more proper charge, if any, from the get-go would have been manslaughter. if they had started there zimmerman would likely have been found guilty.

      case is over. not guilty. respect the jury who actually considered all the evidence.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous9:16 AM

      FUCK YOU 2:08

      Delete
    3. Anonymous4:22 PM

      If all the Americans who were ever guilty of being stupid were put in one gas chamber.....

      Delete
  10. Anonymous11:37 AM

    B37 wants to profit off Trayvon's death. What a sick cunt.

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    1. Anonymous7:03 PM

      And now four other jurors have spoken out to say, B37 does not speak for us.
      So the biggest sh*thead of the bunch is the first to seek the limelight. What a shock.
      These NPD Queens are as interchangeable as widgets.
      --mathgeek

      Delete
  11. Anonymous11:48 AM

    Zimmerman Juror Loses Book Deal After Less Than a Day



    We don’t know who Juror B37 is — only that she isn’t going to write a book about the George Zimmerman trial.

    Except she was going to! Or at least until the juror’s book agent fired her over Twitter, half a day after hiring her.

    And maybe because the juror decided herself not to write the book because of public outrage. It’s not totally clear.

    Every major criminal case spawns a cast of minorly intriguing supporting characters, and Juror B37’s moment of consideration in the national consciousness may have peaked with her nameless, faceless interview with Anderson Cooper on a darkened CNN set Monday night.

    “I want people to know that we put everything into everything to get this verdict,” the juror said, getting tearful as she explained why she’d come forward for a TV interview. “We didn’t just go in there and say we’re going to come in here and do guilty, not guilty. We thought about it for hours and cried over it afterwards. I don’t think any of us could do anything like that ever again.”

    In the occasionally halting interview, Juror B37 — who during jury selection revealed herself to be a pet owner and a mother of two — revealed crucial information about the jury’s outlook on the case. Half of the jurors initially thought Zimmerman, 29, was guilty of manslaughter or second-degree murder, but later agreed upon a not-guilty verdict after reviewing the evidence and Florida’s state laws.

    A couple of the jurors “wanted to find him guilty of something,” the juror said.

    But while the juror’s remarks were being broadcast over CNN, an online backlash was already underway. A collection of tweets by Twitter user @MoreAndAgain showed the mounting pressure on Los Angeles-based Martin Literary Management agency president Sharlene Martin to drop the juror’s book deal.


    http://littlegreenfootballs.com/page/299372_Zimmerman_Juror_Loses_Book_Dea

    ReplyDelete
  12. Anonymous11:52 AM

    Trial By Error

    The self-serving interview of anonymous Zimmerman trial juror B37 on CNN's Anderson Cooper last night actually turned out to be informative, as the juror basically admitted that on multiple occasions the jury disregarded jury instructions in order to find Zimmerman not guilty.

    In an interview on CNN’s Anderson Cooper 360 Monday night, an anonymous juror said the panel that found George Zimmerman not guilty considered Florida’s Stand Your Ground law in its deliberations. Earlier reports suggested the notorious law that authorizes the unfettered use of deadly force in self-defense was not applied to the case, because Zimmerman’s lawyers opted not to request a Stand Your Ground hearing. But as ThinkProgress explained in a post earlier today, the jury instructions contained the law’s key provision and instructed jurors that self-defense meant Zimmerman was entitled to “stand his ground” with “no duty to retreat.”

    COOPER: Because of the two options you had, second degree murder or manslaughter, you felt neither applied?

    JUROR: Right. Because of the heat of the moment and the Stand Your Ground. He had a right to defend himself. If he felt threatened that his life was going to be taken away from him or he was going to have bodily harm, he had a right.

    So the jury did consider SYG when they shouldn't have. Even worse, the juror admitted that she failed to follow the judge's instructions not once, but twice.

    http://zandarvts.blogspot.com/2013/07/trial-by-error.html

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    1. Anonymous10:47 AM

      Stand Your Ground law was perverted by Zimmerman. He is an insecure malcontent who neglected to follow orders. The Zimmeridiot aggravated and provoked the situation because he wanted to be like a really cool big guy with a gun.

      Ok, he is a really Big Guy-- because he chowed down so much and gained an emormous amount of weight. Not an attractive sight at all.

      Good luck in living with yourself for what you have done.You will never fully convince yourself totally because it will be a constant reminder of what you could have differently.

      Delete
  13. Anonymous11:52 AM

    @MoreandAgain and Social Media Work to Block Juror B37 Book Deal

    http://storify.com/taralconley/moreandagain-and-social-media-work-to-block-juror

    ReplyDelete
  14. Anonymous11:58 AM

    John Oliver slams Florida: Just because you’re shaped like a dick doesn’t mean you have to act that way

    http://freakoutnation.com/2013/07/16/john-oliver-slams-florida-just-because-youre-shaped-like-a-dick-doesnt-mean-you-have-to-act-that-way/

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  15. Anonymous11:59 AM

    Twitter users Stood Their Ground: Juror B37′s book deal is dead, holla!

    http://freakoutnation.com/2013/07/16/twitter-users-stood-their-ground-juror-b37s-book-deal-is-dead-holla/

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  16. Anonymous12:03 PM

    Twitterverse Shames Away Ghoulish Book By Zimmerman Juror

    Whoever had “less than 48 hours” in the race-for-a-book-deal sweepstakes for the Zimmerman trial, claim your prize. Then give it back. According to the website Galleycat, which covers the book publishing industry, Juror Number B37 had signed a deal to write about the trial and its stunning denouement. Early in the day on Monday, July 15, Sharlene Martin, a literary agent and titular head of Martin Literary Management, released this statement:

    “My hope is that people will read Juror B37’s book, written with her attorney husband, and understand the commitment it takes to serve and be sequestered on a jury in a highly publicized murder trial and how important, despite one’s personal viewpoints, it is to follow the letter of the law. It could open a whole new dialogue about laws that may need to be revised and revamped to suit a 21st century way of life. The reader will also learn why the jurors had no option but to find Zimmerman Not Guilty due to the manner in which he was charged and the content of the jury instructions.”

    That was Monday morning. By midnight, the book idea had gone the way of the dodo. It appears that a huge social media backlash had something to do with it. Ms. Martin had announced the deal via Twitter on Monday morning and, apparently, wasn’t familiar with the way that social media site can proliferate an idea, especially one that outrages them. The Tweets came thick and fast:

    http://www.addictinginfo.org/2013/07/16/twitterverse-shames-away-ghoulish-book-by-zimmerman-juror/

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  17. Anonymous12:42 PM

    Posted by hrandym over at the pee pond:

    "I believe Zimmerman exhibited good judgement, or he may not even be here today. We need to stop crying over the demise of criminals. They are poison in our society."

    The said part is they truly believe this bullshit.

    Remember folks, half the population is below average intelligence. And some, like hrandym, are complete fucking morons.

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    1. Anonymous4:22 PM

      I totally agree with hrandym. A CRIMINAL like that who's got a history of uncontrolled anger, domestic violence, assaulting police officers, alcohol abuse, traffic violations, and possible sexual assault should definitely be removed from society.

      Oh, wait a minute. He wasn't talking about George Zimmerman??????

      Delete
  18. Anonymous12:44 PM

    If I ever hear about Zimmerman leaving this world under less than ideal circumstances, I will smile.

    It's the part of me that is most like him.

    ReplyDelete
  19. Anonymous12:56 PM

    Her husband obviously coached her on what to say so she would be picked for the jury and they could cash in. It's distasteful and, if she lied during voir dire (while she was under oath), I would think she might be brought up on charges of contempt.

    I don't think much of this woman or her scumbag lawyer husband.

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    1. Anita Winecooler8:00 PM

      My thoughts exactly!

      Delete
  20. Anonymous1:06 PM

    Justice failed Trayvon Martin the night he was killed. We should be appalled and outraged, but perhaps not surprised, that it failed him again Saturday night, with a verdict setting his killer free.

    Our society considers young black men to be dangerous, interchangeable, expendable, guilty until proven innocent. This is the conversation about race that we desperately need to have — but probably, as in the past, will try our best to avoid.

    George Zimmerman’s acquittal was set in motion on Feb. 26, 2012, before Martin’s body was cold. When Sanford, Fla., police arrived on the scene, they encountered a grown man who acknowledged killing an unarmed 17-year-old boy. They did not arrest the man or test him for drug or alcohol use. They conducted a less-than-energetic search for forensic evidence. They hardly bothered to look for witnesses.

    Only a national outcry forced authorities to investigate the killing seriously. Even after six weeks, evidence was found to justify arresting Zimmerman, charging him with second-degree murder and putting him on trial. But the chance of dispassionately and definitively establishing what happened that night was probably lost. The only complete narrative of what transpired was Zimmerman’s.

    Jurors knew that Zimmerman was an overeager would-be cop, a self-appointed guardian of the neighborhood who carried a loaded gun. They were told that he profiled Martin — young, black, hooded sweatshirt — as a criminal. They heard that he stalked Martin despite the advice of a 911 operator; that the stalking led to a confrontation; and that, in the confrontation, Zimmerman fatally shot Martin in the chest.

    The jurors also knew that Martin was carrying only a bag of candy and a soft drink. They knew that Martin was walking from a 7-Eleven to the home of his father’s girlfriend when he noticed a strange man in an SUV following him.

    To me, and to many who watched the trial, the fact that Zimmerman recklessly initiated the tragic encounter was enough to establish, at a minimum, guilt of manslaughter. The six women on the jury disagreed.

    Those jurors also knew that Martin, at the time of his death, was just three weeks past his 17th birthday. But black boys in this country are not allowed to be children. They are assumed to be men, and to be full of menace.

    http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/eugene-robinson-black-boys-denied-the-right-to-be-young/2013/07/15/d3f603d8-ed69-11e2-9008-61e94a7ea20d_story.html

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  21. Anonymous1:11 PM

    Zimmerman Jury Was Misled About The Meaning of Florida’s Self Defense Law

    http://www.politicususa.com/2013/07/16/case-breibarted-justice.html

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  22. Anonymous1:15 PM

    Tonight a Florida man’s acquittal for hunting and killing a black teenager who was armed with only a bag of candy serves as a Rorschach test for the American public. For people of color, it’s a vivid reminder that we must always be deferential to white people, or face the very real chance of getting killed.

    http://gawker.com/the-zimmerman-jury-told-young-black-men-what-we-already-770650992

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  23. Anonymous1:15 PM

    Everyone still needs to monitor JurorB37 because she can self-publish/hire another literary agent. Anyone who would profit off Trayvon Martin’s murder in such a way; is a monster.

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    1. Anonymous7:06 PM

      Surely the cloak of anonymity wouldn't hold up forever if a book deal were to come to pass.
      Maybe it would be fitting if she spends the rest of her life right there along with Zimmerman, looking over her shoulder, wondering if someone might take the law into their own hands.
      --mathgeek

      Delete
  24. Anonymous1:17 PM

    A lot has been made about the controversial Zimmerman Trial Juror B37. First she appeared on Anderson Cooper and made comments expressing sympathy and support for Zimmerman. But she really sparked an outrage by announcing — fewer than 48 hours after George Zimmerman was declared Not Guilty — that she’d signed a book deal. Well, one passionate person on Twitter who goes by @MoreandAgain took things into her own hands. First, she sought out the publishing company that signed the juror…she quickly whipped up a Change.org petition calling for literary agent Sharlene Martin to drop Juror B37. Within minutes, the petition had more than a thousand supporters. Martin eventually caved and released this statement: “After careful consideration regarding the proposed book project with Zimmerman Juror B37, I have decided to rescind my offer of representation in the exploration of a book based upon this case.”

    http://www.uproxx.com/webculture/2013/07/persistent-tweeter-ends-juror-b37s-book-deal/

    ReplyDelete
  25. Anonymous1:18 PM

    http://obamadiary.files.wordpress.com/2013/07/134630_600.jpg?w=655

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anita Winecooler8:13 PM

      Sad commentary. Saw this protest song linked to a blog entry about Trayvon, pretty much the same sentiment. I refuse to give the blog traffic because there's way too much hateful vitriol against Trayvon and his family. But here's the you tube video:

      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s9FZMHNhJ80

      Delete
  26. Anonymous1:33 PM

    Has anyone seen the amount of time between when Martin and his friend's phone call was cut off and the shot was fired?

    RJ in Brownbackistan

    ReplyDelete
  27. Anonymous2:05 PM

    She sounds brain dead. Most likely a tea bagger.

    ReplyDelete
  28. Anonymous2:05 PM

    This dumb bitch sounds like a moron. There should be an IQ test for juries.

    ReplyDelete
  29. Anonymous2:07 PM

    I hope I run into this juror. I will stand my ground.

    ReplyDelete
  30. Anonymous2:07 PM

    Pray she hangs with "George" and the rest of the jurors. Karma will not be kind.

    ReplyDelete
  31. Anonymous2:09 PM

    Mistrial!

    ReplyDelete
  32. Anonymous2:15 PM

    Juror Bitch37 is a barely functioning retard. Just listen to her. You can tell she is illiterate. She even admits she can't read. These types of people should not be on a jury ever.

    ReplyDelete
  33. Anonymous2:17 PM

    Juror b37 should be rotting in a prison cell for defying a judge's order.

    ReplyDelete
  34. Anonymous2:18 PM

    Please lord, someone stand their ground against B37.

    ReplyDelete
  35. Anita Winecooler8:19 PM

    This was one of the six "Chosen ones"? Where was the prosecution when this gem spoke up? Out to lunch?

    She referred to Trayvon as "boy". Her husbands a lawyer?

    I haven't heard from the other jurors, but I still believe George Zimmerman got a jury of his peers.

    ReplyDelete
  36. Anonymous8:50 PM

    4 Jurors Distance Themselves From Juror B37

    Four of the jurors at the George Zimmerman trial distanced themselves late Tuesday from statements that another juror made in a televised interview.

    The four jurors issued a brief statement on court stationary saying that the opinions expressed by Juror B37 to CNN's Anderson Cooper on Monday night are not representative of their views.

    "The opinions of Juror B37, expressed on the Anderson Cooper show were her own, and not in any way representative of the jurors listed below," said the statement, signed by Jurors B51, B76, E6 and E40.

    Juror B37 said the actions of Zimmerman and 17-year-old Trayvon Martin both led to the teenager's fatal shooting last year, but that Zimmerman didn't actually break the law.

    The four other jurors said in their statement that Martin's death weighed on them.

    "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."

    They also made a request for privacy. The court has not released the names of the six-woman jury, which included five whites and one woman who appeared to reporters to be Hispanic.

    http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/07/16/george-zimmerman-juror-b37_n_3608057.html

    ReplyDelete
  37. Perhaps if there had been males on the jury, they would have detected that Zimmerman's injuries were insignificant, not like someone would look if they had been in a real fight.

    ReplyDelete

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