Jurors in the trial of Derek Chauvin are sharing their experiences with reaching a verdict, saying they “took this very seriously.”
In April, Chauvin was found guilty of all three charges against him for the murder of George Floyd, including second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter.
CNN’s Don Lemon sat down with five jurors and two alternates Thursday night, asking them what they want individuals to take away from the trial.
One juror replied, “I want people to understand that this was no easy task for us. It was… I felt like it was my civic duty to step forward and represent. A lot of people have different opinions about the verdict and about the whole process but it wasn’t an easy task. We took this very seriously.”
Another juror explained how “people are saying that we were pressured to give that verdict that day,” adding it was “not true.”
He continued, “We went through everything.”
One juror believes “there are a lot of misconceptions out there about how could we have not known what was happening outside of the deliberation room or the court room even because a lot of stuff was happening while we were in court.”
She added, “We didn’t. I think people need to know that due diligence was done and taken very seriously.”
Watch their comments below:
ON CNN RIGHT NOW: A Don Lemon Tonight Special – Inside the Jury Room. @donlemon talks to Jurors from the Derek Chauvin murder trial. Watch: pic.twitter.com/U8gq5aDJhW
— CNN Tonight (@CNNTonight) October 29, 2021
The same juror told Lemon the first vote they took was on the manslaughter charge.
She explained, “That was 100% guilty.”
Another juror said they wanted to make sure everyone was on the same page, adding, “There was no room for error.”
Chauvin was sentenced to 22 and a half years in prison. CNN reported last month Chauvin is seeking to appeal his conviction. He claims the court repeatedly “abused its discretion” for several reasons.