>>>S AGO, A JURY IN
MINNESOTA HANDED DOWN A VERDICT
IN ONE OF THE HIGHEST PROFILE
CASES IN YEARS IN THIS COUNTRY.
THEY FOUND FORMER OFFICER DEREK
CHAUVIN GUILTY OF MURDERING
GEORGE FLOYD.
12 MEN AND WOMEN DELIBERATED
UNDER INTENSE PRESSURE.
FOR THE FIRST TIME, WE’RE
HEARING WHAT WENT ON IN THE JURY
ROOM.
BRANDON MITCHELL SERVED ON THE
JURY AND JOINS US THIS MORNING.
GOOD MORNING, SIR.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME.
>> ABSOLUTELY.
GOOD MORNING.
THANKS FOR HAVING ME.
>> TAKE US INSIDE THE JURY ROOM.
YOU DELIBERATED FOR, AS WE
UNDERSTAND IT, ROUGHLY FOUR
HOURS.
ONE OF THE 12 JURORS REPORTEDLY
WAS ON THE FENCE.
WHY IS THAT?
WHAT ULTIMATELY BROUGHT THAT ONE
JUROR AROUND?
>> I WOULDN’T NECESSARILY SAY
THEY WERE ON THE FENCE.
I THINK THEY JUST WANTED TO DO
THEIR DUE DILIGENCE AND MAKE
SURE THAT THEY UNDERSTOOD THE
TERMINOLOGY CORRECT.
THEY UNDERSTOOD EXACTLY WHAT THE
JUDGE’S INSTRUCTIONS WERE IN
RELATION TO THAT SPECIFIC
CHARGE.
>> WHAT WAS THE TIPPING POINT
FOR YOU AS A JUROR?
WAS THERE A PIECE OF TESTIMONY,
A PIECE OF EVIDENCE AFTER YOU
SAW IT OR AFTER YOU HEARD IT,
YOUR MIND WAS ESSENTIALLY MADE
UP?
>> I THINK AFTER DR. TOBIN’S
TESTIMONY.
I THINK THE WAY HE BROKE
EVERYTHING DOWN BUT STILL KEPT
IT VERY SCIENTIFIC.
THAT WAS KIND OF THE POINT WHERE
I WAS LIKE, OKAY, I DON’T KNOW
HOW THE DEFENSE COMES BACK FROM
THIS.
>> AS YOU KNOW, THERE WAS A FAIR
AMOUNT OF TALK ABOUT WHETHER
DEREK CHAUVIN WOULD HAVE
TESTIFIED OR SHOULD HAVE
TESTIFIED.
DO YOU THINK THAT HIM TESTIFYING
WOULD HAVE MADE A DIFFERENCE,
BRANDON?
>> I DON’T KNOW IF IT WOULD HAVE
MADE A DIFFERENCE OR NOT.
BUT I DON’T THINK IT WOULD HAVE
HURT.
WE FOUND HIM GUILTY ON ALL
CHARGES, SO I DON’T THINK IT
WOULD HAVE HURT.
PROBABLY ONLY COULD HAVE HELPED
HIM AT THAT POINT.
>> A LOT OF FOLKS WERE SOMEWHAT
SURPRISED AT THE SPEED WITH
WHICH THE JURY CAME BACK.
I MEAN, IT ALMOST SEEMED AS IF
YOU GUYS WENT IN THERE, ELECTED
YOUR FOREPERSON, WENT AROUND THE
TABLE, YOU SAID YOUR PIECE, AND
THEN YOU VOTED.
IS THAT A FAIRLY ACCURATE
ASSESSMENT OR NO?
>> I THOUGHT WE SHOULD HAVE CAME
BACK A LITTLE QUICKER, ACTUALLY.
THE TIME WE DID SPEND WAS TIME
WE WERE GOING OTHERVER THE DETAI
AGAIN, MAKING SURE EVERYBODY
WUSS ON THE SAME PAGE AND
CLARIFYING.
FOR THE MOST PART, WE WENT IN
AND CAME STRAIGHT OUT.
I THOUGHT IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN
QUICKER, ACTUALLY.
>> WHY DO YOU THINK IT SHOULD
HAVE BEEN FASTER?
>> I THOUGHT THE EVIDENCE WAS
OVERWHELMING THAT HE WAS GUILTY,
IN MY OPINION.
I THOUGHT IT WAS A NO-BRAINER.
AFTER DR. TOBIN AND ALL THE
OTHER WITNESSES, ALL THE
EVIDENCE, I MEAN, I DIDN’T SEE
ANYTHING, ANY REASON WHY WE
SHOULD HAVE TAKEN LONGER THAN AN
HOUR.
>> WHAT DID YOU MAKE OF DEREK
CHAUVIN
CHAUVIN’S DEMEANOR IN THE
COURTROOM THROUGHOUT THE TRIAL?
>> YEAH, SO, I MEAN, FROM MY
PERSPECTIVE, FROM THE ANGLE I
HAD, IT LOOKED LIKE HE WAS VERY
CONFIDENT THE FIRST WEEK, WEEK
AND A HALF.
I PERSONALLY COULD SEE THE
CONFIDENCE KIND OF DETERIORATING
FROM HIM, AND A LITTLE FROM HIS
TEAM, FROM HIS TEAM OF
ATTORNEYS, AS THE -- AS MORE AND
MORE WITNESSES CAME UP.
IT SEEMED LIKE THEY WERE
DETERIORATING THEIR CONFIDENCE,
AND IT WAS GETTING LOWER AND
LOWER AND LOWER AS THE TRIAL
WENT ON.
>> AS YOU KNOW, THE ENTIRE WORLD
WAS WATCHING THIS TRIAL.
DID YOU FEEL A GREATER SENSE OF
PRESSURE AS A JUROR KNOWING
THAT? >> NO, NOT AT ALL.
>> NO, NOT AT ALL.
I MEAN, WE ALL KNEW COMING IN
THAT PEOPLE WERE WATCHING, BUT
THERE’S A LOT OF PRESSURE IN THE
COURTROOM.
WE DIDN’T HAVE TIME TO THINK
ABOUT ANYTHING ON THE OUTSIDE OR
ANY OF THAT.
BEING ALONE AND WITNESSING WHAT
YOU’RE WITNESSING ON THE VIDEOS,
LISTENING TO ALL THE PEOPLE,
THAT ALONE IS ENOUGH STRESS.
YOU’RE NOT PAYING ATTENTION TO
ANYTHING ELSE REALLY.
>> THE PRESIDENT SAID BEFORE THE
VERDICT CAME DOWN, I WANT TO
MAKE SURE I GET THIS RIGHT,
PRESIDENT BIDEN SAID, QUOTE, I’M
PRAYING THE VERDICT IS THE RIGHT
VERDICT.
IT IS OVERWHELMING IN MY VIEW.
I WOULDN’T SAY IT IF THE JURY
WASN’T SEQUESTERED RIGHT NOW.
DID THOSE COMMENTS OR ANY OTHER
COMMENTS INFLUENCE YOUR
DECISION?
>> I DIDN’T KNOW WHAT THE
COMMENTS WERE UNTIL YOU SAID
THAT.
THAT’S HOW FAR REMOVED I’VE BEEN
FROM THE NEWS.
EVEN STILL.
IT GETS COVERED SO MUCH.
I DIDN’T KNOW UNTIL YOU
LITERALLY SAID THAT NOW WHAT THE
COMMENTS EVEN WERE.
>> ONE MORE QUESTION, THEN AL
HAAS A QUESTION FOR YOU,
BRANDON.
THE SENTENCE, AS YOU KNOW, AT
THIS POINT, HE’S FACING UP TO 40
YEARS FOR SECOND DEGREE MURDER.
WHAT DO YOU THINK HE SHOULD GET?
>> WELL, THAT’S NOT UP TO ME TO
DECIDE.
YOU KNOW, WE CAME UP WITH THE
VERDICT.
I FEEL LIKE WE CAME UP WITH THE
RIGHT VERDICT.
NOW, IT’S TIME FOR THE JUDGE TO
DO WHAT HE DOES.
>> BRIAN, YOU KNOW, AFTER THE
VERDICT, THERE WERE SOME IN SOME
CORNERS OF MEDIA SAYING YOU GUYS
WERE ALREADY PREDETERMINED IN
WHAT YOU WERE GOING TO DO, THAT
YOU FELT THE PRESSURE GOING IN,
AND THAT IF YOU DIDN’T COME UP
WITH A GUILTY VERDICT, THINGS
WERE GOING TO GO BADLY.
THAT YOU WERE ALREADY DETERMINED
TO DO THAT.
WOULD YOU LAY THAT TO REST RIGHT
NOW.
>> YES.
I MEAN, TO ME, THAT’S JUST SO
DISMISSIVE OF THE ENTIRE
PROCESS.
WE’RE EVERYDAY CIVILIANS THAT
PUT OUR FAMILIES, OUR JOBS, OUR
DAYS ASIDE TO SERVE JUSTICE.
TO SERVE JUSTICE.
I MEAN, SO WE ALL WALKED IN WITH
AN OPEN MIND, AND WE LEFT OUT
WITH A GUILTY VERDICT.
BUT THAT’S LITERALLY HOW THE
SYSTEM IS, AND THAT’S HOW IT
WORKS.
WE WALKED IN WITH AN OPEN MIND,
WAITING TO SEE, YOU KNOW -- WE
DID OUR DUE DILIGENCE TO SEE
WHAT THE DEFENSE WAS GOING TO
COME UP WITH US.
WE FELT THE EVIDENCE WAS
OVERWHELMING FOR OUR VERDICT.
NOTHING TO DO WITH PRESSURE FROM
ANYWHERE.
>> ALL RIGHT.
>> IT’S THE DECISION WE CAME TO,
AND THAT’S WHAT THE JURY SYSTEM
IS THERE FOR.
>> BRANDON MITCHELL, WE SO
APPRECIATE YOU TAKING US INSIDE
THE JURY ROOM.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME THIS