Seven jurors in the Derek Chauvin murder and manslaughter trial came forward in a program aired Thursday night on CNN, telling why they convicted the former police officer in the death of George Floyd, and how the trial affected them.
The consensus of the seven jurors on the show, seated in two rows inside a studio, was that their ruling was based on evidence and not race.
Sherri Belton Hardeman told CNN's Don Lemon that the video showing Derek Chauvin kneeling on George Floyd's neck was heart-breaking, and that testimony pointing out the moment when life left Floyd's body will stick with her.
"It was very, very traumatic," Hardeman said. "It just hurt my whole soul, my whole body. I felt pain for his family. The whole experience has been hard."
Fellow juror Nicole Deters said when the video showed Chauvin not offering any life support to Floyd, even after he was unconscious, it was a "light bulb moment" for those who were undecided or leaning toward a not-guilty vote.
Jodi Doud said that the video showing Chauvin kneeling on Floyd's neck for nearly ten minutes showed many jurors that the former officer did not want to provide any life support help
"He still never stepped up and let the EMS do their job," she said. "He had to have the EMS tap him to get up. That, to me, said more than what he actually did. That he just didn't do anything to help him, at that time."
Related
The consensus of the seven jurors on the show was that their ruling was based on evidence and not race.
Names of all the jurors are scheduled for public release on Monday.
Two had come forward before last night's program.