A member of the jury in the trial of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin in the death of George Floyd is speaking out to say that the proceedings felt like “watching someone die every day.”
Chauvin Speaks Out
Brandon Mitchell, 32, who was juror number 52, told CNN that the atmosphere in the courtroom “was just dark.”
“It felt like every day was a funeral and watching someone die every day,” recalled Mitchell, who is a basketball coach. “It was tense every day. I wasn’t nervous, but it was stressful. It was a lot of pressure.”
Mitchell, who is the first juror to publicly speak out about the case, said that Chauvin appeared to be confident at first, but his demeanor soon began to change.
“As the case went on, his demeanor kind of changed to more of a confused look as this isn’t how it’s supposed to go,” he said. “I didn’t see any remorse.”
Related: Minnesota AG Admits He ‘Felt A Little Bad’ For Derek Chauvin
Mitchell Drops Bomb
Perhaps the biggest bombshell that Mitchell dropped in this interview was that there was one juror who was not convinced that Chauvin was guilty, adding that much of the ten hours that the jury deliberated was spent arguing with this person.
Mitchell personally felt that the strongest moment for the prosecution came with the testimony of respiratory expert Dr. Martin Tobin, who described “the moment the light goes out of [Floyd’s] body.”
“Once Dr. Tobin was finished with his testimony, I felt like the trial was done,” Mitchell said. “He spoke everything in laymen’s terms, and it made sense.”
Related: Ilhan Omar Claims George Floyd’s Death At The Hands Of Derek Chauvin Was A ‘Lynching’
Mitchell Wanted To Be On This Jury
Mitchell had written in his jury questionnaire that he wanted to be on the jury “because of all the protests and everything that happened after the event,” according to The New York Post.
“This is the most historic case of my lifetime, and I would love to be a part of it,” he wrote.
Chauvin ended up being convicted on all three charges against him, which were second-degree murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter. Mitchell said that he took some time afterwards to decompress.
“Now that it’s been a few days, I’m starting to feel back to myself,” he said.
This piece was written by James Samson on April 28, 2021. It originally appeared in LifeZette and is used by permission.
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