I know as a US citizen it is my obligation to serve when called for jury duty. But this is precisely the reason why I beg to differ for fear of being on a high profile case that could be life threatening where a convicted bitter criminal could have one of his goons take revenge on his/her behalf. It’s like a scene from a movie and it keeps playing over and over in my head! In this situation, I don’t even know how I would have been able to look at people in the face to know I was one of those who might have freed a man who could have been guilty!
The names of the six-member jury panel that acquitted George Zimmerman in the shooting death of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin have been made public for the first time, after a new court order, records show.
Circuit Judge Debra Nelson, who had previously ordered the jurors’ identifying information be kept confidential, granted access to the names in a ruling March 21.
Zimmerman’s defense asked the judge in June to keep the names secret until six months after the verdict. The judge set no timeline then, but noted in her new order they have been withheld more than eight months.
Attempts to reach the jurors by phone and in-person Thursday were unsuccessful.
In Florida, the names of jurors are typically public and are announced and used by the judge and attorneys during jury selection.
Nelson’s order follows an inquiry last month by the Sentinel.
In a letter, Sentinel attorneys asked Nelson for a specific ruling on how long she planned to maintain the jurors’ anonymity, noting it was already “well past the six month ‘cooling off’ period requested by the defense.”
The defense, in its motion, argued a delay was needed beyond the trial to allow “for any community passions to cool.”
The Sentinel and other media outlets opposed that delay.
On July 13, Zimmerman was found not guilty of second-degree murder in Trayvon’s death. The Feb. 26, 2012, shooting in Sanford renewed national debate on a range of issues, including profiling and self-defense.
The not-guilty verdict sparked protests across the country.
Prosecutors alleged Zimmerman profiled, pursued and killed the unarmed Miami Gardens teenager. Zimmerman, now 30, said he fired in self-defense while being pummeled by Trayvon during an unprovoked attack.
RIP Trayvon. God help us all.
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Source orlandosentinel
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