Jurors Saw 'Indifference' In Aaron Hernandez During Murder Trial
BOSTON (CBS) - Jurors in the Aaron Hernandez murder trial are opening up about their difficult decision to send him to prison for the rest of his life. In an interview with CNN's Anderson Cooper, the seven women and five men say they saw "indifference" in the former Patriots tight end.
"To leave your friend knowing that he's not there anymore. He's either dead or going to die, that's indifference," juror Kerry Dorsey said.
They were convinced that Hernandez murdered his friend Odin Lloyd, though they couldn't agree it was premeditated. But it met the standard of first degree murder because they all agreed the killing was done with extreme cruelty and atrocity as Lloyd was shot several times even as he lay on the ground.
"For me it was a gun," said jury forewoman Lesa Strachan. "He took the weapon and shot him once and kept going and shot him six times."
Dorsey says Hernandez made choices. "Even if there was no premeditation, he could have made choices when he was there, and he was there they admitted that."
Surveillance video inside Aaron Hernandez's North Attleboro home was key, including seeing Hernandez hours after the murder relaxing with his daughter in his living room knowing what happened to Odin Lloyd. "That his close friend was murdered, personally there is no way I could carry on hours later like nothing ever happened," said juror Jonathan Carlson.
Jurors say they'll never know if the bag carried out of the home by his fiancée Shayanna Jenkins actually contained the murder weapon, or if he was holding the weapon on surveillance video inside the home. But juror Rosalie Oliver believes he was and says if he's capable of carrying a gun around his home "what else is he capable of."
They also spoke of the courtroom dynamic, the uncomfortable closeness of the courtroom where they faced Hernandez every day for three months knowing they would decide his fate. "Three months with them they are part of you," said Rosalie Oliver. "All of a sudden you make a decision whether to put them away or let them go."
Jurors say they were able to take the celebrity of Aaron Hernandez out of the equation, and some believe he should have testified to give his side of the story.
