Derek Chauvin Trial: Juror Brandon Mitchell Says There Was No Pressure To Reach A Guilty Verdict
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- One of the jurors in the Derek Chauvin trial spoke out Wednesday about his experience in the landmark case, where the former Minneapolis police officer was convicted last week of murdering George Floyd.
Brandon Mitchell, who was juror No. 52, spoke with Gayle King on CBS This Morning, explaining what it felt like for him to serve in the biggest criminal case in Minnesota history.
"We were just stressed because everyday we had to come in and watch a Black man die, that alone is stressful," said Mitchell, who is Black. "Coming in each and every day, and having to watch somebody die, is stressful enough by itself."
Mitchell, 31, said that he did not feel pressure to come to a guilty verdict in the case, the first in state history where a white officer was convicted of murdering a Black man. "I don't think any of us felt like that, I for sure did not," Mitchell said. "The pressure more so came from just being in the room and being under stress."
The jury in the case was a diverse cross section of Hennepin County, with six white jurors and six Black or multi-racial jurors. Tensions were high in the Twin Cities during the 10 hours that the jury deliberated. Hundreds of Minnesota National Guard troops were in Minneapolis, deployed to prevent a repeat of the unrest seen in days after Floyd's death last summer. But after the verdict was read on April 20, there was no mass looting or destruction. Instead, hundreds gathered at George Floyd Square at 38th and Chicago to celebrate.
Explaining the deliberation process, Mitchell said that the jurors held a preliminary vote on each charge before discussing and holding a final vote.
Mitchell said that on the initial manslaughter vote, 11 jurors voted to convict while one juror was unsure. When asked about the nature of the one juror's uncertainty, Mitchell said it had to do with technical legal terms.
"They wanted to do their due diligence and make sure they were coming out with the right verdict that they believed in," Mitchell said. "They were just hung up on a few words, and we just went through the definitions that were given to us and broke it down from different perspectives to get everybody on the same page."
When asked if any particular witnesses moved him during the trial, Mitchell answered that the most influential testimony was given by Dr. Martin Tobin, the lung and breathing expert who, in a detailed and highly-scientific presentation, explained to the jury that Floyd died due to lack of oxygen, not heart problems or a drug overdose.
"I thought he just broke it down in a manner that was easy for all the jurors to understand, and I didn't think that there wasn't any way for the defense to come back after that," Mitchell said. "To me, the case was done at that point almost."
Another witness who moved Mitchell was Donald Williams, the mixed martial arts fighter who watched Chauvin kneel on Floyd's neck at the corner of 38th and Chicago. Mitchell said that Williams "set the tone" early on in the trial.
Testimony about how Floyd's size could be perceived as a threat affected Mitchell personally.
"There was a few days where I was like, I dunno how I'm going to make it in this next day, especially me as a Black man and a larger Black man," Mitchell told King. "I'm about 6,4 and 250 pounds, and some of the testimony is just saying how size could be a risk or a threat, whereas me I'm a gentle giant."
Chauvin, who was convicted of second-degree murder, third-degree murder and manslaughter, is slated to sentenced on June 25. He could face up to 40 years in prison on the second-degree murder charge alone.
When asked what he thought the ex-officer's sentence should be, Mitchell said that he'd leave it up to the judge. "I couldn't say what the proper sentencing should be," he said. "I think we came up with the right verdict: guilty on all charges."
