Jury Foreman Interview on GMA
http://www.mediaite.com/tv/jodi-ari...-gma-how-they-reached-verdict-and-then-didnt/
EV: Good morning Bill. It’s really great to have you here. You did say you had a hard time believing she would be capable of, just looking at her, that she could be capable of doing this?
BILL: Yeah, that’s true. I mean, when I walk in the courtroom the first time, and looked at who the defendant was. You know it’s hard to put that into perspective when you look at a young woman and think of the crime and then you see the brutality of the crime. It just doesn’t wash. So it’s very difficult to (stammering, thinking of word) divest yourself from the personal, from the emotional part of it.
This was a huge issue on the boards when I was on earlier today. He is NOT (IMO) saying he didn’t believe she did it due to her size, etc. He is saying ON FIRST IMPRESSION he was surprised by her size and the brutality of the crime. Clearly he was eventually shown she did do it as he voted guilty for M1.
EV: You did find her guilty of killing another man, of taking another life. You said you did not believe her story that she murdered Travis Alexander in self -defense. But you say you do believe that TA did emotionally and mentally abuse Jodi?
(EV is doing a terrible job interviewing him IMO. She makes it sound like there was more than one victim… guilty of killing another man, of taking another life.” I know what she means, but the emphasis she places on the word “another” makes this confusing.)
BILL: I’m very sure, in my own mind, that she was mentally and verbally abused. Now, is that an excuse? Of course not. Does it factor into decisions that we make? It has to.
He is NOT, as was stated in earlier posts, saying TA physically abused her. He said mentally/verbally. This did shock me, as none of us feel this way. We all feel this was an anomaly. Something out of the ordinary for Travis and due to something major that happened (that we don’t know about). However, when I try to take out of my mind all that WE have seen/heard that the jury has not, I can see how he feels this way. They were not allowed to see many other texts, etc. The May text, taken alone, IS abusive verbally – he was PIZZED OFF! We see more of the context than they were allowed to see.
EV: Do you think she did herself any favors on the stand? Uh, there’s been a lot of debate of whether those 18 days of testimony helped or hurt her.
BILL: No, I think 18 days hurt her. I think she was not a good witness, um (EV: because?) We go into, we are charged with going in presuming innocence, right? Um, but she was on the stand for so long. There were so many contradicting stories. I think the way the prosecutor, um, was with her. He’s known for an aggressive style. I think it was very hard. I think it would be difficult for anybody. I don’t think I’d want to sit on the stand for 18 days. Um, but I don’t think it did her any good, no. That length of time, no I don’t think it did her any good at all.
He took big heat for this. Many feel he was saying Juan was too aggressive. That is not how I interpret this. I think he is saying her being on the stand for 18 days and facing a prosecutor with an aggressive style, hurt her case by bringing a lot of contradictions to light. Also, he shows that JA’s “Never Ending Craptastic Tale of Woe and Pity” was a waste of time.
EV: You did say the most gut-wrenching part of this entire experience for you was listening to the family of Travis Alexander talk about their loss. What was that like?
BILL: Yeah, that’s a great question, Elizabeth, if only I had a good answer. Until you are face to face with people that have gone through something like that , it’s something that you really can’t put into words. I’m six feet away from somebody talking about a horrendous loss and if you can’t feel that, then you have no emotion, no soul. And yet we couldn’t allow ourselves to be emotional on the stand. We couldn’t allow ourselves to show emotional, although I’m sure some came through. I’m very, very proud of my peers, my jurors that were with us because they did a fantastic job of holding it together. A different story once we got back to the jury room. It was a gut-wrenching thing we had to go through and everybody had to make their own decision.
Some posters were really ticked about this part. Like he was saying he didn’t feel for the Alexanders. I don’t get that at all. In fact, he is saying they DID feel for them but weren’t allowed to show those emotions in the courtroom. He actually says you would have “no emotion, no soul” if you didn’t feel for them.
EV: Bill Z., thank you very much for your service on the jury and for joining us this morning. I appreciate it.
BILL: Well, it was my pleasure. Thank you very much.
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I was very hurt and disappointed with the outcome yesterday. However, I do respect the jury and the decision they made – even though I was praying for a different verdict. I know emotions are high. NO ONE wanted JA to have one moment of smug satisfaction that she "won". NO ONE wants the family to have to go through this any longer. But this is NOT the Pinellas 12! The jurors have been attentive, involved, asked good/intelligent questions AND gave her the M1 with Premeditation and Cruelty. They hit a roadblock on the one decision that you can’t “prove”. The one that is nearly impossible to sway fellow jurors on because it is a personal belief, a personal standard of where the line is that determines DP is the best verdict.
I was stunned and hurt for the Alexander family yesterday. I am horrified that after dragging up every bit of courage, energy, faith and whatever else it took to be in that courtroom for 5 months – they now may have to go through a lot of it again.
I would guess they feel raw, empty, hollow – nothing left to draw on to make it through it again. I understand. I TRULY understand and have been in that position myself. But I know with the love and support of those around them, the support of so many who have never met them, and a strength they will draw from God – if there is another mini-trial, they WILL do it. They will do what they need to do, because they have to do it. I am thankful they have some time to go home, rest, think things over, smell the flowers, wake up in their own beds, see their kids/grandkids/friends and heal. I will be here sending them prayers for the entire time they are fighting for justice for Travis.
