On day 10 of the Derek Chauvin murder trial, 14 jurors have been seated. A total of 15 is what is needed, according to the judge.
He wants one more alternate just in case the break between jury selection and opening statements. Someone drops out he'll have 14 by the time opening statement start next week. Today, a white woman in her twenties – employed as a social worker – was number 14 to make the panel.
The fourteenth juror said, “I think that's part of where I come from is always looking at every side of things. I just am I'm always looking at the why someone may have done something a certain way. His experience before with law enforcement, I thought about his family because I saw the family so much on the news."
She continued, "So again, it was like it was I had all kinds of thoughts on him with his past. They've talked about his past with drugs and things like that. Just every I have every emotion I think about him so.”
Now, with one more juror to be seated before jury selection closes, opening statements will be next Monday. The alternates in the case won't know that they're alternatives because the judge wants them to pay attention and listen to all the testimony just in case they're asked to step up and be a part of the 12 deliberating jurors.
