ZIMMERMAN TRIAL: Day 8, Wednesday, July 3, 2013

[riverwalker]

176. only one, the parrot lady

Juror B37

B37, first presented to the court on the second day of jury selection, Tuesday, June 11, is memorable as the woman with many pets: 3 dogs, 4 cats, a parrot, a crow with one wing, two lizards . . . it seemed almost an aside when she also mentioned two daughters. She has lived in Seminole county for 18 years, and has been married for 20. She has two children, a 26-year-old and a 24-year-old.

She was another juror with explicit disdain for the press, saying the best “use for newspapers is for the parrot’s cage, that’s a better use than reading.” When asked directly if she trusts the media, she answered firmly, “I do not.”

She recalled the protest marches in the area as “rioting.” Her recollection of the shooting is that it was an “unfortunate incident,” but that she had not formed an opinion about what happened. She further recalled that Zimmerman had been involved in a scuffle, lat at night, and a “boy of color” had been killed.
It is notable that B37 is the only juror to have previously possessed a license to carry a concealed firearm (termed a CCW, “concealed carry weapons,”in Florida), although she had allowed the license to expire and no longer carried a firearm (and apparently did so rarely if at all when she was licensed). Her husband still owns guns, however, and B37 expressed no uncertainty about her ability to use and shoot a gun, saying she has gone to the range shooting.

When questioned by the defense on final voir dire she affirmed that “I’ll just follow the law,” in evaluating the evidence and coming to a verdict.