Zimmerman juror drops book project
Credit: Gary W. Green-Pool/Getty Images
It's a reversal of position for Juror B37.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the juror from the George Zimmerman trial, who had announced on Monday that she intended to write a book about the controversial trial -- and its incendiary verdict -- has now canceled those plans.
The woman, who is known only as Juror B37, released a statement through her former book agent Sharlene Martin, announcing her decision to back out of the proposed book:
“I realize it was necessary for our jury to be sequestered in order to protect our verdict from unfair outside influence, but that isolation shielded me from the depth of pain that exists among the general public over every aspect of this case. The potential book was always intended to be a respectful observation of the trial from my and my husband’s perspectives solely and it was to be an observation that our ‘system’ of justice can get so complicated that it creates a conflict with our ‘spirit’ of justice. Now that I am returned to my family and to society in general, I have realized that the best direction for me to go is away from writing any sort of book and return instead to my life as it was before I was called to sit on this jury.”
Though the identities of the jurors have been kept anonymous by the court, Juror B37 has been described as "a mother of two grown daughters who grew up in a military family, married an attorney and at one point had a permit to carry a concealed weapon."
Martin, who specializes in books about sensationalist, headline-grabbing crimes like the Jodi Arias case, has made a decision of her own -- to drop the juror as a client. The agent has released her own statement on the situation:
“After careful consideration regarding the proposed book project with Zimmerman Juror B37, I have decided to rescind my offer of representation in the exploration of a book based upon this case.”
The change of heart is the result of extensive negative criticism about the project in the media, including a disastrous appearance on Anderson Cooper's show on CNN.