Who or what is #52, and why is he/she/it important?
From the onset let’s be perfectly clear . . . I am not an attorney. However, at this point I should state my qualifications to comment here on the Chauvin trial . . . I am an American citizen, and because of that, I have a vested interest to see that justice is done. Just like with voting – no cheating, no lying.
As you all may recall Chauvin was convicted in record time on three different counts. I have read and reread the difference between the three different counts, and although I consider myself an intelligent person, I still could not tell you the difference between second-degree murder, second-degree manslaughter, and third-degree murder. Certainly if I went over the differences with eleven of my peers, we could probably figure it out . . . but most likely that would take some time – probably more time than it took the twelve jurors to reach three different unanimous verdicts.
In my own mind from the beginning I wondered why the charge of third degree murder was added. It was not in the initial charges, but was added with the okay from Judge Peter Cahill at a late date . . . if I am not mistaken, it was added after jury selection had started. Why? Again from my perspective,using common sense, there is only one reason why the third degree murder charge was added. Namely the prosecution must have felt that the evidence related to the second degree charges was not strong enough for a conviction.
For what it’s worth, I was once on a jury. The case was also a second-degree murder case, and initially we twelve jurors were not unanimous. There was only one charge (not three different charges), and it took us three days to arrive at a unanimous guilty verdict . . . three days and a lot of discussion – not an hour and forty-five minutes.
Rumor has it that there was initially one “holdout.” Once wonders if there was an initial secret ballot, or was the “holdout” immediately identified and possibly chastised. It did not take long for he/she to be convinced to change his/her mind. One wonders how much of this “convincing” was done by #52.
Without question there are lots of potential reasons for an appeal . . . no sequestration of the jurors; no change of venue; the protesting and the near riots in nearby Brooklyn Center over the shooting of Daunte Wright; Maxine Waters (D,CA) flying in from Washington D.C. and telling people to “stay in the streets” and “get more confrontational” if Chauvin was not convicted of murder; President Biden chiming in that he hoped the jury would do the right thing.
Nonetheless despite these many reasons for a potential mistrial or a successful appeal of the verdict, by far the most egregious involves juror #52.