‘I felt he was guilty’: Alternate juror in Derek Chauvin trial speaks out, reveals which witness ‘really did it for me’
One of the two alternate jurors who watched the entire murder trial of Derek Chauvin but did not participate in the deliberations said she was happy with the jury’s decision to convict the ex-Minneapolis cop for murdering George Floyd.
“I felt he was guilty,” Lisa Christensen told CBS News in an interview that aired Thursday.
“I just felt like the prosecution made a really good, strong argument,” she said, adding that the defense “over-promised” during opening statements and failed to convince her of Chauvin’s innocence.
Christensen was one of two women who were selected as alternates in case any of the 12 jurors had to leave the trial for some reason. The pair sat through each minute of the three-week trial but were excused after closing arguments on Monday.
Among the 45 witnesses who testified in the Hennepin County District Court, Christensen said it was a lung and critical care doctor who had the most impact on her. Dr. Martin Tobin, a world-renowned expert on breathing, testified that Floyd died from a lack of oxygen, or asphyxia, and even showed the jury the exact second in the viral video of the fatal arrest where he believes “life goes out” of Floyd’s body.
“Dr. Tobin was the one that really did it for me,” Christensen said. “He explained everything. I understood it down to where he said this is the moment that he lost his life — [it] really got to me.”
Chauvin, who knelt on Floyd’s neck for more than nine minutes last spring, was found guilty Tuesday of second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter following about 10 hours of jury deliberations. The verdict was met with relief and cheers in the streets of Minneapolis, which had been filled with Minnesota National Guard troops in anticipation of possible civil unrest.
Christensen, who was known as Juror #96, said she was initially concerned about being part of a case that had drawn so much attention.
“I was worried about, you know, whatever the verdict may be if some people felt strongly on one side, other people felt strongly on the other side. So no matter what, I felt like somebody wasn’t going to be happy,” she told Jamie Yuccas on “CBS This Morning.”
Christensen lives in Brooklyn Center, the Minneapolis suburb where 20-year-old Black man Daunte Wright was killed by police last week, but she said the protests sparked by his death did not influence her opinion on Chauvin.
Christensen said she locked eyes with the ex-cop a few times during the trial, which she said was “pretty uncomfortable.” She said Chauvin appeared to know what he was doing when pinned Floyd to the ground.
“I felt like he was the leader, and the other officers were following his lead,” Christensen said. “I kind of felt like he wasn’t taking the warnings seriously.”
Christensen also said she “teared up a couple of times” while watching the graphic footage of Floyd’s death and feels bad for Darnella Frazier, the teenage girl who recorded the incident with her phone.
“I really felt that she felt guilty for not doing more and she feels responsible in a way…” Christensen told CBS News. “But I commend her on taking the video because, without her, I don’t think this would have been possible.”
The names of the 12 jurors who delivered the guilty verdicts will be made public once Judge Peter Cahill, who presided over the trial, decides it’s safe to do so.
