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6 Months After The Trial, Judge Releases Names Of Jurors Who Convicted Derek Chauvin

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- The names of jurors in the Derek Chauvin murder trial have been released Monday after a petition by the media.

In a CNN exclusive interview, seven jury members said their guilty verdict in the death of George Floyd was based solely on the evidence.

Now, six months after convicted Chauvin, the names of all twelve jurors and the two alternates have been made public, along with their jury questionnaires.

According to the court documents, the identities of the sworn jurors include:

- Joseph Tillman, Juror No. 2
- Journee Howard, Juror No. 9
- Tyler Burkhardt, Juror No. 19 (Jury Foreperson)
- Abel Sessofia, Juror No. 27
- Nicole Spader, Juror No. 44
- Brandon Mitchell, Juror No. 52
- Jodi Doud, Juror No. 55
- Tossa Edorh, Juror No. 79
- Tiffany Schultz, Juror No. 85
- Kelly Tapper, Juror No. 89
- Sherri Hardeman, Juror No. 91
- Kelly Preston, Juror No. 92

The sworn alternates included:

- Lisa Christensen, Juror No. 96 (Alternate No. 1)
- Nichole Williams, Juror No. 118 (Alternate No. 2)

Another potential juror was chosen as an alternate, but was excused before jury was sworn at the beginning of the trial.

Before CNN's interview, two jurors and one alternate had come forward.

In an interview with WCCO shortly after the conviction on April 20, juror Brandon Mitchell shared the mental toll sitting in the courtroom had on him, saying that "you're watching somebody die every day over and over again on video. You're watching somebody die on instant replay, in real life."

But Mitchell said he felt the responsibility, as a young Black man, to be in the deliberation room. The key testimony for him came from Dr. Martin Tobin, a lung and breathing expert, who said that a healthy person would have died if they were restrained as Floyd was: lying prone, in handcuffs and with a knee pressed against his neck and back.

Alternate juror Lisa Christensen also came forward after the conviction, saying Tobin's testimony, as well as eyewitness accounts were key to the prosecution's case.

WCCO spoke again with Mitchell on Thursday. He says he wanted to help other jurors deal with the spotlight they are about to experience.

"I was there, helped put it together," Mitchell said.

He says inside the deliberation room, jurors were so focused on the judge's instruction that race was never the issue.

Mitchell says all jurors agreed that the verdicts were not based solely on what Chauvin did — but also on what he did not do.

"There was a knee on the neck, there was something going on there, but also once this man is unconscious, the lack of care for this person, the lack of, there's no CPR, there's no type of anything to revive this human being," Mitchell said.

Every member of the diverse group that sent Chauvin to prison for 22 ½ years is nervous about their names and images being shared around the globe.

Chauvin is appealing his 22-year sentence. He also faces a federal trial on charges alleging he violated Floyd's civil rights by pinning him to the pavement with his knee.

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