Aaron Hernandez Jury
The jury that sentenced Aaron Hernandez to life in prison on Wednesday want the world to know that they gave the ex-New England Patriots star a fair trial.
The seven women and five men who voted to find the 25-year-old guilty of murder this week say it was a heart-wrenching decision, but one they made in confidence.
On Thursday, the jury and alternate jurors sat down with Anderson Cooper to talk about the trial that has consumed their lives for the past three months.
When asked if they knew who Hernandez was before the trial started, most raised their hands. However, they maintained that Hernandez's notoriety didn't have an impact on their decision.
'It doesn't matter how much money you have or how much money you make. We're all people, and we're all equal, and we all deserve the same fair trial, and that's what we wanted to make sure we gave him,' juror Jon Carlson said.
Only one juror, Rosalie Oliver, didn't know of the tight end who had a $40million contract with the local NFL team. On the other side of the spectrum is juror Kelly Dorsey - a lifelong Patriots fan, who watches the team every Sunday during football season.
While most of the group said that they had no interaction with Hernandez during the trial, Dorsey says she locked eyes with him on Wednesday as the verdict was being read.
Sentencing Hernandez was no easy decision to come to for the jury who heard from 130 witnesses and reviewed 400 pieces of evidence since the trial started at the end of January.
The group deliberated for 35 hours over the course of a week, and decided that certain aspects of victim Odin Lloyd's killing warranted a life in prison without the possibility of parole sentence - the highest sentence possible in the state of Massachusetts where the death penalty is outlawed.
The jurors will now be allowed to return to their day jobs, but they say the time they spent on the jury will stay with them forever.
Oliver and other jurors say friends have been calling them up to congratulate them after the verdict - something that has left them speechless.
Listening to the arguments and giving a verdict, is a real challenge for the Jurors. But they do a very good job. Likewise, let us give the responsibility to the Electors; they will certainly elect the best President and the Vice-President.
In the Judicial System, they have a clear procedure and process to select the Jury. It does effectively work. Now, let us establish a process to elect the 53 Electors for California.
In the Judicial System, either the victim or the accused have any associations with the Jury. Jury are no way related or connected to the victim or the accused in the case.
But, in the current election process, the candidates nominate 55 Electors for California.
It would be ridiculous, if victim or the accused give the list of names for the Jury.
Let us not take any list of 55 Electors from any presidential candidate; at least for California.
Let the people of California elect the 53 Electors from congressional districts. Let the November election be - all about the 53 Electors; not about any individuals.
Let the people of California delegate their responsibility to the 53 Electors to elect the President of United States.
If Jury could act with total responsibility, the Electors also will act with greater responsibility.
The Jury refused to let money and fame came into their decision. The Electors also will not let money and fame come into their decision.
Let the people of United States elect 538 Electors and empower the Electors to elect the President of United States.
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