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CNN Live Event/Special

Juror From Durst Trial Speaks

Aired November 11, 2003 - 13:02   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRSPODNENT: Those seven jurors still inside the courthouse. We are told we can listen in a little bit as these jurors continue to answer questions from the news media.
DEBORAH WARREN, JUROR: Before I say anything, I want to share my sentiments, like Chris and Joanne (ph) did, that the prosecuter did the best that they could with what they had. They picked 12 people back in December, really 14, but it was 12 of us to decide a verdict -- August. I don't know. I don't even know where I'm at.

But when we went in that room on Wednesday afternoon, that was the worst day of my life, because i've never served on a jury before, and I never realized how important it was to come to a verdict. But what we had to do is, we had to lay that green paper down on that table, and that paper served as a Bible to us to decide this man's fate. There were people that cried. There were people that fussed and argued. We demonstrated. We had paper all around the room. We asked Chris not to point the gun at us. I mean, it was -- it was just -- it was -- I can't even begin to tell you.

My stomach is still knotted up. But we did the best with what we had. And whether it agreed to you all or to anyone else out there in America, this is what we came up with.

For some jurors, it played a big part. For some of them, it did. I tell you the truth, when I came here for my verdict, I asked them, I didn't think you could have a case without a head. I thought you needed the whole body, me, but they said you can still have a trial without the head.

The thing that really had people in a puzzlement is the moment Durst walked into that apartment, what is it that escalated to this point, if they were friends. This was the biggest question, what is it that it got to this point? And like I said, we demonstrated, we came up with all kind of could have been, should have been, would have been, but we still kept going back to what was presented to us as jurors.

Because it was important to know whether or not where the clip was. And then we found out that a bullet could still be lodged into the gun, even though the clip was not in there.

Well, I'm not the gun expert. But we had some jurors that are gun experts and knew about .22s. They're not experts, but they knew -- they had experience with guns and they knew how guns operated, as far as .22s. They knew that once the gun had been shot, that another bullet had lodged into the gun. Well, that goes back to the state's witnesses. You know, you had one heard one pop, one didn't hear but two pops. You know, it was just discrepancy. One said it was around when "All My Children," was on, and then we said, he had to be trotting to Charmers to get the material he needed because the receipts there said 12-17. So, you know, it was a lot of things that we -- we didn't take this lightly.

My heart goes out to them, because I put myself in the position when I took this oath to come in here, that if this was my loved one, as far as Mr. Durst sitting on this side of the table or if that was my loved one as far as Mr. Black's family. So I took it very serious, and I feel very, very sorry for the Black family.

But as I said in the jury room, a dead man can't talk. We took Durst's testimony out of it, and we went strictly with facts.

LAVANDERA: This is juror Deborah Warren speaking to the news media.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com






Aired November 11, 2003 - 13:02   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRSPODNENT: Those seven jurors still inside the courthouse. We are told we can listen in a little bit as these jurors continue to answer questions from the news media.
DEBORAH WARREN, JUROR: Before I say anything, I want to share my sentiments, like Chris and Joanne (ph) did, that the prosecuter did the best that they could with what they had. They picked 12 people back in December, really 14, but it was 12 of us to decide a verdict -- August. I don't know. I don't even know where I'm at.

But when we went in that room on Wednesday afternoon, that was the worst day of my life, because i've never served on a jury before, and I never realized how important it was to come to a verdict. But what we had to do is, we had to lay that green paper down on that table, and that paper served as a Bible to us to decide this man's fate. There were people that cried. There were people that fussed and argued. We demonstrated. We had paper all around the room. We asked Chris not to point the gun at us. I mean, it was -- it was just -- it was -- I can't even begin to tell you.

My stomach is still knotted up. But we did the best with what we had. And whether it agreed to you all or to anyone else out there in America, this is what we came up with.

For some jurors, it played a big part. For some of them, it did. I tell you the truth, when I came here for my verdict, I asked them, I didn't think you could have a case without a head. I thought you needed the whole body, me, but they said you can still have a trial without the head.

The thing that really had people in a puzzlement is the moment Durst walked into that apartment, what is it that escalated to this point, if they were friends. This was the biggest question, what is it that it got to this point? And like I said, we demonstrated, we came up with all kind of could have been, should have been, would have been, but we still kept going back to what was presented to us as jurors.

Because it was important to know whether or not where the clip was. And then we found out that a bullet could still be lodged into the gun, even though the clip was not in there.

Well, I'm not the gun expert. But we had some jurors that are gun experts and knew about .22s. They're not experts, but they knew -- they had experience with guns and they knew how guns operated, as far as .22s. They knew that once the gun had been shot, that another bullet had lodged into the gun. Well, that goes back to the state's witnesses. You know, you had one heard one pop, one didn't hear but two pops. You know, it was just discrepancy. One said it was around when "All My Children," was on, and then we said, he had to be trotting to Charmers to get the material he needed because the receipts there said 12-17. So, you know, it was a lot of things that we -- we didn't take this lightly.

My heart goes out to them, because I put myself in the position when I took this oath to come in here, that if this was my loved one, as far as Mr. Durst sitting on this side of the table or if that was my loved one as far as Mr. Black's family. So I took it very serious, and I feel very, very sorry for the Black family.

But as I said in the jury room, a dead man can't talk. We took Durst's testimony out of it, and we went strictly with facts.

LAVANDERA: This is juror Deborah Warren speaking to the news media.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com