“An alternate juror in Derek Chauvin’s trial told reporters Thursday that Dr. Martin Tobin, the soft-spoken doctor who explained how George Floyd died, convinced her of the former police officer’s guilt,” CNN reported on April 22, 2021 (read story here).
Lisa Christensen (photo, left) said, “I appreciate him explaining it in the way that all of us could understand it. I understood what he was saying. I thought it was very powerful — probably the most important witness they had. I feel like he could actually point out, going through the video, saying, ‘Hey … right here is where Mr. Floyd lost his life.”
Tobin, “a pulmonologist who studies the physiology of breathing, testified that Floyd died of low oxygen due to Chauvin’s restraint,” CNN said, adding, “Christensen praised the way he narrated key, specific moments in the video that might have otherwise been missed.
Christensen, as an alternate, didn’t participate in the deliberations, but said she would have found him guilty. “Her comments are the first public indication of what jurors … thought of the case” and her “analysis also fits neatly with what court viewers and legal analysts said” about which witnesses had the most impact, CNN said.
Christiansen also suggested the now-famous video taken by Darnella Frazier, a teenaged bystander, of Floyd’s killing by Chauvin made the guilty verdict possible — a view subscribed to by some media commentators. She also expressed that she didn’t understand why Floyd’s attempt to pass a fake $20 bill at a convenience store resulted in his death at the hands of police.