A juror in Florida's controversial "loud music" shooting trial came forward Tuesday, Feb. 18, revealing three jurors ultimately believed Michael Dunn was justified in the death of 17-year-old Jordan Davis at a Florida gas station in 2012.
Valerie, who says she voted in the deliberating room to convict Dunn for killing the unarmed teen, told ABC she believed the 47-year-old software developer got away with murder after the jury deadlocked on the first-degree charge.
In the first poll taken among jurors after the case was in their hands, Valerie said 10 voted to convict, while two believed he acted in self-defense. One juror later changed their opinion and sided with the defense, she said.
"[The jury instructions] said if he believed that he had an eminent threat to himself or his fiancée, so that was a thing that those two folks believed — he was frightened and there was no other option for him in regards to Mr. Davis," Valerie said. "The rest of us were 100% sure, you didn't have to react [with gunfire], you could have had another option."
While many outside the court believed the shooting was racially charged, Valerie said it did not appear that way to jurors.
"Sitting in that room it was never presented that way, we looked at it as a bad situation where teenagers were together and words were spoken and lines were crossed," she said.
Dunn was convicted Saturday on three counts of attempted murder for shooting at the other teenagers in the car and another count for firing his weapon. He could face up to 75 years in jail at a sentencing next month for the convictions.
Florida State Attorney Angela Corey said after the verdict that her office would retry Dunn for first-degree murder.