Jury statement

Judge Melville read the following statement from the 12 jurors in court:

“We, the members of the jury, feel the pressure of the eyes of people around the world upon us, and we examined the evidence and testimony in full and with great care. And by following the relevant laws and rules, we reached this verdict with confidence. We hope this verdict reflects the truth and our fair judicial system.”

The 12 jurors, along with 8 alternate jurors, answered reporters’ questions in a press conference outside the courtroom.

A 79-year-old woman said: “We looked at the evidence and we almost agreed on it together.”

Another juror, a 63-year-old man, said that during the time they were deciding this case, they agreed to completely ignore Michael’s global position and reputation.

“One of our first decisions was that we had to look at him like an ordinary person.”