Business & Tech

UPDATE: Local Book Agent Cancels Zimmerman Juror Book Deal

Mercer Island-based Martin Literary Management announced the deal was terminated, citing an interview on Anderson Cooper 360 and concerns that the juror had over the controversial nature and "depth of pain" the public felt after the verdict.

Just hours after announcing a book deal with a juror in the controversial George Zimmerman murder trial, local literary agent Martin Literary Management announced the deal was terminated, citing concerns that the juror had over the controversial nature and "depth of pain" the public felt after the verdict.

"I decided to rescind my offer of representation after watching Juror B37 on Anderson Cooper 360," said Sharlene Martin, president of the agency. "I believe I made a grave error in judgment in wanting to represent this story. Shortly after the show aired, I reached out to B37 and suggested we terminate our book representation agreement."

"I believe that freedom of speech is a basic important constitutional right and the First Amendment gives us the right to use our words in a respectful manner."

Zimmerman Juror B37 and her husband agreed and then offered the following statement:

"I realize it was necessary for our jury to be sequestered in order to (protect) our verdict from unfair outside influence, but that isolation shielded me from the depth of pain that exists among the general public over every aspect of this case. The potential book was always intended to be a respectful observation of the trial from my and my husband's perspectives solely and it was to be an observation that our "system" of justice can get so complicated that it creates a conflict with our "spirit" of justice.

Now that I am returned to my family and to society in general, I have realized that the best direction for me to go is away from writing any sort of book and return instead to my life as it was before I was called to sit on this jury."

...

Original Post, Monday, July 15 at 12 p.m.:
Mercer Island, WA-based literary agency Martin Literary Management announced it had signed a deal Monday with one of the six jurors in the Trayvon Martin case to explain why the all-women panel had "no option" but to find accused defendant George Zimmerman not guilty of murder.

The firm's president, Sharlene Martin, said in a statement on Monday that the juror wanted to write the book with her husband, who is also an attorney.

"This is a highly controversial and important case that affects many aspects of the law:  “Stand Your Ground,” gun control laws, and of course race relations in the United States,” Martin said.

On Saturday, the jury found Zimmerman, a former neighborhood watchman, not guilty of second-degree murder and manslaughter in the February 26, 2012 shooting death of Martin, who was 17.

Jurors declined to comment after the verdict, and their identities have remained anonymous under a judge's order, according to Reuters.

The news agency reported that the Florida woman signing the book deal with Martin, Juror B37, is a mother of two who grew up in a military family and used to have a permit to carry a concealed weapon.

Martin said the juror's book "could open a whole new dialogue about laws that may need to be revised and revamped to suit a 21st-century way of life."

"The reader will also learn why the jurors had no option but to find Zimmerman not guilty due to the manner in which he was charged and the content of the jury instructions," Martin said.

According to the statement, Juror B37 and her husband reached out to Martin on Sunday after being referred by a high ranking producer at one of the morning shows. They will begin the process of working on a book proposal and submitting it to interested publishers. It is not known whether they will participate in any media at this time or decide to reveal their identities given the sensitivity of the verdict and the outpouring of mixed reactions by the American public.

Over the years, Martin has signed book deals about several high-profile newsmakers, including "IF I DID" by the Goldman Family concerning the OJ Simpson trial, NY Times Bestseller "IMPOSSIBLE ODDS: The Kidnapping of Jessica Buchanan and Her Dramatic Rescue by SEAL Team Six", and "Honor Bound", by Raffaele Sollecito, a co-defendant with Seattle resident Amanda Knox in the 2007 murder of fellow student Meredith Kercher in Perugia, Italy, and "PICTURE PERFECT: The Jodi Arias Story".












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