6 Places You Could Find the Zimmerman Jury Outside the Courtroom

Having to be whisked away from your family and personal life to become a member of a sequestered jury can be mentally taxing. You would likely be stressed by the daunting task you had ahead of you, frustrated by being cut off from the outside world, and displeased that every move you make is being monitored. 

Luckily, the authorities would make sure that your time in juryland would not be too shabby. Especially in the case of the Zimmerman trial jury, which the sheriff's office spent an estimated $33,000 on during the jury's 22 days in sequestration.

Complain as you please about the verdict, but the jury had a tough decision to make and especially for all the grief they will receive about the outcome of the trial, the trips and treatments they received were sufficient for the time being.

Here are some places you could have spotted the jury outside the courtroom during sequestration time.

1. Outback Steakhouse

The jury was reported to have dined here together. Did they start off with some Crab Stuffed Mushrooms and then go for some Ribs and Chicken on the Barbie? We may never know, unless someone digs deeper and publishes a list of the top 10 things the jurors ate in sequestration. 

2. Ripley’s Believe It Or Not Museum

From looking at life-size figures of celebrities to other displays of oddities, visiting the Ripley’s Believe It or Not Museum is a fun way to pass the time, and this was one of the places the jury took a mini-field trip to. This is not an extravagant trip to take, but it gave the jury something to do.

3. A Nail Salon

The jury reportedly went to a nail salon to get manicures and pedicures done, which is another thing that people have complained about. "Oh, how DARE they let the sheriff’s office spend money on giving the jurors beautiful and clean nails!" some might whine. Most places often offer $20-25 deals on mani/pedi combos, so in the grand scheme of things, the fact that the jury took a trip to the nail salon is nothing to complain about. Even if these treatments were a little more expensive, they certainly would not cost an arm and a leg.

4. A Bowling Alley

I do not know if it is normal for most bowling alleys to smell like tobacco (at least all of them I have been to in Texas do), but even for someone who dislikes the smell and needs the gutters blocked to get anything accomplished, going to a bowling alley can still be pretty fun way to get out. However, these places are usually not lavish or glamorous. Looking at the other activities the jury did during sequestration, the women were not really out living the high life but just getting entertained.

5. Some Hotel

Jury members obviously could not stay at home during sequestration and the sheriff's office obviously had to get them set up at a hotel. With the hotel costing $1,000 daily, just getting the jury a place to stay turned out to be the largest expense. Hotels are expensive and there were six jury members so the costs make sense. The public should not be hating on the sheriff’s office just because it did not send the jury to a cheap old roach-infested joint. 

6. A Movie Theater

"Jurors also went to the movies to see World War Z, the sheriff's office reported. The Lone Ranger. All movies viewed were preapproved by the court." The Lone Ranger, a RACIST movie, was approved by the court, allowing the jurors to channel their inner racists? I would not be surprised to see a statement like this somewhere on an article. But there are just some things that really do not need to be analyzed.