On Wednesday morning, Jordan Davis‘ parents sat down with Good Morning America’s Robin Roberts to discuss the Michael Dunn murder verdict and the next step in obtaining justice for the killing of their son.
Lucia McBath and Ron Davis, accompanied by their lawyer John Phillips, revealed what they thought of the jury’s decision to convict Dunn on three counts of attempted murder, and one count of shooting into an occupied vehicle, but deadlocking on the murder one charge in the fatal shooting of Jordan.
“We now know they were torn,” McBath said.
“These people are torn because of jury instruction and not the case I believe,” replied Davis. “In Florida, you have the Stand Your Ground instruction even though the defense, they don’t actually file for stand your ground. It’s in the instruction for self-defense and that confuses juries.”
Valerie, otherwise know as Juror 4, came forward during an ABC Nightline interview on Wednesday, revealing the jury was split over the issue of self-defense on the murder charge. Valerie said the jury’s first vote was 10-2 in favor of a murder conviction. Over nearly 30 hours of deliberations, the vote became 9-3.
She also told Nightline that she was one of the nine that believed Dunn was guilty of first-degree murder.
Following the 9-3 split, family attorney John Phillips told Roberts that the prosecution did the best they could. They did not, however, present enough character evidence.
“The jury didn’t know Jordan,” Phillips said.
But McBath, once and for all, cleared that up:
“Jordan was just, as people say, the life of the party. He had a wonderful sense of humor. Just very intuitive, very wise…very compassionate child. Very sensitive. He was very inclusive, always wanted to include everyone.”
Now, both McBath and Davis are left to cope with the fact that Dunn was not convicted of the charge, meaning he will spend no time behind bars for shooting their son in November 2012 during an argument that was fueled by loud music. He is expected to serve 60+ years in jail for the other convictions.
However, with faith, Jordan’s parents told Roberts that justice will come.
“The justice in the court system is not the ultimate justice, God gives you justice…God is the ultimate justice,” Davis said. “I do think those [Stand Your Ground] laws have to be rewritten and I’m going to be one to continue to fight to have Stand your Ground laws rewritten.”
“Justice for Jordan will ultimately be when we change the laws,” McBath added.
Davis continued, adding that the two are in constant contact with another family who lost their teenager under Florida’s controversial legislation.
“Anytime I get justice for Jordan, it’ll be justice for Trayvon.”
Watch the rest of their interview above.
SOURCE: ABC | VIDEO SOURCE: ABC
