Juror B-29: Mother of 8 is new to Seminole County

Five mothers sit in as jurors in the George Zimmerman trial

SANFORD, Fla. – The only woman of color sworn in as a juror in the George Zimmerman trial Thursday is being identified as juror B-29. Her ethnicity is unclear.

"We understand she is Hispanic," Attorney Benjamin Crump said Thursday. Defense attorney Mark O'Mara said she was black, but her ethnicity was not on the record. In court, Prosecutor Bernie de la Rionda identified her as "black" but was unsure if she was Hispanic.

She is also one of the two jurors who did not live in Seminole County when Zimmerman killed Trayvon Martin Feb. 26, 2012. She moved from Chicago four months ago, so she said she was not familiar with the case.

"I just remember people selling T-shirts and some kid died," she said.

"In Chicago, we have a lot of crime."

About 506 people were murdered in Chicago last year, according to crime statistics. It was an increase from 433 in 2011.

She is one of the five mothers serving as jurors. The mother of eight told the court she has been married for 10 years and most of her children are under the age of 18.

"Any mother wouldn't want to do that," she said during a June 10 interview. She will be away from her family for the duration of the trial.

She works nights as a nurse in an Alzheimer's ward. When she is not watching reality TV, she is checking her Facebook. She only watches local news for the weather updates.

During an interview June 17, the churchgoer said she was going to struggle with making a decision.

"This is not an easy decision regardless of how this goes," she said.