When Officer Jeronimo Yanez was acquitted in the fatal shooting of black motorist Philando Castile, a question on the mind of every reporter in the courtroom was this: How did jurors reach their verdict?
One of those reporters, Minneapolis’ Amy Forliti, had been laying the groundwork to answer that question for two weeks. Her efforts paid off with The Associated Press getting the first interview with a juror – critical insight into a case that had generated global interest since millions of people saw the aftermath of Castile's death from his girlfriend's livestream on Facebook.
Forliti started preparing for the scoop during the jury-selection process.
St. Anthony police officer Jeronimo Yanez, charged in the fatal shooting of black motorist Philando Castile, stands outside the county courthouse in St. Paul, Minn., May 30, 2017.
David Joles / Star Tribune via AP
While the names of the jurors were not released, some information dribbled out during attorneys’ questioning.
In the case of juror Dennis Ploussard, lawyers asked him how he pronounced his name. What he said wasn’t clear from where Forliti sat, but she thought she heard “Ploussard” or “Bloussard.”
Other details came out, such as his church, his neighborhood and a court case he had been involved in. And she was able to make a guess at his age.
Armed with all that information, Forliti did Nexis searches that identified him and provided a home address, a phone number and his wife's name. The News Research Center’s Rhonda Shafner couldn’t find a cell number for Ploussard, but found a cell listed for his wife.
Something about the juror's demeanor in court suggested to Forliti that he might be receptive to talking to a reporter.
Ploussard was one of four who deliberated the case who Forliti was able to identify through her reporting. Something about his demeanor in court suggested to her that he might be receptive to talking to a reporter. So, after the verdict was read, Forliti asked colleague Steve Karnowski to go after jurors while she pursued other reporting, starting with Ploussard. He left a message at the home number, then tried the cell listed for the wife.
Ploussard’s daughter picked up, and Karnowski persuaded her to give him her father’s cell number.
Valerie Castile, mother of Philando Castile, points to the sky during a news conference outside the county courthouse in St. Paul, Minn., June 16, 2017, after police officer Jeronimo Yanez was cleared in the fatal shooting of Philando Castile, a black motorist whose death captured national attention when his girlfriend streamed the grim aftermath on Facebook.
Evan Frost / Minnesota Public Radio via AP
John Thompson, who said he was a close friend of Philando Castile, protests during a demonstration, June 18, 2017, in St. Anthony, Minn. The protesters marched against the acquittal of police officer Jeronimo Yanez, who was found not guilty of manslaughter for shooting Castile during a traffic stop.
Richard Tsong-Taatarii / Star Tribune via AP
Demonstrators block an interstate off-ramp in Minneapolis, Minn., June 17. 2017, during a protest in response to the acquittal of police officer Jeronimo Yanez in the fatal shooting of Philando Castile during a 2016 traffic stop.
Aaron Lavinsky / Star Tribune via AP
Family and friends surround Valerie Castile, the mother Philando Castile, as she walks out of the courthouse on June 16, 2017, in St. Paul, Minn., after police officer Jeronimo Yanez was found not guilty on all counts in the shooting death of Philando Castile.
Elizabeth Flores / Star Tribune via AP
In this image made from a July 6, 2016 video captured by a camera in the squad car of St. Anthony Police officer Jeronimo Yanez, the Minnesota police officer is shown at left after shooting into the vehicle, killing motorist Philando Castile during a traffic stop in Falcon Heights, Minn.
St. Anthony Police Department via AP
Marchers walk along Interstate 94 in St. Paul, Minn., June 16, 2017, after a vigil at the state Capitol following the acquittal of police officer Jeronimo Yanez in the fatal shooting of Philando Castile.
David Joles / Star Tribune via AP
Protesters walk along a street after a vigil outside the state Capitol in St. Paul, Minn., June 16, 2017, following the acquittal of police officer Jeronimo Yanez in the fatal shooting of black motorist Philando Castile.
David Joles / Star Tribune via AP
Karnowski’s subsequent interview provided insight in AP's story that no one else had: The jury had been split 10-2 earlier in the week in favor of an acquittal, and neither of the two jurors who favored conviction was black. Members of the panel spent a lot of time dissecting the “culpable negligence” requirement for a conviction.
As Forliti and Karnowski covered protests following the verdict, reporters from other outlets asked Forliti how AP got the juror.
For the next several hours as Forliti and Karnowski covered protests that followed the verdict, several reporters from other outlets came up to Forliti and asked how AP got the juror.
For smart reporting and strong execution that put the AP ahead on a competitive aspect of a competitive story, Forliti and Karnowski win this week’s $300 Best of the States prize.