Zimmerman trial juror names won't be released right away, judge says

SANFORD, Fla. — A judge decided Monday that the names of jurors in the George Zimmerman trial will not be made public right away.

During the trial, jurors are not shown but the question came as to whether they would be identified. Also part of the hearing was the question of how long after a verdict is reached will the judge wait before released the names?

The defense asked Monday that juror names be kept secret for as long as a year. The prosecutor agreed that they should not be made public for as long as possible.

Judge Debra Nelson granted a motion to keep the names of the jurors secret after there's a verdict in the trial.

“I am going to keep them confidential, I just don't know for how long,” said Nelson.

Zimmerman is accused in the shooting death of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin. He claims he shot Martin in self-defense and has pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder charges.

By not releasing the jurors’ names, Nelson would keep the media from immediately bombarding them once the trial is over.

Throughout the jury selection process, a number of potential jurors talked about concerns for their safety.

The names of the 12 jurors who found Casey Anthony not guilty of murdering her daughter, Caylee, two years ago in Orange County were kept confidential for 3 1/2 months.

A few of them, including nurse Jennifer Ford, went public right away, doing interviews on national television, but others stayed silent, never going public with their thoughts on the case.

Several months ago, one of the Anthony jurors said jury members had all agreed not to do any more interviews because of the ongoing threats.

WFTV