Everybody hates embattled pharmaceutical exec and troll Martin Shkreli – and if it wasn’t clear in Internet comments sections, it’s even more clear in the hilarious recently-released transcripts from his jury selection.
The man who is often referred to as “Pharmabro” was convicted on three of eight counts of federal fraud. But before the trial, according to Harper’s magazine, more than 200 potential jurors were excused from the trial because of their admitted biases toward him.
There’s plenty of reason to hate the guy: the former CEO of Turing Pharmaceuticals has been a walking symbol of hate for numerous reasons. For starters, as a pharmaceutical exec, he raised the cost of a life-saving AIDS-related drug from $13.50 per pill to $750. And hip-hop fans have specific beef with him. He made an offer to Kanye West to buy the exclusive rights to The Life of Pablo, bought (and leaked portions of) the only available copy of Wu-Tang Clan’s $1 million album with a livestream, and managed to get his handson Lil Wayne’s Tha Carter V. He even beefed with Ghostface Killah, and appeared on The Breakfast Club to talk about it.
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The Harper’s piece, titled “Public Enemy,” unveils transcript excerpts from potential jurors for the Shkreli trial – and, pardon this writer’s hyperbole but, it’s some of the most beautiful pieces of literature you’ll see this week. While he (and everyone) awaits his sentence, read below for a selection of some of the most poignant, brutal, and hilarious responses given from the rejected jurors.
Juror No. 52: When I walked in here today I looked at him, and in my head, that’s a snake — not knowing who he was. I just walked in and looked right at him and that’s a snake.
Juror No. 47: He’s the most hated man in America. In my opinion, he equates with Bernie Madoff with the drugs for pregnant women going from $15 to $750. My parents are in their eighties. They’re struggling to pay for their medication. My mother was telling me yesterday how my father’s cancer drug is $9,000 a month.
Juror No. 125: I’ve read extensively about Martin’s shameful past and his ripping off sick people and it hits close to me. I have a mother with epilepsy, a grandmother with Alzheimer’s, and a brother with multiple sclerosis. I think somebody that’s dealt in those things deserves to go to jail.
Juror No. 28: I don’t like this person at all. I just can’t understand why he would be so stupid as to take an antibiotic which H.I.V. people need and jack it up five thousand percent. I would honestly, like, seriously like to go over there —
Juror No. 144: I heard through the news of how the defendant changed the price of a pill by up-selling it. I heard he bought an album from the Wu-Tang Clan for a million dollars.
Juror No. 144: I don’t think I can [decided this case with an open mind] because he kind of looks like a dick.
Juror No. 59: It’s my attitude toward his entire demeanor, what he has done to people.
(The Court: All right. We are going to excuse you, sir.)
Juror No. 59: And he disrespected the Wu-Tang Clan.
Juror No. 77: I believe the defendant is the face of corporate greed in America. You’d have to convince me he was innocent rather than guilty.
Juror No. 41: I was looking yesterday in the newspaper and I saw the defendant. There was something about him. I can’t be fair. There was something that didn’t look right.