Girls Gone Wild creator Joe Francis is eating his words after calling a jury who found him guilty of imprisoning three women in his home “retarded” and that they should be “euthanized."
According to LA Times. following Francis' guilty verdict he sat down with The Hollywood Reporter where he lashed out the verdict saying that the group of jurors should be “shot dead.”
"I want that jury to know that each and every one of you are mentally f--ing retarded and you should be euthanized because, as Darwin said, you have naturally selected yourself," Francis ranted at the time. "You are the weakest members of the herd. Goodbye! And if that jury wants to convict me because I didn't show up, which is the only reason why they did, then, you know, they should all be lined up and shot!”
Now Francis is eating his words and issuing a formal apology.
“I deeply regret the remarks attributed to me in the interview with the Hollywood Reporter," Francis begins in his statement which was released Wednesday. "They were hurtful and do not reflect my true feelings.”
LA Times notes that Francis plans to appeal the courts decision to find him guilty on three counts of false imprisonment, one count of persuade a witness from calling authorities and one count of causing bodily harm from assault which stems from a previous event.
Francis expressed that he was interviewed by THR for six hours, and his attorney was interviewed for three hours but that the outlet opted to not use his quotes which Francis states could have helped him be acquitted on the charges.
“All that was publicized were my most intemperate remarks that were borne out of frustration but with no intent to cause anyone harm," he explained. "I am not, nor have I ever been a violent person. My comments are appalling, but anyone who has ever been wrongfully convicted of a crime that they did NOT commit would be as frustrated as I am."
image: Joe Francis Twitter