Hundreds of prospective jurors have been summoned to a Georgia courthouse Monday to trial three white men accused of killing Black jogger Ahmaud Arbery in a shooting sparked a national outcry.
The graphic video of the 25-year old’s death was shared on social media and fuelled Black Lives Matter protests across the country. Greg McMichael’s father and Travis McMichael’s son, and William McMichael’s neighbor “Roddie” Bryan were charged with malice and felony murder, aggravated attack, false imprisonment, and criminal attempted to commit false imprisonment.
They have pleaded guilty.
Jury selection was scheduled to be Monday in the town of Brunswick, where 1,000 people were mailed summonses by Glynn County court officials to appear for jury duty in a trial dominated by race issues, self-defense arguments, and the power of cellphone videos.
Travis McMichael (35) shot Arbery in the head with three shots fired in February 2020. Greg McMichael (65) stated that Travis shot Arbery in self-defense. He believed Arbery was a suspect in the burglary. Bryan, 52, recorded the video and allegedly hit Arbery using his truck. He was following a chase through the neighborhood, initiated by McMichaels.
The shooting was completed, and the men were allowed to go. They were not arrested until video footage surfaced online months later.
The footage, and the delay in making arrests, pushed Arbery’s death into the national spotlight, illuminating the killings of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor. Protests against how the law enforces and treats Black Americans sparked by these slayings and others.
“This is 2021, and it’s time for a change,” Ahmaud’s father, Marcus Arbery Sr., told Marcus Arbery Sr. The Associated PressBefore the jury selection was scheduled to begin. “We need to be treated equally and get fair justice as human beings because we’ve been treated wrong so long.”
In September, a former Georgia prosecutor was indicted on criminal charges in connection with Arbery’s killing.
An ex-Brunswick Judicial Circuit district attorney, Jackie Johnson, was charged by a Glynn County grand jury with one count of violating the oath she took and one count hindering a law enforcer.
Following an investigation into Arbery’s killing by the local District Attorney’s Office, Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr ordered the charges.
“Jackie, this is Greg,” According to a recording of the conversation, which is part of the public case file of the case, he said that. The Associated Press reported. “Could you call me as soon as you possibly can? My son and I have been involved in a shooting, and I need some advice right away.”
According to the indictment, Johnson was accused of displaying “favor and affection” Greg McMichael during an investigation and allegedly interfered at the scene with police by “directing that Travis McMichael should not be placed under arrest.” Greg McMichael was previously an investigator for the prosecutor’s offices.
Johnson has pleaded guilty and is now free to be released on $10,000 bail while awaiting trial. She previously denied any wrongdoing.
On Sunday, hundreds marched through Brunswick, calling for justice during the trial.
The jury selection will likely take up to two weeks. The jury will select twelve panelists as well as four alternates. According to court officials, the criminal trial should take about two weeks.
