Men convicted in Ahmaud Arbery killing receive life sentences
Three white men who chased and killed Ahmaud Arbery have been sentenced to life in prison, with a judge denying any chance of parole for the father and son who armed themselves and initiated the deadly pursuit of the 25-year-old Black man.
Bond denied for father, son charged in Ahmaud Arbery slaying
In this image made from video, from left, father and son, Gregory and Travis McMichael, accused in the shooting death of Ahmaud Arbery in Georgia on Feb. 2020, listen via closed circuit tv in the Glynn County Detention center in Brunswick, Ga., on Thursday, Nov. 12, as lawyers argue for bond to be set at the Glynn County courthouse. The McMichaels chased and fatally shot Ahmaud Arbery, a 25-year-old Black man, after they spotted him running in their neighborhood just outside the port city of Brunswick. (AP Photo/Lewis Levine)
Bond denied for father, son charged in Ahmaud Arbery slaying
The McMichaels chased and fatally shot Ahmaud Arbery, a 25-year-old Black man, after they spotted him running in their neighborhood just outside the port city of Brunswick. Travis McMichael and his father, Gregory McMichael, have been jailed since their arrests in May, more than two months after Arbery was slain. They also contended Travis McMichael was defending himself when he blasted Arbery three times with a shotgun. โYou would think that the race of Ahmaud Arbery is the only thing that makes the state of Georgia concerned about a serious event on Feb 23,โ Hogue said. Travis McMichael never confronted people "unless he himself was put in danger," Rubin said.
Prosecutor reads racist messages by Ahmaud Arbery's killer
Travis McMichael and his father, Gregory McMichael, have been jailed since their arrests in May, more than two months after Arbery was slain. Then prosecutor Jesse Evans asked Langford about a text message Travis McMichael had sent him last year that used a slur for Black people when referring to a โcrackhead ... with gold teeth." โWe have substantial evidence that, on the day in question, Mr. Arbery was not a jogger,โ said Robert Rubin, one of Travis McMichael's attorneys. Langford's wife, Ashley Langford, testified that Travis McMichael expressed remorse about shooting Arbery. Travis McMichael's mother, Lee McMichael, testified that he lived with her and his father, has a 4-year-old son and doesn't have a passport.
Attorneys deny racial motive in Ahmaud Arbery slaying
This photo combo of images taken Thursday, May 7, 2020, and provided by the Glynn County Detention Center, in Georgia, show Gregory McMichael, left, and his son Travis McMichael. A prosecutor on Wednesday, June 24, 2020 announced that three men have been indicted on murder charges in the killing of Ahmaud Arbery in coastal Georgia. Speaking to reporters outside the Glynn County courthouse, prosecutor Joyette Holmes said a grand jury has indicted Travis McMichael, Gregory McMichael and William Roddie Bryan Jr. on charges including malice and felony murder in the death of the African American man. (Glynn County Detention Center via AP)
Attorneys deny racial motive in Ahmaud Arbery slaying
This photo combo of images taken Thursday, May 7, 2020, and provided by the Glynn County Detention Center, in Georgia, show Gregory McMichael, left, and his son Travis McMichael. Cellphone video of Travis McMichael shooting Arbery three times at close range with a shotgun further fueled a national outcry over racial injustice. Gregory McMichael told police after the shooting that he and his son pursued Arbery because they suspected him of being a burglar. They stopped in the road in front of Arbery, who kept running until he came face-to-face with Travis McMichael. Rubin called Travis McMichael โa man who's lived a very good life, a life helping others,โ not a caricature of โSouthern vigilante racism.โ
Georgia county where Black man shot sues over policing vote
BRUNSWICK, Ga. The commissioners of a coastal Georgia county where Black man Ahmaud Arbery was fatally shot after being pursued by armed white men are suing to stop a referendum on abolishing the county police department. The Glynn County Commission filed the lawsuit Friday, The Brunswick News reports. Glynn County commissioners have opposed that effort, saying two local Republican lawmakers are trying to help their political ally, Sheriff Neal Jump. A Glynn County narcotics officer was found to have been having sex with two confidential informants. The county also argues the law is improperly targeted at only Glynn County.
3 charged in slaying of Ahmaud Arbery face court hearing
It wasn't until May 7 that those men Greg McMichael, 64, and Travis McMichael, 34 were charged with felony murder and aggravated assault. The neighbor who filmed the video, 50-year-old William Roddie Bryan, was also arrested and charged with felony murder and illegally using a vehicle to try to confine and detain Arbery. Georgia law defines felony murder as a killing caused by the commission of an underlying felony. Brian Kemp promised a strong state law enforcement presence in the Brunswick area Thursday to coincide with the court hearing. Defense attorneys requested the hearing to make prosecutors show whether they have probable cause to charge the men with murder.
Attorney General: Divide between blacks, police must change
Federal officers stand outside the Department of Justice as Attorney General William Barr speaks during a virtual press conference inside the building Thursday, June 4, 2020, in Washington. But he vowed that the Justice Department would do its part to investigate and prosecute civil rights crimes. I believe that police chiefs and law enforcement officials and leaders around the country are committed to ensuring that racism plays no part in law enforcement, and that everyone receives equal protection of the laws, Barr said. President Donald Trump has called Floyds killing a terrible, terrible thing that happened and called on the Justice Department to expedite its investigation of his death. Federal agents have made 51 riot-related arrests, Barr said, and 114 law enforcement officers have been injured in protests in Washington.
Georgia seeks probe of prosecutors in Ahmaud Arbery killing case
โUnfortunately, many questions and concerns have arisen" about the actions of the district attorneys, Carr said Tuesday in a statement. Gregory McMichael told police he and his grown son armed themselves and pursued the young man because they they thought he matched the description of a burglary suspect. Johnson said Glynn County police contacted two of her assistant prosecutors on the day of the shooting, seeking legal advice. Johnson said she could not recall if she had told Carr's office that she enlisted Barnhill's help before recusing herself. On Monday, Carr replaced him with Cobb County District Attorney Joyette M. Holmes, one of only seven black district attorneys in Georgia.
Georgia requests federal probe in handling of Ahmaud Arbery case
No arrests were made until this month after national outrage over the case swelled when video surfaced that appeared to show the shooting. โWe are committed to a complete and transparent review of how the Ahmaud Arbery case was handled from the outset,โ Attorney General Chris Carr said in a statement. On Saturday, the GBI confirmed that it has obtained other photos of video that might shed light on the case. Also Sunday, Georgia authorities said they had arrested a 20-year-old man after investigating an online threat against people protesting the killing of Arbery. Several hundred people had protested the case Friday in Brunswick, near the site where Arbery was fatally shot.