Ahmaud Arbery trial live – Three white men in court TODAY over killing of black jogger in case that shocked America
THE trial of Ahmaud Arbery's suspected killers is to begin today.
Former police officer, Gregory McMichael, 65, his son Travis McMichael, 35, and William "Roddie" Bryan, 52, are charged with murder and other crimes. All have pleaded not guilty. They face life in prison if convicted.
Jury selection is scheduled to begin on Monday for a trial expected to draw hundreds of protesters outside the court building.
The killing of 25-year-old Ahmaud Arbery on Feb. 23, 2020, sparked outrage across the country.
The issue of race is likely to be at the forefront of the trial as prosecutors have alleged that Arbery's death was racially motivated.
Read our Ahmaud Arbery live blog below for the latest updates…
- Jennifer Korn
HOW LONG WILL THE TRIAL TAKE?
After the jury is selected, the trial could take more than two weeks, according to Glynn County Superior Court Clerk Ronald Adams.
- Jennifer Korn
WAS ARBERY ARMED WHEN HE WAS KILLED?
Investigators testified that Arbery was not armed during the incident, and that there was no evidence he committed a crime in the Satilla Shores subdivision.
- Jennifer Korn
WHO SHOT ARBERY?
Travis McMichael shot Arbery three times with a shotgun at close range.
Him and his father argue that he shot Arbery in self-defense, after allegedly suspecting he was a burglar and chasing him down.
- Jennifer Korn
WHEN WERE ARBERY'S KILLERS ARRESTED?
Arbery's killers, Greg and Travis McMichael (father and son, and their neighbor, William "Roddie" Bryan, were arrested two months are Arbery was killed.
Outrage sparked from a viral video of the killing, which Bryan recorded.
- Jennifer Korn
BLACK LIVES MATTER DEMONSTRATIONS
Over the summer of 2020, the Black Lives Matter movement broke out, as the death of George Floyd also went viral. Ahmaud Arbery's case sparked outrage as well.
Hundreds of protestors are expected to gather outside of the the court building today.
- Jennifer Korn
AHMAUD ARBERY'S FATHER HOPES FOR A FAIR TRIAL
"This is 2021, and it’s time for a change," Marcus Arbery Sr. said to The Associated Press. "We need to be treated equally and get fair justice as human beings, because we’ve been treated wrong so long."
Marcus Arbery Sr. said Black victims of crime have often been denied justice.
- Jennifer Korn
WHY IS IT DIFFICULT TO VET JURORS?
Video of the shooting went viral, dominating social media platforms and sparking protests around the country.
With the amount of coverage and public interest the case has drawn, gathering an impartial jury is more difficult than it would be in a lower-profile case.
- Jennifer Korn
HOW LONG COULD JURY SELECTION TAKE?
Jury selection could take two weeks or longer.
1,000 people in Georgia were sent jury-duty notices by Glynn County court officials. Vetting jurors will be particularly slow in this case.
- Jocelyn Cook
WAS AHMAUD'S DEATH FILMED?
The shooting incident was filmed.
The footage appears to show Mr Arbery, who was wearing a white t-shirt and shorts, run past a truck.
Two white men carrying guns are seen and shouting is heard.
There is then a scuffle between one of the men and Mr Arbery while shots are fired before Arbery staggers and collapses.
- Jocelyn Cook
WHAT WAS AHMAUD'S FAMILY SAID ABOUT HIM?
Mr Arbery's dad Marcus Arbery Sr said of his son, Ahmaud: "He ran all the time."
"Everybody knows he ran all the time."
He added: "All he did was work out… he had dreams."
"All his dreams, gone."
- Jocelyn Cook
WHO WAS AHMAUD ARBERY?
Ahmaud Arbery was a black man who was gunned down by two white men while jogging near Brunswick in Glynn County, Georgia.
He was 25 and a former high school football star who graduated in 2012.
He lived in coastal Glynn County with his mother.
Friends and family say he was an avid runner.
Rafael Baker Jr., with whom Mr Arbery played football, remembered him as "vocal, funny and a goofy guy".
- Jocelyn Cook
WHAT HAPPENED TO AHMAUD ARBERY, PART TWO
Travis got out of his truck and confronted Arbery, later telling police he shot him in self-defense after Arbery refused his order to get on the ground, according to authorities.
It is believed the first shot was to Arbery's chest, the second was to his hand, and the third was to his chest again before he collapsed.
Arbery “was chased, hunted down and ultimately executed," according to special prosecutor Jesse Evans.
- Jocelyn Cook
WHAT HAPPENED TO AHMAUD ARBERY?
The fatal shooting of Ahmaud Arbery took place on February 23, 2020, outside the Georgia port city of Brunswick.
Investigators allege that Travis McMichael, Gregory McMichael, and William Bryan used their trucks to chase down 25-year-old Ahmaud Arbery, who repeatedly reversed directions and ran into a ditch while trying to escape.
- Jocelyn Cook
WHO IS ON TRIAL IN THE AHMAUD ARBERY CASE?
Former police officer, Gregory McMichael, 65, his son Travis McMichael, 35, and William "Roddie" Bryan, 52, are charged with murder and other crimes in the case.
They have all pleaded not guilty.
They face life in prison if convicted.
- Jocelyn Cook
ARBERY TRIAL TO BEGIN TODAY
Community leaders in Brunswick, Georgia, are preaching unity ahead of the trial of three white men accused of the racially motivated murder of Ahmaud Arbery.
Jury selection is scheduled to begin today for a trial expected to draw hundreds of protesters outside the court building.
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