Ahmaud Arbery Case: Defense Demands Mistrial Over 'Black Pastors'

BRUNSWICK, GA — Defense attorneys in the murder trial of three white men accused of killing Ahmaud Arbery requested a mistrial when civil rights leader the Rev. Jesse Jackson was seen in the courtroom Monday.

It was the second time such a request was made during the trial, and the judge quickly rejected the request.

When Superior Court Judge Timothy Walmsley excused the jury at the sound of an emotional response to a photo of Arbery, one defense attorney objected to Jackson’s presence seated between Arbery’s parents, Marcus Arbery Sr. and Wanda Cooper-Jones.

Kevin Gough, attorney for William “Roddie” Bryan Jr., vehemently asked that Jackson be removed from the courtroom.

“There is no reason for these prominent icons in the civil rights movement to be here," Gough said. "With all due respect, I would suggest, whether intended or not, that inevitably a juror is going to be influenced by their presence in the courtroom."

Bryan, Gregory McMichael and his son, Travis McMichael, face murder charges and other offenses for chasing, cornering and killing Arbery as the 25-year-old unarmed Black man ran through the Satilla Shores neighborhood near Brunswick in February 2020.

See Also: Ahmaud Arbery Case: Officer Said He Did Not Deputize McMichaels

Gough objected on Thursday to the presence of the Rev. Al Sharpton, another civil rights icon who had accompanied Arbery’s parents that day.

“We don’t want any more Black pastors coming in here,” Gough told the judge Thursday.

On Monday, the McMichaels’ attorneys joined Gough in requesting the judge declare a mistrial.

“Several jurors did look over. Their faces changed (showing) the emotion and sympathy they felt,” Jason Sheffield, Travis McMichael’s lawyer, told the judge.

Walmsley warned the attorneys their own statements may have lured some high-profile figures to the courthouse.

“I will say that is directly in response, Mr. Gough, to statements you made, which I find reprehensible," the judge said.

Walmsley singled out a comment Gough made to back up his “Black pastors” remark last week in which he said: “If a bunch of folks came in here dressed like Colonel Sanders with white masks sitting in the back" before the judge cut him off.

— The Associated Press contributed to this report.

See Also:

• Ahmaud Arbery Case: Homeowner Never Asked McMichaels To Act
• Arbery Death Trial: McMichaels Unsure If Arbery Was Trespassing
• Ahmaud Arbery Death Trial: McMichael's Story Changed, Police Say
• 1 Black Juror, 11 White Jurors Selected In Ahmaud Arbery Trial
• Ahmaud Arbery Slaying: Jury Selection Begins In Trial