Ahmaud Arbery Shooting Death Trial To Start October: Reports

GEORGIA — The trial for three white men accused of cornering and killing Ahmaud Arbery will begin in October, according to reports.

The Associated Press reports that Chatham County Superior Court Judge Timothy Walmsley on Friday set jury selection to begin on Oct. 18. The trial will begin as soon as the jury is seated.

Former policeman Gregory McMichael, his son Travis McMichael and neighbor William “Roddie” Bryan face state-level criminal charges that include malice murder, felony murder, aggravated assault and false imprisonment.

The McMichaels armed themselves and chased down Arbery, who was Black and unarmed, as he jogged through a neighborhood near Brunswick in coastal Glynn County on Feb. 23, 2020. Bryan joined the chase to take cellphone video.

Travis McMichael shot Arbery at close range, killing him.

No charges were initially filed in the case as the three invoked the state's archaic citizen’s arrest law, which has since been revised by state legislators to prevent vigilante killings and is expected to be signed by Gov. Brian Kemp on May 10.

The video footage of the shooting was circulated nationwide, sparking a widespread outcry, and a new prosecutor reexamined the case and charged Bryan and the McMichaels.They have been in prison since.

Federal prosecutors last month filed hate crime charges against the McMichaels and Bryan.

See also:

• Ahmaud Arbery Case: 911 Call By Accused Killer Released
• Federal Hate Crimes, Firearm Charges Compound Ahmaud Arbery Killing Suspects