Charges Against Ex-DA In Ahmaud Arbery Case Dismissed: Reports

BRUNSWICK, GA — The final charge against a former Georgia district attorney who was accused of abusing her power by shielding the men convicted of killing Ahmaud Arbery was dismissed Wednesday, according to media reports.

Former Brunswick District Attorney Jackie Johnson was accused of violating her oath of office and hindering a police investigation in an indictment initiated by Attorney General Chris Carr's office, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Johnson was represented by defense attorney Brian Steel.

Senior Judge John R. Turner, who had already struck down the obstruction charge against Johnson this week, dismissed the violation of oath of office charge, the AJC reported.

Father and son Greg and Travis McMichael and former neighbor William "Roddie" Bryan were convicted in the February 2020 shooting death of 25-year-old Arbery in the Satilla Shores neighborhood.

Johnson was accused of "insisting she knew few details until cellphone video leaked online two months later that showed Arbery being shot dead in the street," the Associated Press reported.

She recused her office from handling the death case because Arbery’s shooter was the son of a former employee. She said her initial understanding had been that Arbery was shot while committing a burglary. The video told a different story.

“I felt like he was murdered,” Johnson said of her reaction to the video clip that showed the Black man running and another man standing in his path holding a shotgun. Two close-range shots killed Arbery as he grabbed for the weapon.

RELATED: GA Men Convicted In Ahmaud Arbery Killing Request New Trial: Reports

Arbery’s parents had previously been told that police believed their son’s killing had been a justified act of self-defense. After seeing the video, Johnson said, she worried that they “thought I had covered up the murder of their son.”

The McMichaels were sentenced to life in prison without parole on the murder charges, while Bryan was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole. The McMichaels each received a second life prison sentence on federal hate crime charges, and Bryan was sentenced to 35 years in prison in the federal case.

According to the AJC, Arbery's parents were "disappointed" with Wednesday's ruling but comprehended the reasoning behind it.