WEATHER ALERT
Jury foreman: Ahmaud Arbery killers showed `so much hatred'
Read full article: Jury foreman: Ahmaud Arbery killers showed `so much hatred'The Black man who served as foreman of the jury that returned hate crime convictions against the men who chased and killed Ahmaud Arbery says he believes the verdicts show no one is above the law.
Georgia deputy suspended over Facebook comment about Arbery
Read full article: Georgia deputy suspended over Facebook comment about ArberyA Georgia sheriff’s deputy has been suspended and faces being fired over comments posted on social media after a judge sentenced three white men to life imprisonment in the killing of Ahmaud Arbery.
One Black juror, 11 whites to hear trial over Arbery slaying
Read full article: One Black juror, 11 whites to hear trial over Arbery slayingThe judge in the trial of three white men who chased and killed Ahmaud Arbery has declined to override decisions in jury selection that left just one Black juror on the final panel of 12.
Judge: Ahmaud Arbery's past troubles irrelevant to trial
Read full article: Judge: Ahmaud Arbery's past troubles irrelevant to trialA Georgia judge says he won't allow attorneys for the men charged with killing Ahmaud Arbery to use evidence of the slain Black man's troubled past when they stand trial for murder.
Bond denied for father, son charged in Ahmaud Arbery slaying
Read full article: Bond denied for father, son charged in Ahmaud Arbery slayingIn 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
Read full article: Bond denied for father, son charged in Ahmaud Arbery slayingThe 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. “You 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,” 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
Read full article: Prosecutor reads racist messages by Ahmaud Arbery's killerTravis 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 “crackhead ... with gold teeth." “We have substantial evidence that, on the day in question, Mr. Arbery was not a jogger,” 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
Read full article: Attorneys deny racial motive in Ahmaud Arbery slayingThis 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
Read full article: Attorneys deny racial motive in Ahmaud Arbery slayingThis 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 “a man who's lived a very good life, a life helping others,” not a caricature of “Southern vigilante racism.”
Georgia county where Black man shot sues over policing vote
Read full article: Georgia county where Black man shot sues over policing voteBRUNSWICK, 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
Read full article: 3 charged in slaying of Ahmaud Arbery face court hearingIt 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
Read full article: Attorney General: Divide between blacks, police must changeFederal 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.
Judge sets June 4 hearing for suspects in Arbery slaying
Read full article: Judge sets June 4 hearing for suspects in Arbery slayingThis Thursday, May 7, 2020, file photo combo of images provided by the Glynn County Detention Center in Georgia shows Gregory McMichael, left, and his son Travis McMichael. Glynn County Magistrate Court Judge Wallace E. Harrell set a preliminary hearing for June 4, said court clerk Luetrice Lott. More than two months passed before Gregory McMichael, 64, and Travis McMichael, 34, were arrested May 7 on charges of felony murder and aggravated assault. All three men remain jailed pending a bond hearing before a different judge. Gregory McMichael told police he suspected Arbery was a burglar and that Arbery attacked his son right before being shot.
Arbery family lawyer: Feds looking into how case handled
Read full article: Arbery family lawyer: Feds looking into how case handledIn this May 17, 2020, photo, a recently painted mural of Ahmaud Arbery is on display in Brunswick, Ga., where the 25-year-old man was shot and killed in February. (AP Photo/Sarah Blake Morgan)ATLANTA – A lawyer for the family of Ahmaud Arbery said Monday that a federal prosecutor told the slain man's mother federal officials are investigating potential misconduct by local officials who handled the case. Lawyer Lee Merritt said U.S. Attorney Bobby Christine, whose jurisdiction includes southern Georgia, met with him and Arbery's mother, Wanda Cooper-Jones, on Thursday. More than two months passed before Gregory McMichael and his son, Travis McMichael, were arrested on charges of felony murder and aggravated assault. The elder McMichael worked for her as an investigator before retiring a year ago, which required the office to step away from the case.
Official: Investigation of Arbery slaying finished soon
Read full article: Official: Investigation of Arbery slaying finished soonWilliam Roddie Bryan Jr., 50, was arrested Thursday on charges of felony murder and criminal attempt to commit false imprisonment. Bryan's neighbors, Gregory and Travis McMichael, were arrested on felony murder and aggravated assault charges after the video spread on social media, more than two months after the slaying. Along with the investigation into Arberys killing, Reynolds said he expects the GBI's investigation into the handling of the case by two local prosecutors to be completed soon and turned over to the attorney generals office. Gregory McMichael told police he suspected Arbery was a burglar and that Arbery attacked his son before being shot. Gough declined to discuss Bryan's actions the day of the shooting but said authorities overreached in charging him with felony murder.
2017 video shows Georgia officer tried to stun Ahmaud Arbery
Read full article: 2017 video shows Georgia officer tried to stun Ahmaud ArberyThis Thursday, May 7, 2020, file photo combo of images provided by the Glynn County Detention Center in Georgia shows Gregory McMichael, left, and his son Travis McMichael. Attorneys for Arberys parents said Tuesday that the body camera video from 2017 shows Arbery being harassed by the same police department that declined to arrest his killers. S. Lee Merritt, an attorney for Arbery's mother, said Tuesday that the video showed Arbery being harassed by police. We dont see cars sitting out here that often.The officers let Arbery go about eight minutes after the encounter began. The video shows Arbery being ordered to lie face-down while being handcuffed.
Outside judge named to preside over cases in Arbery slaying
Read full article: Outside judge named to preside over cases in Arbery slayingCourt documents filed in Glynn County show that Superior Court Judge Timothy R. Walmsley was appointed to the case after all five judges in the legal circuit where Arbery was killed recused themselves. Gregory McMichael, a retired investigator for the local district attorney, told police he thought Arbery was a burglar. They said they soon plan to seek a preliminary hearing from a magistrate judge in Glynn County at which new details might be revealed. Gregory McMichael worked as an investigator for the local district attorney for more than two decades before he retired last year. Meanwhile, three district attorneys have passed on prosecuting the case, which now resides with the district attorney of Cobb County in metro Atlanta.
Hundreds demand justice for Arbery at Georgia rally
Read full article: Hundreds demand justice for Arbery at Georgia rallyGregory McMichael, 64, told police he and his son, Travis McMichael, 34, pursued Arbery because they believed he was responsible for recent break-ins in the neighborhood. Gregory McMichael was an investigator in Johnsons office before retiring last May. Georgians are just not safe when you allow an injustice like this to take place, said Davis, who is an organizer with the Black Man Lab in Decatur, Georgia. Gregory McMichael told police he suspected Arbery was responsible for recent break-ins and he also said Arbery attacked his son before he was shot. He never called Gregory McMichael.
Law enforcement ties, long delay complicate Arbery case
Read full article: Law enforcement ties, long delay complicate Arbery caseAccording to the police report, Gregory McMichael said he saw a person he suspected of burglary hauling ass down the street. Gregory McMichael told police they wanted to talk to Arbery and tried to corner him, but he began to violently attack Travis McMichael, the report says. ___Officers in a small town calling the DA for guidance in a fatal shooting case is not unusual and would normally be uncontroversial. A second prosecutor was brought in after the first recused herself because Gregory McMichael had worked for her, and he quickly decided no charges were necessary. The footage seemed to refute Gregory McMichaels version and prompted widespread outrage and calls for justice.
Hundreds demand justice for Arbery at Georgia rally
Read full article: Hundreds demand justice for Arbery at Georgia rallyGregory McMichael, 64, told police he and his son, Travis McMichael, 34, pursued Arbery because they believed he was responsible for recent break-ins in the neighborhood. Gregory McMichael was an investigator in Johnsons office before retiring last May. Georgians are just not safe when you allow an injustice like this to take place, said Davis, who is an organizer with the Black Man Lab in Decatur, Georgia. Gregory McMichael told police he suspected Arbery was responsible for recent break-ins and he also said Arbery attacked his son before he was shot. He never called Gregory McMichael.
Lawyer: Security video in Arbery case may show water breaks
Read full article: Lawyer: Security video in Arbery case may show water breaksRight before the chase, Arbery was recorded inside an open-framed home being built on the same street. Gregory McMichael, 64, and Travis McMichael, 34, have been jailed on murder charges since May 7. The elder McMichael told police he suspected Arbery was responsible for recent break-ins in the neighborhood. Greg McMichael is not a party to the crime of murder.”Attorneys for Arbery's parents have said security camera video from the same home construction site Feb. 23 shows Arbery on the property right before the shooting. “There were frequently people on the construction site both day and night,” attorneys for Arbery's parents said in a statement Friday.
Defense attorneys: Don't rush to judgment in Arbery shooting
Read full article: Defense attorneys: Don't rush to judgment in Arbery shootingGregory and Travis McMichael, a father and son, are charged with aggravated assault and felony murder in the Feb. 23 death of 25-year-old Ahmaud Arbery. Laura and Frank Hogue, a husband and wife criminal defense team based in Macon, said they have been hired to represent 64-year-old Gregory McMichael. The 911 operator asks: “Are you OK?”“Yeah, it just startled me,” Travis McMichael replied. “But we’ve been having a lot of burglaries and break-ins around here,” Travis McMichael added. Gregory McMichael told police he suspected Arbery was a burglar, and said he attacked Travis McMichael before he was shot in a struggle over the gun.
Homeowner: Nothing stolen before Ahmaud Arbery was shot
Read full article: Homeowner: Nothing stolen before Ahmaud Arbery was shotOwner Larry English found nothing stolen from the site where he's building a home in the Satilla Shores subdivision where 25-year-old Arbery was slain Feb. 23, English's attorney said Wednesday. But she said there had been “four or five” instances in which unauthorized people entered the property before Arbery was shot. She said English has been unable to find security video from the prior instances. Attorneys for Arbery's family have said a man caught on security video from English's home immediately before the shooting Feb. 23 was Arbery and the footage shows he committed no crime. Gregory McMichael told police he suspected Arbery was a burglar, and said he attacked McMichael's 34-year-old son before the younger McMichael shot him.
Ahmaud Arbery case puts spotlight on community's race legacy
Read full article: Ahmaud Arbery case puts spotlight on community's race legacyOn the contrary, residents say, Brunswick has often stood out for its ability to work through troubled times peacefully, though it is far from perfect. “I don’t think a few bad white people have defined this whole community,” Mayor Cornell Harvey told The Associated Press. But the organization worked with white residents, and many places were integrated without protest or confrontation. But she also pointed to a recent anti-racism training she co-facilitated at the city's Robert S. Abbott Race Unity Institute. Ahmaud's killing “is not just an issue that people here say is one for the black community.