All three defendants in the Ahmaud Arbery have been found guilty on nearly all counts, including murder and false imprisonment. The Arbery case has captivated the nation due to the narrative of racism spun by the media. NPR’s recent article mentions the race of the convicted men in the first few words of the headline. One hundred black preachers traveled to Brunswick, Georgia to sit in the gallery during the trial. Al Sharpton, Ben Crump, and the usual suspects descended upon Brunswick as well. It was a total media circus. The purpose of the trial was to figure out the guilt or innocence of the now-convicted three. The trial, however, has been co-opted by other groups of people for their own purposes.
The initial incident happened back on February 23rd of 2020. The media initially reported that Arbery was jogging through a neighborhood when he was confronted by a group of white men then killed. The actual story is a little bit more complicated. Arbery may have been jogging at one point that day, but he was not jogging at the time of the incident. Videotape captured him walking through the neighborhood in front of a home that was under construction. It was either being remodeled or it was a totally new build. Another video shows Arbery looking around the house. Some say he was scoping the home out, others say he was simply looking. Someone spotted him inside the home and yelled “hey” out toward him. Arbery then took off running outside of the opened garage where he had been standing.
Neighbors in this area thought Arbery matched the description of another person who was seen stealing things from that area on previous occasions. Three residents attempted to give chase in order to perform a citizen’s arrest on Arbery. These neighbors are the men who are now convicted – William “Roddy” Bryan and the father/son duo of Travis and Gregory McMichael. Roddy had a separate vehicle from the McMichaels. Arbery and Travis McMichael get into a scuffle over the shotgun that Travis already has out. The gun goes off because of the struggle accidentally or on purpose from one of the men. Arbery is shot and then dies later.
The Judge gave a key piece of evidence to the jury. He told them that if there is a legal citizen’s arrest, then everything that follows that is improper. The self-defense claim from Travis McMichael has to be thrown out because if there is no citizen’s arrest, then what they did was false imprisonment / attempted kidnapping as well as murder. The jury, composed of 11 whites and 1 black, sent back a unanimous decision of guilty on the most important counts including felony murder, aggravated assault, and false imprisonment. Only the shooter, Travis McMichael, was convicted of malice murder.
SOURCES:
Ahmaud Arbery Shooting: What to Know About the Trial and More – The New York Times
All three defendants guilty on murder charges in Ahmaud Arbery case – POLITICO
The 3 white men who killed Ahmaud Arbery are found guilty of murder : NPR
UPDATE on the Ahmaud Arbery Case: New Video Released! – YouTube
Ahmaud Arbery Case EXPLAINED! Ft. @Nathan Daley #ahmaudarbery #travismcmichael #gregorymcmichael – YouTube
Defense says ruling by judge in Ahmaud Arbery trial over citizens arrest law guts their case – WSB-TV Channel 2 – Atlanta
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