A defense attorney for one of the three white men charged in the murder of black jogger Ahmaud Arbery has sought to ban Rev. Al Sharpton from the courtroom, claiming he is 'intimidating' jurors.
Defense attorney Kevin Gough on Thursday raised his concerns with the activist's presence in the Georgia court, but did not find a receptive audience in Superior Court Judge Timothy Walmsley.
'If we're going to start a precedent, starting yesterday, where we're going to bring high-profile members of the African American community into the courtroom to sit with the family during the trial in the presence of the jury, I believe that's intimidating and it's an attempt to pressure... or influence the jury,' said Gough, who represents William 'Roddie' Bryan.
He added: 'There's only so many pastors they can have. If their pastor is Al Sharpton right now that's fine. But that's it. We don't want any more black pastors in here.'
Defense attorney Kevin Gough on Thursday sought to ban Rev. Al Sharpton from the courtroom where three men are standing trial in the death of Ahmaud Arbery
Sharpton (front left) on Wednesday attended the trial with Arbery's family and participated in a press conference slamming the mostly-white makeup of the jury
Travis McMichael (left), Gregory McMichael (center) and William Bryan Jr. (right) have all pleaded not guilty to charges of murder, aggravated assault and criminal attempt to commit false imprisonment
'I think people can understand my concern about bringing people in who don't have any ties to this case apart from political interests,' Gough went on.
'We want to keep politics out of this case. So I am asking the court to take appropriate steps to make sure the gallery isn't being utilized for a purpose that could be viewed as improper.
'If a bunch of folks came in here dressed at Colonel Sanders with white masks sitting in the back...,' he said, referring to the founder of Kentucky Fried Chicken.
Arbery was shot and killed on Feb. 23, 2020
Judge Walmsley cut Gough off at that point and dismissed the request, saying: 'I am not going to blanketly exclude members of the public from this courtroom.'
The judge said that he hadn't heard of 'any distraction whatsoever' yesterday adding: 'From what I've here is that nobody was even aware that he (Sharpton) was in here'.
Along with Bryan, 52, Gregory McMichael, 65, and his son Travis McMichael, 35, have pleaded not guilty to murder, aggravated assault and false imprisonment. They face life in prison if convicted of murder.
Sharpton had spoken with reporters Wednesday outside the Glynn County courthouse, where he held the hands of Arbery's parents while leading a prayer for justice. Sharpton criticized the disproportionately white makeup of the jury.
Judge Walmsley allowed the jury to be sworn in last week after prosecutors objected, saying several Black potential jurors were excluded because of their race, leaving only one black juror on the panel of 12.
The population of the county where the trial is being held is nearly 27 percent black.
'It's an insult to the intelligence of the American people,' Sharpton said. 'If you can count to 12 and only get to one that's black, you know something's wrong.'
Family attorney Benjamin Crump, right, speaks as Marcus Arbery, second from right, his former wife Wanda Cooper, left, and the Rev. Al Sharpton listen on Wednesday
Arbery's mother Wanda Cooper-Jones (above) denounced Gough's argument for a ban on prominent African-Americans in the court
On Thursday, Arbery's mother Wanda Cooper-Jones denounced Gough's argument for a ban on prominent African-Americans at court as the fifth day of the trial of the three Georgia men concluded.
Speaking outside the Glynn County Superior courthouse at the end of the day, Cooper-Jones dismissed the notion that such a thing could influence jurors.
'I don't think that anything can sway the jury,' she said. 'I think if the jury takes the evidence that is presented that we will get justice for Ahmaud.
'For everyone that played a part in the killing of Ahmaud, they get sentenced to jail forever.'
The mom also referenced the testimony of Larry English, who called 911 after seeing Arbery enter his under-construction home on surveillance video, saying he did not have a problem with others entering his property, only her son.
'It was just a problem
