The jury in the trial of three white men accused of murdering Ahmaud Arbery (pictured) has reached a verdict
The jury in the trial of three white men accused of murdering Ahmaud Arbery has reached a verdict.
After being sworn in more than two weeks ago, the disproportionately white jury heard from more than two dozen witnesses - including gunman Travis McMichael, the only defendant to take the witness stand - and was presented with evidence photos, police body camera video, autopsy reports and more.
McMichael, 35, his father, Gregory McMichael, 65, and neighbor William 'Roddie' Bryan Jr., 52, all pleaded not guilty to charges including murder, aggravated assault and false imprisonment for the killing in the coastal suburb of Satilla Shores on Feb. 23, 2020.
The McMichaels told police they suspected Arbery was a fleeing burglar when they armed themselves and jumped in a pickup truck to chase him.
Bryan joined the pursuit when they passed his house and recorded cellphone video of Travis McMichael blasting Arbery at close range with a shotgun as Arbery threw punches and grabbed for the weapon.
During the trial, the prosecution aimed to prove the defendants wrongly assumed the worst about Arbery and sought to rebut arguments that they were attempting a valid citizen's arrest, which required that someone have 'reasonable and probable' suspicion that a person is fleeing a serious crime they committed.
'They made their decision to attack Ahmaud Arbery in their driveways because he was a black man running down the street,' Prosecutor Linda Dunikoski said during her closing arguments.
They killed him 'not because he's a threat to them, but because he wouldn't stop and talk to them,' she alleged.
The state claimed there was no evidence Arbery had committed crimes in the defendants' neighborhood.
Defense attorneys contend the McMichaels were attempting a legal citizen´s arrest when they set off after Arbery, seeking to detain and question him as a suspected burglar after he was seen running from a nearby home under construction.
Travis McMichael testified that he shot Arbery in self-defense, saying the running man turned and attacked with his fists while running past the idling truck where Travis McMichael stood with his shotgun.
Defense attorney, Jason Sheffield, said his client had 'reasonable and probable grounds of suspicion' to follow the 25-year-old in his truck because he believed he was a burglar.
He added that although Arbery was not armed with a weapon, Travis McMichael said he had reached into his shirt as if for a weapon, and he was also armed with his fists.
The above map shows Ahmaud Arbery's approximate path and locations of the events that occurred on February 23, 2020
'Travis felt something is not right...Aggravated assault is a felony that can be committed by the use of fists. Fists are a weapon. And right now as Ahmaud Arbery is running towards Travis McMichael he could have a gun and he definitely has fists,' Sheffield said.
On a 911 call the jury reviewed on day two of deliberations, Gregory McMichael told an operator: 'I'm out here in Satilla Shores. There's a Black male running down the
