On Friday, Ahmaud Abery was shot to death in his suburban Georgia home. Lawyers from both the defense and prosecution gave their opening statements. Monday marked the start of the full first week of testimony in the trial of Gregory and Travis McMichael, along with their neighbor William “Roddie” Bryan.
Upon taking the stand, Ricky Minshew, the first officer to arrive on the scene after the shooting, stated that he spoke with Bryan, who told the officer that he “blocked,” “cornered,” and “cut off” Arbery as he fled from the armed men. “Should I have been chasing him? I don’t know,” Bryan said according to a transcript of Minshaw’s bodycam, which was read aloud in court. Later, it was revealed that Minshaw had attempted to hit Arbery with his truck four times during the chase.
Minshew told the court that upon arriving on the scene, he saw two men pacing with Arbery’s body on the ground. He noted that “[Arbery] appeared to be deceased” and that he heard a “death rattle” coming from the young man. He did not attempt lifesaving measures because he “did not have the adequate medical training,” and his car did not contain any medical supplies.
When asked by prosecutor Larissa Ollivierre how Arbery appeared, the officer told her that he looked “unresponsive to his surroundings, he appeared to be deceased.” He pointed out that the amount of blood was “exceeding the perimeter of his body.”
USA Today stated that jurors also saw photos from the crime scene. This is what the author said:
Jurors were shown photos by the prosecution: A body with bloodstains, covered in a sheet, lying on the road, and a truck behind it.
Prosecutors then showed jurors graphic close-ups of Arbery’s wounds. As soon as the photographs were presented, jurors began to squirm in their chairs. Arbery’s mother, Wanda Cooper-Jones, exhaled quietly.
Jurors were also shown photos that Ramos took of a bullet that went through the window of a neighbor’s house and was lodged in the living room wall.
Bryan observed that Arbery seemed tired of running towards the end, according to bodycam footage. “When I rounded the corner out there, it was almost like the black guy was tired of running,” he said. He also told Minshew that he never heard Arbery say anything, but recalled hearing one of the McMichaels yell at Arbery, “What’d you steal? What’d you do?”
According to The Associated Press Greg McMichael said that he shouted a warning at Arbery as they chased him. “I said, ‘stop,’ you know, ‘I’ll blow your f*cking head off,’” he said. “I was trying to convey to this guy we’re not playing, you know?”
Minshew informed the prosecutor Greg McMichael and Travis McMichael had not told Arbery that they were under arrest.
There was controversy about the jury’s racial composition in the days leading up to trial. It includes eleven white people, and one person of color. Some suggested that this might indicate bias against Arbery, and doesn’t reflect the racial makeup in the community. USA Today reported:
Census Bureau data shows that more than 26 percent of Glynn County residents are Black and 55% in Brunswick.
The defense lawyers tried to paint the three men as law-abiding citizens, who wanted to prevent a crime from progress in their opening statements. The New York Times reported:
A lawyer for one defendant, Travis McMichael — the man who, at the end of the chase, fatally shot Mr. Arbery at close range with a pump-action shotgun — also argued that his client had acted in self-defense. The lawyer, Robert G. Rubin, said that because Mr. Arbery confronted and fought with Mr. McMichael at the end of the chase, Mr. McMichael had “no choice” but to fire on Mr. Arbery, “because if this guy gets his gun, he’s dead, or his dad’s dead.”
Mr. Rubin portrayed Mr. McMichael as a selfless helper, saying he had felt a “duty” to protect his neighborhood, which had suffered a series of property crimes before the afternoon of Feb. 23, 2020, when the killing occurred.
Rubin argued that the McMichaels had “probable cause” to attempt a citizen’s arrest under Georgia law because he previously saw and confronted Arbery after he was seen walking around at a construction site in the neighborhood two weeks prior to the shooting.
Linda Dunikoski, the lead prosecutor, contended that the three men made “driveaway decisions” when they decided to chase Arbery through the neighborhood. She argued the men “assumed the worst” about Arbery and were not justified in chasing him down because they possessed no knowledge that he had just committed a crime. “All three of these defendants did everything they did based on assumptions,” she said. “And they made decisions in their driveways based on those assumptions that took a young man’s life.”
Arbery was captured on video footage of the house that was being built. The footage shows him running in and out. The site was not taken by him. Arbery was not tied to any thefts or burglaries that occurred around the site by law enforcement.
The shooting resulted in no arrests of any of the defendants. Jackie Johnson, the former Brunswick Judicial Circuit district attorney, interceded in order to prevent officers taking the defendants into custody. McMichael, the elder, had previously worked as an investigator for her office. This matter is under her indictment.
The case will receive more evidence this week, including testimony from witnesses. As expected, the defense will try to portray Arbery in a negative light as Travis McMichael who was required to defend himself against him. Arbery’s death was the culmination of many events. The prosecution is emphasizing these incidents, and arguing that if they hadn’t acted the way that they did, Arbery might still be alive. The jury has yet to respond, so it is unclear how they will react. However, the prosecution is clearly facing a difficult task in this case.
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