Last year, Ahmaud Arbery was fatally shot by three men: Father and son Greg and Travis McMichael, and neighbor William Bryan recorded as he was seen jogging in February of 2020 in Brunswick, Georgia. Today, these men are undergoing trial to come to a verdict based on the information and evidence presented. In the trial, racial motivation is believed to be the key motive in the killing of Ahmaud Arbery as the three men acted on assumption rather than facts or evidence. On November 8th, the jury viewed footage from the police body cameras moments after Arbery was murdered. This evidence was used by prosecutors to weaken the defendants’ argument about just trying to detain Arbery.
On November 18th, it was revealed that all three may face a 9 count indictment and if convicted, they will all receive life in prison. These indictments include one count of malice murder, four counts of felony murder, two counts of aggravated assault one count of false imprisonment, and one count of criminal attempt to commit false imprisonment. The state of Georgia does not have degrees of murder as they use felony and/or malice murder in circumstances involving murder. To be charged with malice murder, one has “unlawfully and with malice aforethought, either express or implied, causes the death of another human being.” Felony murder is when someone dies as a result of an individual committing a felony even if it is not intentional.
Today, November 22, prosecutors and defense attorneys present their closing arguments as the trial continues. Both sides attempt to sway the jury in their decision of possibly convicting the three men of Ahmaud Arbery’s murder. They make compelling arguments and present evidence to urge the jury to vote in their favor. Additionally, there was speculation regarding jury duty because there was only one black juror while the rest of the jurors were white. This raised some concern nationwide. Nevertheless, the jury is faced with a pressing decision as the attorneys conclude their arguments and wait for the verdict.
This blog post is part of the CIMA Law Group Blog. If you are in need of legal help, the CIMA Law Group is a law firm in Phoenix, Arizona which possesses expertise in Immigration Law, Criminal Defense, Personal Injury, and Government Relations.
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