The jury chosen to decide the fate of three men charged in the death of Ahmaud Arbery will continue trying to reach a verdict on Wednesday as deliberations pour into a second day.
Arbery was shot and killed on Feb. 23, 2020, after being chased through the Satilla Shores neighborhood outside coastal Brunswick in Glynn County. Travis McMichael, who shot Arbery twice with a shotgun, his father Greg McMichael, who initiated the chase, and their neighbor Roddie Bryan all face murder charges in the death.
The attorneys for the McMichaels and Bryan contend the three men were attempting to make a lawful citizen’s arrest because they suspected Arbery of entering a vacant home under construction. The state has pushed back against those claims, saying Arbery never took anything from the house.
Each man faces nine counts in Arbery’s death: malice murder, four counts of felony murder, two counts of aggravated assault, false imprisonment and criminal attempt to commit the felony of false imprisonment.
The jury deliberated for about six hours Tuesday before breaking for the day without reaching a verdict.
Here is the latest from the courthouse:
McMichaels, Bryan guilty of murdering Ahmaud Arbery
[1:24 p.m.]: The jury has reached a verdict, according to deputies in the courtroom.
[11:47 a.m.]: Sitting among Arbery’s family and their supporters is Akeem Baker, who grew up with Ahmaud. The two played sports and attended school together. Baker said Arbery was his best friend.
”I’m very anxious. I’m very nervous,” said Baker, who has a tattoo of Arbery’s portrait on the inside of his right forearm.
[10:16 a.m.]: The jury has resumed deliberations.
[10:15 a.m.]: Lee Merritt, the attorney for Wanda Cooper-Jones, spoke outside the courthouse briefly alongside the Rev. Al Sharpton and civil rights attorney Ben Crump. Arbery’s mother, Cooper-Jones, and his father, Marcus Arbery Sr., stood to the side.
“The jury is still out. The jury is still out for the American judicial system,” Merritt said. “I think the answer in part is prayer, that we must stand together and pray together. And we’re hoping, of course, the goal is to do all that we can to show this family love and support. This is a very anxious time for Wanda.”
Sharpton said the trial has been taxing for Arbery’s mother and father, who have been at the courthouse every day. He also referenced the closing argument by Laura Hogue, the defense attorney for Greg McMichael who told the jury about Arbery’s toenails.
”They sat and heard some of the most racist statements made in a court of law that I’ve heard in the decades I’ve been out here,” Sharpton said. “I’ve sat in many courtrooms. I’ve never sat in a courtroom where a victim was akin to an animal, taking about dirty toenails, like he was not a human but an animal. They should have covered it up with socks.”
[10:05 a.m.]: Prosecutor Linda Dunikoski walked into the overflow room and was greeted with a hearty round of applause from Arbery’s family members and their supporters.
[9:56 a.m.]: They also heard a recording of the 911 call placed by Greg McMichael moments before Arbery was killed.
[9:52 a.m.]: The jury asked to watch two separate videos of Arbery’s shooting three times each. Some members of Arbery’s extended family, who a watching a livestream from an adjacent courtroom, glanced down as the recording of shotgun blasts sounded repeatedly.
[9:38 a.m.]: The jury has asked to re-watch videos shown during the trial and to hear the 911 call made by Greg McMichael.
[8:36 a.m.]: The jury briefly entered the courtroom and has now begun the second day of their deliberations.
[8:31 a.m.]: State prosecutors, the defendants, their attorneys and their families are all present in the courtroom. The judge has taken the bench.
