Ahmaud Arbery’s parents have said for years that they won’t get justice for their son’s murder until officials prosecute the former district attorney accused of hindering the police investigation into his killing.
Nearly five years after the 25-year-old was chased down and shot to death, and more than three years since her indictment, jury selection begins Tuesday in the case against Jackie Johnson.
For the residents of coastal Glynn County, Johnson’s trial marks the third high-profile case stemming from Arbery’s harrowing murder.
“We’ve been waiting for this a long time,” Arbery’s father, Marcus Arbery Sr., said last week. “Too long, to tell you the truth.”
Credit: Jason Getz
Credit: Jason Getz
Johnson’s attorney, Brian Steel, has called the accusations baseless, writing in court filings that there’s “not a scintilla of evidence” she hindered the investigation into Ahmaud Arbery’s killing.
Authorities said Arbery, an avid runner, was jogging through a neighborhood just outside Brunswick on Feb. 23, 2020, when he was chased down by three white men in pickup trucks and killed with a shotgun.
The shooting, which was captured on cellphone video, sparked widespread protests after the shaky footage was leaked online more than two months later.
Travis McMichael, who fired the fatal blasts; his father, Greg McMichael; and their neighbor William “Roddie” Bryan, were convicted of murder and other charges in 2021 and sentenced to life in prison.
Credit: Body camera photos
Credit: Body camera photos
They told authorities they had suspected Arbery of burglarizing a vacant home that was under construction, but authorities said there was no evidence Arbery ever took anything from the house.
He was unarmed as he was chased through the Satilla Shores subdivision for about five minutes and ultimately shot to death in the road.
The case prompted widespread condemnations of racist vigilantism, and Bryan and the McMichaels were convicted of hate crimes charges in 2022 after federal prosecutors successfully argued the trio targeted Arbery because he was Black.
Johnson stands accused of violating her oath of office and hindering the police investigation into Arbery’s death. The case is being prosecuted by Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr’s office.
“We have never stopped fighting for Ahmaud Arbery and his family, and we look forward to presenting our case in court,” Carr said in a statement.
Johnson’s indictment alleges she showed “favor and affection” toward Greg McMichael, who once worked as an investigator in the DA’s office. She is also accused of directing two Glynn County police officers not to arrest Travis McMichael in the aftermath of Arbery’s shooting.
Johnson was widely criticized for her handling of the case and voted out of office in the fall of 2020. After her indictment the following year, family attorney Ben Crump said that Johnson “may not have pulled the trigger on the day Ahmaud was murdered, but she played a starring role in the cover-up.”
Her trial was delayed, in part, because two of her defense attorneys represented Atlanta rapper Young Thug in his lengthy Fulton County gang and racketeering trial that dragged on for nearly two years.
On Thursday, attorney Brian Steel maintained his client’s innocence and said he looks forward to defending Johnson in court.
“The death of Mr. Ahmaud Arbery will stain Brunswick, Georgia, and our nation forever,” he said. “Jackie Johnson has nothing but sympathy and empathy for Mr. Arbery, his memory and his family.”
But Steel said Johnson “had nothing to do with any type of cover-up for the arrest of his killers” and that he looks forward to the truth being told at trial.
Johnson served as DA in the five-county Brunswick Judicial Circuit from 2010 until she was defeated in her reelection bid.
Jury summonses were sent to 500 Glynn County residents ahead of next week’s trial, the local clerk’s office said.
“It’s still unfinished business,” former Glynn County Commissioner Cap Fendig said of the upcoming trial. “This was a major emotional blow in the community ... When your trusted law enforcement official is accused of inappropriate actions then it’s a major concern.”
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