Update (11/4/21): The jury for the trial of three Georgia men accused of killing Ahmaud Arbery will consist of 1 Black juror and 11 white jurors. The final decision by Superior Court Judge Timothy Walmsley paves the way for opening statements to begin. The video above shows Walmsley’s decision, as well as reaction from Arbery’s aunt.
Prosecutors had raised objections that several Black potential jurors were cut because of their race on Wednesday. Arbery was black, and the three men accused of killing him are all white.
Judge Walmsley acknowledged that “intentional discrimination” by attorneys for the defendants appeared to have shaped jury selection. However, he said Georgia law limited his authority to intervene.
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Original Story (11/3/21): Jury selection for the trial of three Georgia men accused of killing Ahmaud Arbery last February was halted Wednesday. Prosecutors argued defense attorneys had eliminated Black people from the jury pool because of their race. All three suspects are white, and Arbery was Black. The suspects are father and son Greg and Travis McMichael, as well as their neighbor William “Roddie” Bryan.
By Wednesday, jury selection had been going on for more that two weeks. On Wednesday, attorneys on both sides narrowed a group of 48 potential jurors to a final jury of 12. Prosecutor Linda Dunikoski quickly challenged the final jury, noting that only one of the jurors was Black. The rest were white. Dunikoski also took issue with defense attorneys’ decision to strike eight specific Black jurors.
“The defense has not made a case as to why this juror and her opinions are any different than anyone else, Black or white,” Dunikoski said of one of the jurors. “She said the same thing almost every other juror said. So many had opinions. And they said they could put them aside.”
It’s important to note that a potential juror had written that Arbery was shot “due to his color” in her jury selection questionnaire. She also told attorneys during questioning that she felt the defendants were guilty. However, Dunikoski noted many prospective jurors expressed strong opinions about the case, but all of the final 48 said they could be impartial.
An attorney for Greg McMichael denied the eight Black panelists’ race was considered in decisions to strike them from the jury pool.
“We have a very clear selection process within the defense team, and the issue of race is not one of the factors,” Hogue said. “I can give you a race neutral reason for any one of these.”
Meanwhile, in Kenosha, Wisconsin, the trial of Kyle Rittenhouse continued Wednesday. Prosecutors presented footage of a man chasing Rittenhouse and throwing a plastic bag at him just before Rittenhouse shot and killed the man. The video above also shows some of this footage. Rittenhouse is charged with first-degree homicide in the shooting deaths of two and the wounding of another during a night of anti-racism protests in Kenosha last year.
Someone is heard yelling “F— you!,” followed by the sounds of the four shots Rittenhouse fired. The shooting itself is not clearly seen on camera.
Other videos played for the jury showed Rittenhouse saying before the shootings that he was there to protect property and provide medical care to anyone who was hurt. In another video, Rittenhouse can be seen running through the frame, carrying a fire extinguisher. Shortly afterward, the video captures the sound of one gunshot. Authorities say that shot was fired into the air by someone in the crowd other than Rittenhouse.
