What we know about jury deliberations in the Ahmaud Arbery killing trial
CNN
By Devon M. Sayers, Alta Spells and Travis Caldwell, CNN
After more than two weeks of court proceedings and testimony from more than 20 witnesses, jurors in the Ahmaud Arbery killing trial reached a verdict Wednesday on their second day of deliberations.
Travis McMichael, his father Gregory McMichael, and neighbor William “Roddie” Bryan Jr. — were found guilty of murder and other charges related to the shooting of Arbery in the Satilla Shores neighborhood outside Brunswick, in Glynn County, Georgia, on February 23, 2020.
This is how jury deliberations unfolded:
When did they start?
The jury reviewed the case for more than six hours Tuesday after the prosecution presented a rebuttal to the defense’s closing arguments. Court resumed Wednesday morning around 8:30 a.m. ET and the jury verdict was read during the 1 p.m. hour after a little more than 11 hours of deliberations.
Who was on the jury?
Nine White women, two White men and one Black man served on the jury, with two White women and one White man serving as jury alternates, according to a CNN analysis of juror data. Having only one Black juror was a key complaint from prosecutors and Arbery’s family, as Glynn County’s population is about 69% White and 26% Black, according to 2019 data from the US Census Bureau. Arbery was Black and the defendants are White.
Judge Timothy Walmsley said of the jury’s makeup, “This court has found that there appears to be intentional discrimination,” but ruled that the case could go forward with the selected jurors because the defense was able to provide valid reasons, beyond race, for why the other Black jurors were dismissed.
Defense attorneys also took issue with there being fewer older White men without college degrees in the juror pool, saying the demographic was underrepresented.
What charges did they weigh?
Each defendant faced nine separate charges, including malice and felony murder, aggravated assault, false imprisonment and criminal attempt to commit a felony. Travis McMichael was convicted of all charges, Gregory McMichael on eight, and Bryan on six.
The McMichaels claimed they were conducting a citizen’s arrest after suspecting Arbery of burglary of a nearby home that was under construction, and that Travis McMichael acted in self-defense by shooting Arbery. Bryan maintained he is innocent.
Did they ask any questions?
On Wednesday, the jury asked to review two video clips, one of them enhanced, from the scene of the shooting and the audio of Gregory McMichael’s 911 call that day.
The jury entered the courtroom to watch the video at 9:45 a.m. The jury foreperson asked the court whether they could view each video three times, along with the 911 call.
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CNN’s Eliott C. McLaughlin, Angela Barajas, Adrienne Vogt and Jade Gordon contributed to this report.
