Ahmaud Arbery: Testimony begins in hate crime trial over man's deadly shooting
BRUNSWICK, Ga. - Neighbors of Travis McMichael, Greg McMichael and William "Roddie" Bryan explained how the deadly shooting of Ahmaud Arbery affected their Brunswick, Georgia, neighborhood during the first day of testimony in the federal hate crimes trial.
All three men were convicted of murder and a judge sentenced them to life in prison in November 2021.
Travis and Greg McMichael grabbed guns and chased Arbery on Feb. 23, 2020. A neighbor, William "Roddie" Bryan, joined the pursuit recorded cellphone video of Travis McMichael killing Arbery with a shotgun. The men say they
FEB. 23 DESIGNATED AS AHMAUD ARBERY DAY IN GEORGIA
They were all indicted on federal hate crime charges. During the first day of testimony, a man said he felt "guilty that it happened outside my house."
Pete Theodocion, who represents Bryan, questioned witness Matt Albenze about whether his actions would have been different if Arbery were white or Hispanic.
"Nothing you did that day, none of the words or actions, were based on Mr. Arbery being African American, is that correct?" Theodocion asked.
"Correct," Albenze replied.
Prosecutor Bobbi Bernstein asked him if he ever drew his gun at Arbery.
"It’s not my job," Albenze said.
Opening statements in hate crimes trial
During opening statements in the case, prosecutors told the jury the men had histories of making racist comments or using slurs in text messages.
Defense attorneys said, while their clients had each expressed offensive opinions about Black people, their pursuit of Arbery stemmed from the suspicion that he had committed crimes, not because of his race.
AHMAUD ARBERY SHOOTING: OPENING STATEMENTS TO BEGIN IN FEDERAL HATE CRIMES TRIAL
"I’m not going to ask you to like Travis McMichael," Amy Lee Copeland, the defense attorney for the man who fatally shot Arbery, told the jury. "I’m not going to ask you to decide that he had done nothing wrong. But I’m going to ask you to return a verdict of not guilty to this indictment."
Hate crimes trial jury selection
U.S. District Court Judge Lisa Godbey Wood swore in a jury of eight white people, three Black people and one Hispanic person was sworn in to hear the case Monday morning along with four alternate jurors.
The were all questioned about their opinions on hate crimes during the selection process.
Plea deal rejected
The McMichaels withdrew their guilty pleas after the judge rejected terms of a plea deal between defense attorneys and prosecutors that was criticized by Arbery's parents.
The Associated Press contributed to this report