The white father and son who shot dead Ahmaud Arbery have been indicted by a grand jury on murder charges, alongside their neighbor who filmed the killing.
Prosecutor Joyette Holmes said Wednesday a Glynn County grand jury has indicted Travis, 34, and Greg McMichael, 64, and William ‘Roddie’ Bryan Jr., 50, on charges including malice and felony murder in the death of the unarmed jogger.
Arbery was killed February 23 when the McMichaels, armed themselves and pursued him. Bryan said he saw the McMichaels driving by and joined the chase, a Georgia Bureau of Investigation agent testified earlier this month.
Gregory McMichael, left, and his son Travis McMichael. A prosecutor on Wednesday announced three men have been indicted on murder charges in the killing of Ahmaud Arbery
William ‘Roddie’ Bryan Jr. said he saw the McMichaels driving by and joined the chase, a Georgia Bureau of Investigation agent testified earlier this month
Arbery was killed February 23 when the Greg and Travis McMichael, a white father and son, armed themselves and pursued the unarmed jogger.
Greg McMichael told police he suspected Arbery, 25, was a burglar and that Arbery attacked his son before being shot.
Bryan lives just a few houses away from the McMichaels, close to where the killing took place. He has said he was only a ‘witness’ and not an accomplice in the shooting.
The killers evaded prosecution for more than two months, after the father and son team initially claimed they thought Arbery was a burglar after a spate of thefts in the area, and that he attacked them when they tried to make a citizen’s arrest.
But shocking cellphone footage – taken by Bryan – was leaked months later, showing the two men chasing and gunning down the victim in the street.
The McMichaels were then arrested on May 7. Bryan was arrested on May 22, and an arrest warrant said he tried ‘to confine and detain’ Arbery without legal authority by ‘utilizing his vehicle on multiple occasions’ before Arbery was shot.
Cobb County District Attorney Joyette Holmes said a Glynn County grand jury has indicted Travis McMichael, 34, Greg McMichael, 64, and William ‘Roddie’ Bryan Jr., 50, on charges including malice and felony murder in the death of the African American man
In addition to malice murder and felony murder charges, the McMichaels and Bryan each are charged with two counts of aggravated assault and one count each of false imprisonment and criminal attempt to commit false imprisonment.
‘This is another positive step, another great step for finding justice for Ahmaud, for finding justice for this family and the community beyond,’ prosecutor Holmes said during the news conference, which was streamed online by news outlets.
The harrowing video showed the men ‘ambushing’ Arbery as he tried to run past their pickup truck.
The leak of the video sparked outrage across the nation with LeBron James, Justin Bieber and Kendall Jenner all leading cries for the McMichaels to be charged with murder.
It was not until May 7 – two days after Bryan´s cellphone video leaked online and stirred a national outcry – that the McMichaels were arrested
The McMichaels and Bryan each are charged with two counts of aggravated assault and one count each of false imprisonment and criminal attempt to commit false imprisonment
An officer with the Georgia Bureau of Investigation is seen leading 34-year-old Travis McMichael out of the home in handcuffs on May 7
Exclusive photos show the moment Gregory McMichael (pictured) and his son Travis McMichael were arrested at their home in Brunswick, Georgia in May
Lawyers for the McMichaels have cautioned against a rush to judgment and have said the full story will come out in court.
A lawyer for Bryan has maintained that his client was merely a witness.
Court functions in Georgia have been severely limited in recent months because of a statewide judicial emergency declared by the chief justice of the state Supreme Court in response to the coronavirus pandemic.
Holmes said they were able to call in a grand jury that had been impaneled prior to the judicial emergency. They followed public guidelines, providing hand sanitizer to the grand jurors and allowing them to sit far apart, she said.
Because of the uncertainty caused by the virus, the Arbery family didn’t know when the next steps would be taken after a probable cause hearing held earlier this month, Holmes said. But they were notified as soon as the grand jury returned an indictment, she said.
‘The family was ecstatic to hear that it had happened this morning,’ she said.
Ahmaud Arbery and his mother Wanda Cooper Jones
Demonstrators gather at the Glynn County courthouse during a court appearance by Gregory and Travis McMichael, two suspects in the fatal shooting of Ahmaud Arbery, on June 4, 2020 in Brunswick, Georgia
Bob Rubin, a lawyer for Travis McMichael, said in an email that prosecutors choose the facts they want to present to a grand jury when seeking an indictment. The defense team has found other facts ‘that are an integral part of the case,’ he wrote.
‘To this indictment, Travis McMichael will plead not guilty, and we look forward to presenting all of the facts regarding this tragic death in a court of law,’ Rubin wrote.
Attorney Kevin Gough, who represents Bryan, spoke to reporters at the county courthouse right after Holmes announced the indictment.
‘We welcome the action of the grand jury today,′ Gough said. ‘While we disagree with it, it’s an important step in the process to moving this case closer to the speedy trial that Roddie has demanded.’
He said his client has committed no crime and has cooperated with law enforcement officers from the beginning.
Lawyers for Greg McMichael did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment Wednesday afternoon.
Gregory McMichael retired last year after more than two decades as an investigator for the local prosecutor’s office. Because of those ties, Brunswick Judicial Circuit District Attorney Jackie Johnson recused herself from the case.