A Georgia judge Friday scheduled an October trial for three white men charged with murder in the slaying of Ahmaud Arbery, a 25-year-old Black man who was chased and shot while running in the defendants’ neighborhood.
Superior Court Judge Timothy Walmsley issued a notice stating that jury selection will begin Oct. 18, with the trial commencing as soon as a jury is seated.
Greg McMichael and his grown son, Travis McMichael, armed themselves and pursued Arbery in a pickup truck on Feb. 23, 2020, just outside the port city of Brunswick, about 70 miles (110 kilometers) south of Savannah. A neighbor, William “Roddie” Bryan, joined the chase and took cellphone video of Travis McMichael shooting Arbery at close range as they grappled over a shotgun.
Defense attorneys for the three men charged have insisted they committed no crimes. They have said the McMichaels suspected Arbery was a burglar and that Travis McMichael shot him in self-defense.
Authorities didn’t bring charges in the case until more than two months later, when the video became public and sparked a national outcry over the case.
