Defense Set To Begin Its Case In The Ahmaud Arbery Slaying Trial After Prosecution Rests
Defense attorneys in the trial of three white men charged with chasing and killing Ahmaud Arbery were expected to begin their case on Wednesday (Nov. 17) after the prosecution rested. But the case has already seen its share of drama with the defense complaining about the presence of Black pastors attending the trial and a motion to dismiss that was rejected by the judge.
On Tuesday (Nov. 16), the prosecutor showed jurors photos of the massive gunshot wounds to the 25-year-old Black man’s body that left his white T-shirt drenched in blood, the Associated Press reported.
At the center of the proceedings is Greg and Travis McMichael, a father and son, who are accused of armed themselves to pursued Arbery in a pickup truck after seeing him running in their neighborhood outside of Brunswick, Ga., on February 23, 2020. Following behind them in a vehicle, neighbor William “Roddie” Bryan recorded the incident, taking cellphone video of Travis McMichael shooting Arbery at close range with a shotgun. The McMichaels said they believed Arbery was a burglar.
Prosecutors called 23 witnesses over eight days. On the final day of the defense case, jurors heard testimony from Dr. Edmund Donoghue, the state medical examiner who performed Arbery’s autopsy, and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation’s lead investigator, agent Richard Dial.
Two of the three shotgun rounds fired at Arbery struck him and caused severe bleeding, Donoghue stated, adding that either of the two blasts would have killed him.
The first shot was fired at close range, severing an artery in his right wrist and blowing a gaping hole in his chest. While the second shot missed, the third was fired at point-blank range. It struck a major artery and vein near his left armpit and fractured several bones.
Donoghue stated that neither the police nor EMS could have saved Arbery’s life at the scene.
Dial explained the path of the chase that ended in Arbery’s death to jurors through maps of the neighborhood and a drone video. He also reviewed cell phone footage of the shooting.
RELATED: Defense Lawyer In Ahmaud Arbery Murder Trial Says ‘We Don’t Want Any More Black Pastors In Here’
On Monday (Nov. 15), Judge Timothy Walmsley rejected the defense team’s request for a mistrial, according to The Washington Post.
The defense lawyers made the request after Walmsley briefly removed the jury from the courtroom when Arbery’s mother, Wanda Cooper-Jones, began crying from the gallery. They argued that she would unfairing influence the jury. The lawyers also complained about Black ministers, including the Revs. Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton, joining the Arbery family in court.
Opening statements from the defense began at 10 a.m. Wednesday morning.
