Three American men convicted of murdering Ahmaud Arbery seek new trial

The three white men convicted of murdering Ahmaud Arbery, a 25-year-old unarmed black man, in the US state of Georgia, have asked for a new trial.

Greg McMichael and his son Travis McMichael were sentenced to life in prison without parole for the murder, while their neighbor William Bryan received life in prison with the possibility of parole.

Their attorneys returned Thursday before the judge who handed down their sentences to argue, among other things, that the jury had been tainted.

The trio already appealed a federal hate crime verdict against them.

Arbery was fatally shot by the younger McMichael in February 2020 while jogging through the Satilla Shores neighborhood in Glynn County, Georgia.

As he ran past his house, the father and son chased him in pickup trucks.

Bryan, who joined the chase, recorded cell phone video of Travis McMichael firing rounds at point-blank range at Arbery in the street.

The men have argued that they believed Arbery was a thief and wanted to stop him before police arrived, but no evidence was ever found that the jogger had committed any crimes in the area.

No arrests were made in the case for more than two months until images of neighbor Bryan were leaked online.

Arbery’s name later became a rallying cry as part of a broader reckoning for racial justice in the United States, related to the recent deaths of two other Black people, Breonna Taylor and George Floyd.

On Thursday, the only Black person on the trial jury was called to the stand and asked if he “hid his bias in favor of the Arbery family” during jury selection.

This claim by defense attorneys was made in light of interviews the jury gave to a private investigator in 2022, in which he allegedly said, “I felt like the weight of the entire black race was on my shoulders.”

Although he was not asked about that comment, the man, identified only as Juror No. 380 – testified: “I felt sorry for the family. After the trial began, I felt sorry for both sides. “I wanted to help the truth come to light, the good and the bad.”

During jury selection, defense attorneys rejected eight other black panelists.

But Travis McMichael’s attorney, Pete Donaldson, admitted in court Thursday that he expected the motion for a new trial to fail but nonetheless wanted “to go on the record” to file an appeal with the U.S. Supreme Court. .

Arbery’s father, Marcus Arbery Sr, told reporters outside court that the arguments were “very weak.”

“They were throwing everything against the wall and nothing will stick,” he said.

Superior Court Judge Timothy Walsmley is giving both legal teams a month or more to file briefs summarizing their arguments before issuing a decision.