• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Advertise
  • Contact Us
  • About Towleroad
  • Towleroad on Social Media
  • Privacy Policy

Towleroad Gay News

Gay Blog Towleroad: More than gay news | gay men

  • Travel
  • Sports
  • Law/Justice
  • Celebrities
  • Republicans
  • Madonna
  • Books
  • Men
  • Trans Rights
  • Royals
  • Monkeypox
  • 12+ Instagram Sure Shots in Miami for the Social LGBTQ Visitor. All Mapped with More Top Spots … In Time For Your Fall Getaway Plans
  • Bella Thorne used to have threesomes with Benjamin Mascolo
  • John Waters believes mainstream Hollywood films are finally as shocking as his cult movies

Viral video, opinions challenge Georgia jury selection for Arbery case

Towleroad October 22, 2021 Leave a Comment

Published by
Reuters
465908 origin 1

By Rich McKay

(Reuters) – A Georgia court struggled this week to seat jurors in the trial of three white men accused of murdering Black jogger Ahmaud Arbery, underscoring the challenge of finding people who have not formed firm opinions based on a viral video of the shooting.

“I saw the news footage and I saw the video footage of the crime, and I’ve already formed a guilty opinion of the crime,” one woman told the court earlier this week.

Arbery's killing just outside the coastal city of Brunswick, Georgia, in February 2020 stoked national outrage and protests after the cellphone video taken by one of the three defendants went viral.

Defense lawyers and prosecutors say they are not looking for jurors who have not seen the video or don't know about the case. Rather, they are trying to determine whether potential jurors can set aside any opinions they have and make a decision based on evidence presented to the court.

Former policeman Gregory McMichael, 65; his son Travis McMichael, 35; and neighbor William “Roddie” Bryan, 52, face charges of murder, aggravated assault and false imprisonment. If convicted on all charges, they could draw a maximum sentence of life in prison.

Superior Court Judge Timothy Walmsley told prosecutors and defense attorneys to speed things up. “I am not comfortable with this,” he said of the pace on the first day of jury selection on Monday.

As of late Thursday night, out of 80 Glynn County residents interviewed, only 23 residents had been prequalified for a group of 64, from which the ultimate 12 jurors and four alternates will be selected to hear the case.

Walsley said on Thursday that selection could take well into next week or possibly the week after. The court was not in session on Friday; jury selection is slated to resume on Monday.

CITIZEN'S ARREST DEFENSE

Defense attorneys have said in interviews that they plan to base their case largely on a now-defunct version of a “citizen's arrest” law that allows people in the state to detain someone they suspect of a crime. The three defendants told police they thought Arbery was a burglar and the shooting was in self-defense after Arbery grappled with a shotgun leveled by Travis McMichael.

Arbery, an avid runner and former high school football star, was shot three times and fell on the street in the suburban neighborhood.

One potential juror was dismissed because he watched the video more than six times and told the court he thought the men were “guilty. They killed him. They did it as a team.”

Another said, “The only time I’ve heard of citizen’s arrest is in ‘The Andy Griffith show',” the 1960s TV comedy about a small-town sheriff.

The man added that he would listen to both sides in the case. “Everyone deserves their day in court. It’s the foundation of our country, it’s the rule of law.”

Of the 80 people brought to court through Thursday, a few said they had seen only clips from the video, and only two people told the court they hadn't seen it.

“I didn’t want to see somebody killed,” said one man in his 70s.

Chris Slobogin, a Vanderbilt University law professor, said picking fair juries is harder in the days of cellphones and social media.

“I mean, everyone's seen this video,” he said. “I believe the judge will eventually find 12 jurors, but the work is to figure out if a person is being forthright when they say they can set aside what they saw.”

A nurse told the court that she had thought hard about whether she could be a fair, impartial juror and “prayed about it.”

“I feel firmly that I could do that,” she said.

Another potential juror, a retired auto shop owner, said it would be hard to disregard the video.

“Some things you just can't unsee,” he said.

(Reporting by Rich McKay in Atlanta; Additional reporting by Jonathan Allen in New York; Editing by Jonathan Oatis)

Topics: Aaon, Film/TV/Stream, Law/Justice More Posts About: Arbey, Georgia, Jurly Selection

Related Posts
  • Veteran Atlanta Activist Becomes First Black Trans Woman Ever Named to Presidential HIV/AIDS Council
  • First Gay Atlanta City Councilman Antonio Brown Throws His Progressive Hat In The Ring To Become Atlanta Mayor
  • Challenging Georgia: Will Smith Pulls ‘Emancipation’; Abrams vs. Kemp Rematch?; Corp Leaders Expand Focus on Voting ; And Trump Won’t See Gaetz
  • Bella Thorne used to have threesomes with Benjamin Mascolo

    Bella Thorne used to have threesomes with Benjamin Mascolo

    Published by BANG Showbiz English Bella Thorne and her ex-boyfriend Benjamin Mascolo used to have threesomes. The 25-year-old actress dated musician Benjamin, 30, from 2019 until 2022 and he has now claimed that his ex-girlfriend is …Read More »
  • John Waters believes mainstream Hollywood films are finally as shocking as his cult movies

    John Waters believes mainstream Hollywood films are finally as shocking as his cult movies

    Published by BANG Showbiz English John Waters thinks mainstream Hollywood films are just as shocking as his gross-out cult classics. The groundbreaking 77-year-old director made his name with the 1972 black comedy ‘Pink Flamingos’ that famously …Read More »
  • Sir Elton John is ‘back home and in good health’ after being rushed to hospital

    Sir Elton John is ‘back home and in good health’ after being rushed to hospital

    Published by BANG Showbiz English Sir Elton John is “back home and in good health” after being rushed to hospital. The 76-year-old pop icon suffered a fall at his French villa on Sunday (27.08.23) evening and …Read More »
  • Robin Roberts Wedding—All the ‘I Do’ Details: The Dress, the Guest List, the Snubs and More Revealed

    Robin Roberts Wedding—All the ‘I Do’ Details: The Dress, the Guest List, the Snubs and More Revealed

    Published by OK Magazine Here's to the newlyweds! On Friday, September 8, Good Morning America star Robin Roberts tied the knot with her girlfriend of 18 years, Amber Laign. The reporter broke the news on her …Read More »
Previous Post: « U.S. Supreme Court to hear challenge to Texas abortion ban
Next Post: Alicia Silverstone says she’s ‘banned’ from a dating app »

Primary Sidebar

Most Recent

  • 12+ Instagram Sure Shots in Miami for the Social LGBTQ Visitor. All Mapped with More Top Spots … In Time For Your Fall Getaway Plans

    12+ Instagram Sure Shots in Miami for the Social LGBTQ Visitor. All Mapped with More Top Spots … In Time For Your Fall Getaway Plans

  • Bella Thorne used to have threesomes with Benjamin Mascolo

    Bella Thorne used to have threesomes with Benjamin Mascolo

  • John Waters believes mainstream Hollywood films are finally as shocking as his cult movies

    John Waters believes mainstream Hollywood films are finally as shocking as his cult movies

  • Sir Elton John is ‘back home and in good health’ after being rushed to hospital

    Sir Elton John is ‘back home and in good health’ after being rushed to hospital

  • Robin Roberts Wedding—All the ‘I Do’ Details: The Dress, the Guest List, the Snubs and More Revealed

    Robin Roberts Wedding—All the ‘I Do’ Details: The Dress, the Guest List, the Snubs and More Revealed

  • Ellen DeGeneres announces TV return after 16-month absence

    Ellen DeGeneres announces TV return after 16-month absence

  • Madonna ‘Would Love’ for Britney Spears to Come on Tour With Her After Recent Split From Sam Asghari

    Madonna ‘Would Love’ for Britney Spears to Come on Tour With Her After Recent Split From Sam Asghari

  • Lourdes Leon, Daughter Of Madonna, Shocks With See-Through String Dress At Victoria’s Secret Show

    Lourdes Leon, Daughter Of Madonna, Shocks With See-Through String Dress At Victoria’s Secret Show

Adjacent News

  • Did the UAE ban the Barbie movie? What about Saudi Arabia?

    Did the UAE ban the Barbie movie? What about Saudi Arabia?

  • From penal camp, dissident Navalny calls on Russians to resist Putin

    From penal camp, dissident Navalny calls on Russians to resist Putin

  • As contentious judicial ‘reform’ becomes law in Israel, Netanyahu cements his political legacy

    As contentious judicial ‘reform’ becomes law in Israel, Netanyahu cements his political legacy

Good Trash: Going to Read It Somewhere, Y'know

  • Beyonce pays tribute to stabbed fan

    Beyonce pays tribute to stabbed fan

  • Dwight Howard’s Assault Accuser Submits Uber Receipt as Evidence in Court Battle With Ex-Lakers Star

    Dwight Howard’s Assault Accuser Submits Uber Receipt as Evidence in Court Battle With Ex-Lakers Star

  • After Bud Light, Ukraine ‘Scandals,’ Garth Brooks Surprises Again

    After Bud Light, Ukraine ‘Scandals,’ Garth Brooks Surprises Again

Partner Links

  • Pence Endorses Union Busting As Solution To Income Disparity
    Real man of the people, that Pence. He showed where his […]
  • “Jason Sudeikis will pay Olivia Wilde $27K a month in child support” links
    Jason Sudeikis will pay Olivia Wilde $27K a month in child […]
  • GOP House Budget Proposal: 'Let's Hurt Low-Income Kids'
    Democratic lawmakers and policy analysts are expressing growing alarm over the […]
  • Who is Diver on 'The Masked Singer' Season 10? Clues, Guesses, & Spoilers Revealed!
    The Masked Singer is back for season 10! A new episode […]
  • Emmy, Grammy and Tony winner Billy Porter – a vision in purple – crosses iconic Abbey Road
    View this post on Instagram A post shared by Billy Porter […]

Most Commented

Social

Twitter @tlrd | Facebook | Instagram @tlrd

About

  • Advertise
  • Contact Us
  • About Towleroad
  • Towleroad on Social Media
  • Privacy Policy
[towleroadmr] [towleroadtn]

Copyright © 2023 · Log in

×
×