Jury starts deliberations in Arbery murder trial

After 10 days of witness testimony and two days of closing arguments, 12 jurors began deliberations on Tuesday in the trial of Greg McMichael, Travis McMichael, and William “Roddie” Bryan. They are charged with murder, aggravated assault, and false imprisonment in the shooting death of Ahmaud Arbery in a Brunswick, Ga., neighborhood in 2020.

What were some highlights from the trial? The prosecution asked to start jury selection over, alleging racial bias from the defense. The judge said there might have been racial discrimination in dismissing black jurors but allowed the group to remain because the defense could provide non-racial reasons for rejecting them. The jury has one black member, and the rest are white. Attorneys argued that the defendants were attempting a citizen’s arrest and had to shoot when Arbery tried to grab Travis McMichael’s gun. The prosecution said the defendants had no reason to believe Arbery had committed a crime and that violence was unwarranted.

Dig deeper: Read Sophia Lee’s coverage of violence in the Pacific Northwest after a year of racial unrest.