It’s been 5 years since Arbery was murdered. What’s changed?
BRUNSWICK, Ga. - Sunday marks the fifth anniversary of the murder of Ahmaud Arbery, a Black jogger with ties to the CSRA who was chased down and slain by white men who accused him of prowling in their neighborhood.
The case came amid several high-profile slayings of Black people that made headlines across the country and raised questions about unequal treatment.
The white men in the Arbery case – one of them a former police officer with connections in the local justice system – weren’t prosecuted for weeks after the incident.
It’s been 1 year since AU student Laken Riley’s murder changed politics
On Feb. 22, 2024, a 22-year-old Laken Riley went for a morning run and never returned.
Arbery, a 25-year-old Black man, was chased down by three white men while he was jogging in southeast Georgia on Feb. 23, 2020.
According to investigators, father and son Greg and Travis McMichael, and William “Roddie” Bryan grabbed their firearms and chased Arbery down in the street, shot and killed him, after confronting him about recent burglaries in the area.
The three men were convicted in both federal court.
LOCAL TIES
The Arbery case: Where are they now?
- Ahmaud Arbery, whose family is from the CSRA, is buried near Waynesboro.
- Gregory McMichael is being held at Augusta State Medical Prison.
- Travis McMichael is being held at Hays State Prison.
- William “Roddy” Bryan is being held at Valdosta State Prison.
A former Brunswick district attorney was also charged for allegedly trying to protect the McMichaels. Her trial ended this month after a judge dismissed the charges.
The Georgia General Assembly declared Feb. 23 as “Ahmaud Arbery Day.” As part of the resolution, state representatives encourage people to walk or run 2.23 miles on that day and reflect on how Arbery’s life was cut short while jogging in 2020.
EARLIER COVERAGE:
- Arbery killers ask court to overturn their hate-crime convictions
- Family’s hunt for justice continues in Arbery case
- Arbery’s mother reflects on his death as vigil is held
The McMichaels armed themselves with guns and jumped in a pickup truck to chase Arbery – a 25-year-old Black man with family ties to the CSRA and who’s now buried near Waynesboro – after they saw him run past their house on Feb. 23, 2020, in a subdivision outside the port city of Brunswick.
Bryan ed the pursuit in his own truck and recorded cellphone video of Travis McMichael firing shotgun blasts at close range into Arbery, who fell fatally wounded in the street.
No arrests were made in Arbery’s killing for more than two months, until Bryan’s cellphone video leaked online and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation took over the case from police. Arbery’s death became part of a broader reckoning on racial injustice in the criminal legal system along with the police killings of George Floyd in Minneapolis and Breonna Taylor in Louisville, Kentucky.
Defense attorneys argued during the Georgia trial that the armed pursuit was justified because the McMichaels and Bryan suspected Arbery was a thief and sought to detain him for police. Travis McMichael testified that he opened fire in self-defense when Arbery attacked with his fists. Police found no evidence Arbery had stolen anything or committed other crimes in the neighborhood.
In addition to the state conviction, the men were also convicted of federal hate crimes in U.S. District Court after a separate trial in February 2022. The jury concluded the trio targeted Arbery because he was Black. Prosecutors presented two dozen social media posts and text messages, as well as witness testimony, that showed all three men used racist slurs or otherwise disparaged Black people.
Copyright 2024 WRDW/WAGT. All rights reserved.
