Attorneys make final statements in Arbery case
BRUNSWICK, Ga. — Attorneys on Monday offered their final words to the jury in the killing of Ahmaud Arbery, with the prosecution saying that three white men chased him solely “because he was a Black man running down the street” and the defense repeatedly blaming Arbery for his own death.
In closing arguments, a defense attorney for the man who fired the fatal gunshots — Travis McMichael — said the 25year-old was killed as he violently resisted a legal effort to detain him to answer questions about burglaries in the neighborhood.
“It is absolutely, horrifically tragic that this has happened,” attorney Jason Sheffield said. “This is where the law is intertwined with heartache and tragedy. You are allowed to defend yourself.”
The arguments unfolded before a disproportionately white jury after 10 days of testimony that concluded last week, not long after the man who shot Arbery testified that he pulled the trigger in self-defense.
Arbery’s killing became part of a larger national reckoning on racial injustice after a graphic video of his death leaked online two months later. Though prosecutors did not argue that racism motivated the killing, federal authorities have charged all three men with hate crimes, alleging that they chased and killed Arbery because he was Black.
Father and son Greg and Travis McMichael grabbed guns and pursued Arbery in a pickup truck after spotting him running in their neighborhood on Feb. 23, 2020. A neighbor, William “Roddie” Bryan, joined the chase and recorded the video of Travis McMichael opening fire as Arbery threw punches and grabbed for his shotgun.
No one was charged in the killing until Bryan’s video leaked and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation took over the case from local police. All three men face counts of murder and other charges.
Prosector Linda Dunikoski told the jury the defendants had no evidence Arbery had committed crimes in their neighborhood, but instead acted on assumptions based on neighborhood gossip and speculative social media posts.
“They shot and killed him. Not because he was a threat to them. But because he wouldn’t stop and talk to them,” Dunikoski said.
Defense attorneys say the men suspected Arbery had burglarized a house under construction and intended to hold him until police arrived. None of the videos showed him stealing or damaging anything.