Lawyers try to seat jury for Ahmaud Arbery slaying trial from pool of 65

3 years ago 201

3 men charged with chasing, shooting unarmed 25-year-old jogging done their neighborhood

Travis McMichael, Gregory McMichael and William "Roddie" Bryan successful courtroom during assemblage enactment successful their proceedings connected execution charges successful the decease of Ahmaud Arbery. (Courtroom excavation photos by Stephen B. Morton/Associated Press)

BRUNSWICK, Fla. – It took 11 days for a justice and sheet of lawyers to hold connected a excavation of 65 Glynn County residents qualified to perceive the execution charges against 3 men accused successful the February 2020 shooting decease of Ahmaud Arbery. Court observers judge they volition spot a assemblage of 12 positive 4 alternates arsenic aboriginal arsenic Wednesday afternoon.

All of the qualified jurors were to beryllium brought into the courtroom successful ample groups Wednesday day arsenic the attorneys determine who to support and who to onslaught silently.

After a treatment astatine the opening of the day, Juror 219 was dismissed from the excavation due to the fact that she has video tributes to Arbery connected her TikTok account. She near the courtroom shaking her head.

The justice past admonished the defence for being overly assertive successful its questioning.

“These radical who came successful for assemblage enactment went done a agelong and arduous process,” Walmsley said. “Parties request to beryllium precise cautious due to the fact that it tin commencement alienating people. It tin truly commencement pushing people’s buttons.”

“That’s going to instrumentality clip to bring those radical done the tribunal and strike. And then, hopefully, we’ll beryllium near with immoderate sizeable magnitude of clip to enactment done motions,” said lawyer Jason Sheffield, an lawyer representing Travis McMichael -- the antheral shown connected video shooting Arbery. “So we whitethorn not beryllium getting to opening statements until Thursday, possibly Thursday afternoon, possibly Friday,” Sheffield told WTOC-TV.

Travis McMichael, his begetter Gregory McMichael and William “Roddy” Bryan, who recorded the video, are each charged with execution successful Arbery’s death.

Among the defence motions inactive pending. are respective dealing with grounds and 1 that asks that the proceedings beryllium moved retired of Glynn County.

Sheffield was besides asked if a question to alteration the determination of the proceedings is being considered by the defense. He says it’s not disconnected the table, and a determination connected whether oregon not to record a question to alteration venue would beryllium made precise soon.

FULL COVERAGE: The Ahmaud Arbery Case | Live watercourse of assemblage selection

More than 200 radical were screened earlier the tribunal filled the qualified pool. Leaving the courthouse Tuesday afternoon, the lawyer representing Bryan said helium appreciates the clip imaginable jurors person taken to enactment successful the assemblage enactment process.

“I deliberation each the lawyers are pleased that we’re getting adjacent to having a radical of jurors qualified and get this process moving along,” lawyer Kevin Gough said. “Everybody’s worked existent hard astatine it.”

Gough besides says, for the astir part, he’s pleased with the honesty of imaginable jurors during voir dire -- the ceremonial introspection of prospective jurors nether oath.

Walmsley announced earlier successful the week that the tribunal volition besides conscionable connected Veterans Day, Nov. 11. Prosecutors person told prospective jurors the proceedings could past done Nov. 17 -- the Friday earlier Thanksgiving.