Potential jurors in Ahmaud Arbery case face questions about race

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Potential jurors besides asked to database their societal media accounts during questioning Monday

Ahmaud Arbery supporters extracurricular Glynn County Courthouse connected Oct. 18, 2021.

BRUNSWICK, Ga, – As jury enactment got dilatory underway Monday successful the proceedings of 3 men charged with fatally shooting Ahmaud Arbery, imaginable jurors were asked questions, and galore of those questions were astir race.

The sidesplitting of Arbery, a 25-year-old Black man, sparked a nationalist outcry fueled by graphic video of the shooting leaked online much than 2 months aft helium was killed. Father and lad Greg and Travis McMichael and their neighbour William “Roddie” Bryan -- each of whom are achromatic -- are charged with execution and different crimes in Arbery’s death on Feb. 23, 2020, conscionable extracurricular the larboard metropolis of Brunswick.

Gene Nichols, a Jacksonville lawyer who is not affiliated with the case, explained that lawyers person to code the contention origin head-on.

“The lawyers connected some sides privation to cognize whether oregon not radical are going to marque decisions based upon contention oregon based upon the evidence,” Nichols said. “There has to beryllium a speech astir contention due to the fact that there’s excessively overmuch of a chance, that it volition power a juror’s position.”

Next to their attorneys, the 3 men connected proceedings faced the imaginable jurors, 1 of whom adjacent challenged the enactment of questioning.

“Please rise your manus if you hold with this statement: Police successful this state bash not dainty Black and achromatic radical equally,” a lawyer asked.

“That’s a immense generalization,” a imaginable juror replied.

“It definite is,” the lawyer responded. “It’s meant to stitchery up anybody who feels they person immoderate thoughts astir that.”

Defense attorneys for Gregory and Travis McMichael expressed concerns to the judge, saying they’re disquieted this highly-publicized lawsuit has been characterized arsenic a execution based connected Arbery’s race.

Arbery’s household says that the 25-year-old’s contention was a factor.

As noted successful the questionnaire obtained by News4Jax, it asks imaginable jurors to database each of their societal media accounts, including their email, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. It besides asks what is their root of accusation connected societal media.

Nichols said those excessively are apt questions to find a imaginable juror’s beliefs connected race.

“There volition beryllium radical who volition not beryllium sleeping contiguous due to the fact that each they volition beryllium doing is beryllium connected the societal media websites of each 1 of the idiosyncratic jurors to spot what perchance is retired determination either for oregon against them being connected this jury,” Nichols said.

Nichols said the other is besides true, and that not lone volition lawyers effort to weed retired radical from the assemblage excavation who they consciousness volition marque this lawsuit astir race. He said the attorneys are besides moving to marque definite the different side, doesn’t purposely take jurors, based connected their feelings astir race.

Jury enactment could past 2 weeks oregon more. Once a assemblage is seated, the proceedings itself could besides instrumentality much than 2 weeks.

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