BRUNSWICK, Ga. — Jury selection will begin Monday in Ahmaud Arbery’s murder case.
Arbery was killed in February 2020 when he was out for a jog through a South Georgia subdivision. Three men started chasing him and then one of them shot him.
Channel 2′s Tony Thomas is in Brunswick where the trial will be held. Thomas said the community is preparing for a lot of attention and heated debate over the case.
Some 1,000 summons have been sent out for potential jurors and questioning of those jurors is set to begin Monday.
A new motion has been filed in the case from the homeowner of the construction site Arbery is accused of entering moments before he was killed.
Larry English said he needs a heart transplant and has given testimony in a prerecorded deposition, but said appearing at an actual trial might be too stressful and doing so may kill him.
Atlanta-area defense attorney Chinwe Foster said if English doesn’t show, the defense would be at a disadvantage.
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“It is a big difference, because as a defense, the jury has a right to see the person’s demeanor testifying before them,” Foster said.
Greg McMichael, his son Travis McMichael and neighbor Roddy Bryan are accused of teaming up to kill Arbery as he jogged through their neighborhood.
The men say it was self-defense after Arbery attacked them as they tried to stop and hold him for police. They thought he was a thief.
Arbery’s family says he was just out for a run.
“Justice is heading in the right direction for the Arbery family,” father Marcus Arbery Sr. said in a previous interview with Thomas.
Workers have been bringing in barricades near the courthouse, expecting protesters.
Leaders will hold a meeting Thursday to describe to the community their plans for this trial and how security will impact street closures, among other things.
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