Tuesday on Political Rewind: Questions about what constitutes legal self-defense and proper use of the citizen's arrest law dominated closing arguments in the trial of the men charged with murder in Ahmaud Arbery's shooting death. Meanwhile, the new Republican-drawn Georgia congressional map sets up a battle between Democratic incumbents Carolyn Bordeaux and Lucy McBath.
In Travis McMichael’s four-hour testimony, he repeated that he reacted to the “totality of circumstances” of Arbery being spotted several times at the construction site of a new home in the Satilla Shores neighborhood combined with concerns about property crime.
Attorneys still aim to finish presenting their cases in mid-November despite a longer-than-expected jury selection process that’s drawing criticism for producing only one Black juror in a case where race has become a central issue.
Some of the 14 jurors were excused from serving weeks on the jury pool for medical conditions or other personal hardships that would limit their ability to serve. But many more were dismissed because they said setting aside their feelings about the guilt of defendants is too hard for them to do.
Jury selection is underway in the Brunswick trial for three white men accused in the 2020 killing of Ahmaud Arbery, who was Black. It’s also a reminder for some residents of a long-broken trust with a police department and other county law enforcement agencies that took almost three months to open an investigation into the 25-year-old's death. This week's Georgia Today podcast delves into the troubled history of Glynn County policing and how the trial may expose the department to even greater national scrutiny.
At least two jurors admitted Tuesday accessing some of the court documents that can be found on links after clicking instructions for the 1,000 jurors summoned for the high-profile case.
Summons were sent to 1,000 people who live in Glynn County, a coastal community home to about 85,000 residents. Potential jurors were asked Monday about their thoughts on the fairness of the criminal justice system and whether they had already formed an opinion about the defendants’ guilt or innocence.
While the coastal town of Brunswick is still waiting for ultimate closure in Ahmaud Arbery's death — which family and friends say would come with three guilty verdicts — the tragic incident sparked undeniable change not only for the small town but the entire state of Georgia.
About 100 firefighters, police officers, Georgia State Patrol troopers and administrators met Monday afternoon to discuss potential threats and other situations if tensions rise during the month set aside for jury selection and trial.
Environmentalists say the removal of the ship only clears the part of the wreckage most obvious on the surface. They are pressing for more details on what will come next to clean marshes and shores of the remaining oil and other contaminants that aren’t so visible.
COVID-19 hospitalizations at coastal hospitals have matched or surpassed their prior peaks and are expected to keep climbing. Most patients are unvaccinated.
In the first of two days of hearings on a long list of pretrial motions, the judge heard arguments on what evidence will be allowed in the trial for the three white men charged with killing Ahmaud Arbery.
