Crime, Law and Justice

Three white men indicted in murder of Ahmaud Arbery, killed while he jogged in Georgia

Gregory McMichael and his son Travis McMichael have been charged with murder in the February shooting death of Ahmaud Arbery. A video apparently shows them pursuing him in a truck as he jogged in their neighborhood.
Gregory McMichael and his son Travis McMichael have been charged with murder in the February shooting death of Ahmaud Arbery. A video apparently shows them pursuing him in a truck as he jogged in their neighborhood.
Glynn County Detention Center via AP

The three white men accused in the murder of Ahmaud Arbery, a Black man who was shot and killed while he was jogging through a Glynn County, Ga., neighborhood earlier this year, were indicted by a grand jury Wednesday.

Gregory and Travis McMichael, a father and son, as well as William "Roddie" Bryan, were charged in May in the Feb. 23 killing of Arbery.

Cobb County District Attorney Joyette Holmes announced the indictment on nine counts including malice murder, felony murder and criminal attempt to commit false imprisonment.

"This is another step forward in seeking justice for Ahmaud. Our team from the Cobb Judicial Circuit has been committed to effectively bringing forward the evidence in this case, and today was no exception," Holmes said in a statement.

"We will continue to be intentional in the pursuit of justice for this family and the community at large as the prosecution of this case continues."

The coronavirus pandemic has slowed some legal proceedings like these but the grand jury was able to meet Wednesday in person. The three men remain in jail without bond.

The investigation in the murder of 25-year-old Arbery was stalled for several weeks following his killing.

However, arrests were made two days after the Georgia Bureau of Investigation took over the case from local authorities.

The McMichaels were charged with murder and aggravated assault on May 7. Bryan was arrested two weeks later on charges of felony murder and criminal attempt to commit false imprisonment, and was charged on May 21.

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