ATLANTA — Ahmaud Arbery has been dead for nearly two years, and his legacy has left a lasting impact helping shape new laws and commencing two history-making trials to hold his murderers accountable.
Arbery was chased, cornered and killed while jogging through the Satilla Shores neighborhood in Brunswick, Georgia on Feb. 23, 2020. Father and son Gregory and Travis McMichael and their neighbor William "Roddie" Bryan were convicted on murder charges in the 25-year-old's death.
Here's a timeline of key events over the past two years.
Feb. 23, 2020 - Ahmaud Arbery was shot and killed
Arbery was shot to death while running through Satilla Shores. Gregory and Travis McMichael were armed as they followed the 25-year-old in a pick-up truck. Bryan filmed a portion of the event, including the shooting. The McMichaels told authorities they believed Arbery was breaking into homes.
March 31, 2020 - The Glynn County Police Department's first report
The agency released its report on the shooting incident, detailing that the McMichaels were armed. It provides details on Arbery's death, including how he fell face down on the pavement.
April 2, 2020 - Ware County District Attorney says shooting is justified
Ware County District Attorney George Barnhill sends a letter to the Glynn County Police Department saying he believes the shooting was justified under self-defense and citizen’s arrest laws in Georgia. Days later, Barnhill would recuse himself from the Arbery case.
May 5, 2020 - Cell phone video goes viral
Cellphone video of the shooting goes viral on social media, showing a Black man, later identified as Arbery, running down a road in the Satilla Shores neighborhood. There is a white pickup truck stopped ahead of him, where one man, later identified as Gregory McMichael, is standing in the bed of the truck. The driver, later identified as Travis McMichael, gets out of the vehicle and a struggle ensues between him and Arbery. Shots can be heard firing before the man in the bed of the truck draws a gun. Another shot can be heard before Arbery collapses onto the road. Marchers gather at a makeshift memorial for Arbery, chanting "I run with Maud."
May 7, 2020 - McMichaels are arrested
Gregory McMichael and Travis McMichael are arrested by the GBI on charges of murder and aggravated assault in Arbery's shooting death. They are booked into the Glynn County Jail and are denied bond during their first appearance.
May 9, 2020 - Arbery's birthday
Arbery would have turned 26 years old. His family celebrates with a balloon release at Sidney Lanier Park. Thousands of people attend.
May 12, 2020 - Hate crime bill surfaces
Georgia state representative Al Williams led a call to pass a hate crime bill, which may be renamed the “Ahmaud Arbery” law in the 25-year-old’s memory.
May 13, 2020 - Bryan is involved
William "Roddie" Bryan, the man who took the cellphone video of Arbery's shooting, retains attorney Kevin Gough to represent him in regard to his role in the case.
May 20, 2020 - A case is brewing
Judge Timothy Walmsley, a Chatham County superior court judge, is assigned to the Ahmaud Arbery murder case.
May 21, 2020 - Bryan is arrested
Bryan, the man who recorded the cellphone video of Arbery's deadly shooting, is arrested and charged with felony murder and criminal attempt to commit false imprisonment in Arbery's death.
June 4, 2020 - First preliminary hearing
The McMichaels and Bryan have their first preliminary hearing in Glynn County court. The lead GBI investigator testifies, saying Bryan struck Arbery with his truck and that Arbery's handprints and shirt fibers were found on the vehicle, which was dented from the impact. He also says a witness told investigators that Travis McMichael used a racial slur as Arbery lay on the ground, dying. The magistrate judge finds probable cause in the murder charges against all three men and sends the cases to superior court.
June 23, 2020 - A new hate crime law in Georgia
The Georgia legislature passes a bipartisan hate crimes bill, imposing additional penalties for crimes motivated by a person's race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or disability. Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp signs the bill into law three days later.
June 24, 2020 - Formal indictments
Cobb County DA Joyette Holmes announces the formal indictments against Travis McMichael, Gregory McMichael and Bryan in the shooting death of Arbery. They face nine charges each, including malice murder; felony murder (four counts); aggravated assault (two counts); false imprisonment; and criminal attempt to commit false imprisonment. All three men enter not guilty pleas.
Nov. 13, 2020 - Michaels denied bond, again
A judge denies bond for Gregory and Travis McMichael after their bond hearing reveals new evidence in the case surrounding Ahmaud Arbery's death. New phone records revealed Greg McMichael tried calling his former boss, Brunswick DA Jackie Johnson, the day of the shooting. Another phone call played in the court showed that Greg McMichael told a friend the shooting was a "good deed." In the hearing, text messages allegedly sent by Travis McMichael where he used racial slurs were also introduced, in which said he would shoot "a crackhead (expletive) with gold teeth" with a pistol.
Dec. 16, 2020 - New body camera video released
New police body camera footage is released, showing the three men charged in his death admitting to chasing Ahmaud Arbery.
Feb. 16, 2021- Georgia moves to remove citizen's arrest law
Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp announces a plan to abolish the state's citizen's arrest law. The statute was initially used to justify Ahmaud Arbery's death in February 2020. Kemp calls the shooting horrific and says it is high time to get rid of the law.
Feb. 23, 2021 - 1 year since Arbery's death, a new trial emerges
Attorneys file a federal lawsuit on the one-year anniversary of Arbery’s death claiming the men who allegedly murdered him violated his civil rights.
Family and friends gather for a vigil at New Springfield Baptist Church in Waynesboro, Georgia, just steps away from Arbery's final resting place, to share their grief and celebrate Arbery's life one year after the shooting.
April 28, 2021 - A new prosecutor in one case; a federal case is forming
The lead prosecutor in the case against the three men accused of murdering Ahmaud Arbery resigns his position with the Cobb County District Attorney's Office. Cobb County Assistant District Attorney Linda Dunikoski will step in as the lead prosecutor in the case.
A federal grand jury indicts Gregory McMichael, Travis McMichael and William "Roddie" Bryan with hate crimes and the attempted kidnapping of Ahmaud Arbery, as well as charging two of the three men with separate counts of using firearms during that crime of violence.
May 10, 2021 - Georgia removes citizen's arrest law
Gov. Brian Kemp repeals Georgia's Civil War-era citizen's arrest law.
July 1, 2021 - Prohibiting evidence in trial
Prosecutors file a motion asking the judge to prohibit the defense from admitting evidence pertaining to Arbery's mental health or drug use, because they say it has no bearing on what occurred. The following day, prosecutors filed even more charges, including requesting the judge allow a 3-hour closing argument (one hour longer than allowed) and to show jurors the cellphone video of Arbery's killing during opening statements. Prosecutors also want to bar testimony about the opinion of an earlier District Attorney assigned to the case who said the fatal shooting was justified.
July 16, 2021 - Defense attorneys motion for more boundaries in jury selection
Defense attorneys file new motions requesting to question jurors individually about their exposure to the case and barring media from being present during those interrogations. The filings are also requesting to ask prospective jurors whether they participated in demonstrations following Arbery's death, what slogans they may have chanted and whether they held signs with messages.
April 25, 2021 - Federal hate crimes trial is scheduled
A federal judge schedules the trial for Gregory and Travis McMichael and William "Roddie" Bryan, charged with hate crimes in the killing of Ahmaud Arbery, for Feb. 7, 2022.
Oct. 18, 2021 - Jury selection begins
Attorneys begin to question jurors in Brunswick at the Glynn County Courthouse with Judge Timothy Walmsley presiding.
Nov. 10, 2021 - Nearly all-white jury seated for trial
In a process that took more than two weeks, a panel of 12 people was selected in the murder trial against the McMichaels and Bryan. The jury consisted of 11 white people and one Black juror.
Nov. 23, 2021 - Closing arguments
After a two-week trial, a jury heard closing arguments and went to deliberate before the Thanksgiving holiday.
Nov. 24, 2021 - Jury finds men guilty
The jury delivered its verdict finding Travis McMichael, who shot Arbery, guilty on all charges. His father Gregory McMichael was found not guilty of malice murder, but guilty on eight other counts.
Bryan was found not guilty of malice murder, one count of felony murder and one count of aggravated assault. He was found guilty on all other charges.
Jan. 7, 2022 - Arbery's convicted killers sentenced
Before Judge Timothy Wamsley sentenced the three men convicted of murdering Ahmaud Arbery, he took a few moments to reflect on the trial itself. He said within five minutes, Arbery's life was gone. To put the weight of that into context, he held a moment of silence.
Travis McMichael and Greg McMichael were each sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole, plus 20 years. Meanwhile, William "Roddie" Bryan was sentenced to life in prison with parole.
Feb. 2, 2022 - Georgia establishes Ahmaud Arbery Day
Georgia lawmakers passed a resolution establishing Feb. 23 Ahmaud Arbery Day within the state. The resolution declares "Feb. 23 will forever be known annually in the State of Georgia as The Ahmaud Arbery Day," and encourages Georgians to participate in the "Run with Maud" movement, of running 2.23 miles on Feb. 23.
Feb. 7, 2022 - Federal hate crimes trial begins
Jury selection begins in the federal hate crimes trial. This trial sought to determine if the men also violated Arbery's civil rights, a hate crime.
All three men face interference with rights and attempted kidnapping charges. The McMichaels are also facing using and carrying a firearm.
Feb. 14, 2022 - Opening statements in hate crimes trial
Eight white people, three Black jurors and a Hispanic juror were seated. With a more diverse jury, attorneys delivered opening statements in Brunswick. The three men have all pleaded not guilty in the federal case.
Feb. 21, 2022 - Jury to deliberate
Throughout the trial, prosecutors pushed this question: if you take away Arbery's race, would the men have grabbed the gun and chased after him?
Feb. 22, 2022 - Jury finds 3 men guilty on all charges in federal hate crimes trial
A jury reached a verdict in the federal hate crimes trial for the three white men convicted of killing a 25-year-old Black man, Ahmaud Arbery. They were found guilty on all charges.
Testimony in the hate crimes trial included the recollections of neighbors and investigators, forensic and autopsy evidence and, the viciously racist and at-times violent texts and social media posts of Travis McMichael, along with racist communications by Greg McMichael and Bryan.
Some of the evidence, including racially-charged texts and social media posts, presented during the federal trial wasn't included in the state trial.
DEATH OF AHMAUD ARBERY TRIAL COVERAGE
- Death of Ahmaud Arbery trial | Here's what made it different
- Reactions pour in following jury verdict in Ahmaud Arbery death trial
- 'He will now rest in peace' Ahmaud Arbery's parents react to jury verdict
- 'Wooo!:' Father of Ahmaud Arbery escorted out following outburst during murder verdict
- '11 whites and 1 Black in the Deep South said Black lives do matter': Rev. Al Sharpton says guilty verdicts reflect changing justice system
- Defense rests its case in the trial of 3 men accused of killing Ahmaud Arbery in Brunswick
- What happened when Black pastors from around the country gathered outside the court
- Judge denies motion for mistrial in Ahmaud Arbery death trial over 'mob violence of a woke left mob'
- 4 takeaways | Medical examiner shares gruesome autopsy details during Ahmaud Arbery death trial
- 'Don't be racist' | Woman believes she saw Ahmaud Arbery at unfinished house weeks before shooting
- Prosecutor in Ahmaud Arbery death trial develops cult following online
- 'I watched her nodding off' | Attorney for accused Ahmaud Arbery killer tells judge juror falling asleep
- ‘I just killed a man’ | Travis McMichael on stand for 2nd day in Ahmaud Arbery death trial
- First officer on scene testifies in trial for killing of Ahmaud Arbery