BRUNSWICK, Ga. — RELATED: Live Updates | 'Magic number' of 64 potential jurors expected to be met on day 11 of death of Ahmaud Arbery trial
Jury selection for the three men accused of murder in the death of Ahmaud Arbery continues Monday. Attorneys were hopeful they would reach the needed number of 64 qualified potential jurors to move on to the next phase of selection by the end of last week, but they fell short, reaching only 55.
Arbery was shot and killed on Feb. 23, 2020. Cellphone video leaked to the public shows two armed white men in a truck approaching the 25-year-old Black man as he runs down the road. One of the men, later identified as Travis McMichael, and Arbery struggle over McMichael's shotgun before Arbery is shot and collapses.
Travis McMichael, his father Gregory McMichael and William "Roddy" Bryan, who recorded the video, are all charged with murder in Arbery's death.
Bookmark this page for live updates on the trial as they unfold.
Day 10
6:30 p.m. Court adjourns until 8:30 a.m. Tuesday.
3:11 p.m. Travis McMichael's attorney hints he may file a motion hoping to ensure the pool of potential jurors is fair and reflective of the population. He says he will not make a decision until the pool of 64 jurors is decided and believes he can get an impartial jury.
"At this point, we feel like the jurors who have been qualified are jurors who can give us a fair shot," he said.
3:05 p.m.: First Coast News' Kailey Tracy says she left a message with the clerk of superior court to find out how many potential jurors summoned have not come to court.
3:02 p.m.: Defense attorney for Travis McMichael says it's "very concerning" that "60% of the jurors are not showing up. That is not right." He says that means the pool of jurors showing up does not fairly reflect the accused. "The accused can't look across the courtroom and see persons that are similarly situated to themselves, then it may be that they feel, and we as the lawyers feel, that we really don't have a fair cross-section of the population. And that would be grounds to file some type of motion to have the court perhaps enforce some higher level of attendance than we've seen thus far."
2:52 p.m.: Defense attorney for Travis McMichael says he expects jury selection to wrap Tuesday, with opening statements Wednesday or Thursday. He says he doesn't see the potential juror who qualified Friday then was struck Monday as a setback in the process.
2:15 p.m.: Individual questioning of potential jurors is underway. One potential juror says he does not think Gregory McMichael or Bryan committed murder, saying Gregory McMichael "didn't even shoot" and of Bryan, "all he had was a cellphone."
12:10 p.m.: Supporters of Arbery's family gather outside the courthouse with signs reading "Justice for Ahmaud" and cheering the family on as they walk into the courthouse.
10:26 a.m.: Bryan's Attorney Kevin Gough says four alternates may not be enough and asks the court to consider increasing the number.
10:25 a.m.: Judge Timothy Walmsley strikes potential juror 5, who qualified Friday, bringing the number of potential jurors qualified so far to 54. Another 10 are needed before selection can move to the next phase of final questioning.
8:30 a.m.: Jury selection is scheduled to resume Monday. On Friday, Gough said he was concerned about what he called underrepresentation for his client among the potential jurors, a lack of "white males born in the South over 40 years old without a college degree." Gough said he would be submitting the concern as a formal motion to look at whether this demographic is considered a constitutionally protected class of people who cannot be discriminated against.
Day 9
10:02 a.m.: 15 of the 18 potential jurors say they have negative opinions about the defendants. Five support BLM, Justice for Ahmaud, I Run with Maud. Nine of 18 say people of color aren't treated fairly by the criminal justice system. Ten say police don't treat Black and white people equally.
8:45 a.m.: Judge Walmsley has arrived, and court is underway with 18 potential jurors.
8:30 a.m.: Jury selection resumes. On Thursday, five more potential jurors qualified, bringing the total to 47, closer to the magic number of 64 to start final jury selection.