BRUNSWICK, Ga. — Three white men are facing murder charges in the death of Ahmaud Arbery and on Tuesday, prosecutors took a closer look at the routes all four men took leading up to the altercation that happened on Feb. 23, 2020.
Arbery’s death garnered national attention after a video surfaced depicting his final moments. The 25-year-old was shot and killed last year while going for a jog through the Satilla Shores neighborhood in Brunswick, Georgia.
Travis McMichael, his father Gregory McMichael, and William "Roddie" Bryan, who recorded the infamous video, are all standing trial in connection with Arbery's death.
Georgia Bureau Investigation agents mapped out the boundaries of the neighborhood, the McMichaels’ route, the path Bryan drove to record the video and more notably, Arbery’s run all in front of the jury Tuesday afternoon.
GBI Assistant Special Agent Richard Dial was tapped as the lead investigator in the case last year. He provided the final witness testimony on Tuesday.
“That’s Mr. Arbery’s residence…or was his residence,” Dial said, as prosecutors pointed to a labeled spot on the map.
Prosecutors asked if the agent measured the distance between Arbery’s home to the house under construction, the area deemed the crime scene within the trial.
“One-point-eight miles,” Dial said, clarifying for the jury that Arbery was less than two miles from his home when he died.
During cross-examination, Bryan’s attorney, Kevin Gough, questioned the special agent to clarify how Arbery's path overlapped with his client's.
Dial explained Arbery was doubling back on his jog when Bryan was already following him. According to Arbery’s route mapped out by GBI, he veered right onto a different roadway.
The special agent said at that point, Bryan is following Arbery in his vehicle and overshoots the turn, not expecting the jogger to turn onto a different street. Bryan then backups and continues to pursue the 25-year-old, Dial said.
“He’s backing up trying to get to him,” Dial said about Bryan’s movements.
Dial clarified though Bryan's cell phone video does not precisely depict the path he took, the footage supports Bryan conducted a three-point turn to go around and pursue Arbery.
To further illustrate how the four men's routes overlapped, prosecutors displayed McMichael's path. According to GBI maps submitted to evidence, the father and son duo looped around to the other end of the street where Arbery veered off for his jog.
"How many ways are there in and out of Satilla Shores?" Dunikoski asked the special agent.
"There are two different roads access into Satilla Shores," Dial said, as prosecutors pointed to the street exits on the map, noting the McMichael's were on one road leading to an exit and Bryan was traveling on the other.
Maps showed Arbery was traveling on a street in between the McMichaels and Bryan and could not exit the street without running coming across one of their vehicles.
Following further cross-examination, the state rested its case.
“It does not mean all of the evidence has been presented,” Judge Timothy Walmsley said to the jury after dismissing Dial.
As Walmsley prepared to adjourn for the evening he warned jurors day nine of the trial may function differently.
He told the jury to return at 10 a.m. on Wednesday. The trial would resume with final evidence in the case before both sides present their closing arguments, the judge said.