GBI probes local prosecutors in Ahmaud Arbery case
Reaction and analysis from criminal defense attorney Philip Holloway on ‘The Daily Briefing.’
A June 4 preliminary hearing has been set for the three men charged in the killing of Georgia man Ahmaud Arbery.
Arbery, 25, was shot and killed in late February near the coastal city of Brunswick while jogging. Charges, however, were not filed against any of the men accused in his shooting death until earlier this month.
AHMAUD ARBERY'S FAMILY LEGAL TEAM SAYS FEDS LOOKING INTO HOW LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT HANDLED SHOOTING
The death of Arbery, a black man, was thrust into the national spotlight after a video of the Feb. 23 killing surfaced on social media, prompting outrage against the local authorities.
Gregory McMichael, 64, and his son, 34-year-old Travis McMichael -- both white -- were eventually arrested and charged with felony murder and aggravated assault on May 7. Neighbor William Roddie Bryan, who allegedly shot the video that surfaced, was arrested on May 21 on the charges of felony murder and criminal attempt to commit false imprisonment.
The investigation had idled as the beleaguered Glynn County Police Department and three district attorneys did little, if anything, to look into the circumstances surrounding Arbery's death.
GBI SAYS NEIGHBOR WHO VIDEOTAPED AHMAUD ARBERY'S KILLING JUST AS RESPONSIBLE AS SHOOTERS
Two and a half months after Arbery's killing, Bryan's video was leaked on social media, and it ignited demands for justice. That same day, District Attorney Tom Durden -- the third that had been appointed to the case -- reached out to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI).
Within 48 hours of the GBI's involvement, authorities had arrested the McMichaels.
On May 11, Cobb County District Attorney Joyette Holmes was assigned to handle the prosecution of the McMichaels and Bryan.
If convicted, the men could face life in prison or the death penalty.
The June 4 preliminary hearing in Glynn County Magistrate Court will determine whether there's probable cause to continue with the case.
The matter of guilt or innocence is not directly addressed in preliminary hearings in Georgia.
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According to police reports, the McMichaels believed Arbery was behind several recent break-ins in the area. Gregory McMichael, a former Glynn County police officer and investigator, alerted his son and Bryan that he had spotted Arbery and they allegedly began to chase him.
The younger McMichael is believed to be the person who delivered the fatal shots to Arbery, according to reports.
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