Nearly all-white jury to hear US murder trial of black jogger Ahmaud Arbery
- Judge notes appearance of ‘intentional discrimination’ in panel’s make-up, but says trial of three men who chased down and shot the victim can proceed
- Meanwhile, in separate high-profile, racially charged case, a white juror was dismissed after making a joke about a black man who was shot by police
Opening arguments begin on Friday in the trial of three white men charged with the shooting death of a black jogger amid controversy over the selection of just one African-American juror for the high-profile case.
Superior Court Judge Timothy Walmsley said there “appears to be intentional discrimination” in the composition of the 12-member jury panel but he would allow the trial in the southern state of Georgia to proceed.
Gregory McMichael, 65, his son Travis, 35, and their neighbour William Bryan, 52, have been charged with murder and other offences after chasing 25-year-old Ahmaud Arbery and shooting him during a confrontation in February 2020.
During more than two weeks of jury selection, defence lawyers for the three white men eliminated 11 of 12 prospective black jurors, prompting accusations of racial discrimination.
“After being hunted down, cornered, and shot for being a black man in a white Georgia neighbourhood, Ahmaud Arbery is again denied justice,” said Ben Crump, a prominent civil rights lawyer. “His killers’ fate will be decided by a nearly all-white jury.”