The jury has been selected in the trial of Gregory McMichael, his son Travis McMichael and William “Roddie” Bryan Jr. forAhmaud Arbery’s murder last year.
It took two-and-a-half weeks for the jury, which includes only one Black member, to be selected,CNN reportedWednesday. The prosecution have claimed that the defense disproportionately struck potential Black jurors based on race. After hearing arguments, Judge Timothy Walmsley judged that the jurors were dismissed for valid reasons other than race.
The 16-member jury (including four alternates) includes five men and 11 women.
Arbery’s family’s attorney Lee Merrittaddressed the selection on TwitterWednesday.
Merritt also said that one third of the potential jurors were African American, and of the defense team’s 24 strikes, 11 “were directed at African Americans.”
“Only a single black male made it to the actual jury,” he said. Wanda Cooper-Jones, Arbery’s mother, called the selection “devastating,” CNN reported.
Meanwhile, defense attorneys are happy with the selection. “We are very pleased that we have been able to select now 16 members of this community,” said Travis McMichael’s attorney Jason Sheffield, according to CNN. “Where this community can now decide the pending issues of this indictment, and we truly believe that they will do so fairly and in keeping with what we all understand justice to be about.”
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The defense alleges the men believed Arbery matched the description of someone who reportedly burglarized a home construction site, and they were attempting a citizen’s arrest.
The selection process has been widely documented as adifficult one, with potential jurors already having formed strong opinions on the case or fearful to sit, CNN previously reported.
The McMichaels and Bryan Jr. werecharged withone count each of interference with rights and one count of attempted kidnapping in April. They have all pleaded not guilty.
Jurors are scheduled to report to court Friday at 9 a.m., according to CNN.
source: people.com
