Thursday, March 28, 2024

Judge Rules Ahmaud Arbery’s Criminal Past Can’t Be Used at Trial

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Ahmaud Arbery & the McMichaels

*Travis McMichael, his father Greg McMichael and a neighbor, Roddie Bryan, the three white supremacists charged with murdering Ahmaud Arbery, are scheduled to stand trial in Brunswick on Oct. 18.

We previously reported… Arbery, 25, was called a ““F–king n—-r” by his killer as he lay dying on the pavement after being fatally shot while allegedly jogging through his Georgia neighborhood on February 23, 2020.

According to testimony during the probable cause hearing last summer, the McMichaels saw Arbery out exercising in Brunswick when they decided to chase him down in a pick-up truck and confront him with two firearms, believing him to be a burglary suspect.  Bryan used his truck to help trap Arbery on the road, allowing Travis to fatally shoot him.

As reported by the Atlanta Constitution Journal, Arbery had a history of thefts, obstruction, illegal gun possession and entering into homes and businesses, said Jason Sheffield, one of Travis’ lawyers. “Why the judge would now decide that all of his prior motives, his intent, his plan to do these things is not relevant in this case is baffling.”

Sheffield added that the jury “will be denied the truth.”

READ MORE: 3 Men Georgia Indicted On Federal Hate Crime Charges in Ahmaud Arbery Killing

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Ahmaud Arbery (center) and Gregory & Travis McMichael

Ahmaud’s killers have been indicted on 9 charges, including malicious murder.

Lawyers for the McMichaels argue their clients were justified in chasing down Arbery when they saw him on a property that was under construction. The killers allegedly attempted to make a citizen’s arrest and killed Arbery in the process.

Judge Walmsley noted in his ruling on Monday that the McMichaels knew nothing of Arbery’s past when they chased him down that day.

“It is apparent that defendants’ intended use of the victim’s other acts is to engage in speculation as to why Arbery acted as he did,” the judge wrote.

Walmsley also called out the defense team for trying to get “clearly bad character and propensity evidence” before the jury that is unfairly prejudicial, per the AJC report. 

“The character of the victim is neither relevant nor admissible in a murder trial,” the judge wrote.

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