Share this @internewscast.com

The prosecution and defense both rested Friday in the trial of the three white men charged with a federal hate crime in the murder of Black 25-year-old Ahmaud Arbery.

U.S. District Court Judge Lisa Godbey Wood dismissed jurors, who are slated to hear closing arguments Monday in the trial of Greg and Travis McMichael and William “Roddie” Bryan. The jury will begin deliberations once final arguments are made.

Travis McMichael’s former supervisor Joe Mandela testified Friday that he received a call from McMichael on Feb. 23, 2020, the day Arbery was fatally shot. McMichael, who was working as a government contractor for Metson Marine at the time, told Mandela that he had shot and killed someone who was doing break-ins.

Mandela testified that McMichael, 36, told him he had shot Arbery, 25, in self-defense and that he was not being charged in the shooting.

After the video surfaced showing McMichael fatally shooting Arbery at close range, Mandela said he was “upset” and alerted their employer about the video. McMichael’s security badge was then taken away.

A woman who served in the Coast Guard with McMichael said he referred to her as a “n****r lover” because she dated a Black man. She also said he had made sexually lewd comments toward her.

During their opening arguments, which began Monday, prosecutors presented evidence that Travis McMichael and Bryan had an extensive history of using racial slurs and making racist comments toward Black people. The government argued Arbery was chased down and killed because of the “color of his skin.”

A mural depicting Ahmaud Arbery in Brunswick, Georgia. Arbery, 25, was murdered on Feb. 23, 2020.
A mural depicting Ahmaud Arbery in Brunswick, Georgia. Arbery, 25, was murdered on Feb. 23, 2020.

AP Photo/Sarah Blake Morgan, File

Throughout the week, prosecutors presented 19 different witnesses, including Amy Vaughn, an FBI agent who obtained messages from the phones of McMichael and Bryan.

Vaughn detailed several instances dating back to 2019 in which Travis McMichael made racist comments about Black people in private text messages and in comments on social media.

In one instance, McMichael described Black people as “subhuman savages.” In another, he responded to a friend’s Facebook post by saying he wished a firecracker “blew that n****rs head off.”

Bryan’s history of racist comments included messages in which he expressed disapproval of his daughter dating a Black man.

“She’s got her a n***** now,” Bryan, 52, said in private messages.

Arbery was gunned down while running near a construction site in the neighborhood of Satilla Shores, Georgia. Bryan, Travis McMichael and his father, Gregory McMichael, chased Arbery while driving two different pickup trucks. The younger McMichael shot and killed Arbery at close range during the pursuit.

In the state murder trial, prosecutors argued that the McMichaels and Bryan made “drive-way decisions” that factored into the killing of Arbery.

All three men were convicted of felony murder. They were sentenced to life in prison in January. Only Bryan’s sentence offers the possibility of parole.

The defense did not bring any witnesses forward for Travis McMichael or Bryan. One witness was brought forward on behalf of Gregory McMichael, 65.

The McMichaels and Bryan are all charged with a hate crime violating Arbery’s civil rights and face attempted kidnapping charges.

Source: huffpost

Share this @internewscast.com
You May Also Like

Teen’s Shocking Confession: Lured Rival in Near-Fatal Stabbing, Claims ‘Self-Defense’ in Bizarre Twist

Inset: Evan J. Kirkendall (Casper Police Dept.). Background: The area in Casper,…

Outrageous Reaction: Mom’s Bomb Threat After Daughter’s School Play Snub Shakes Community

Inset: Crystal Royster (Macomb County Prosecutor’s Office). Background: Lake Shore High School…

Father Accused of Drugging Pre-Teens at Sleepover Reaches Settlement in Lawsuit

An Oregon man who admitted to administering drugs to three 12-year-old girls…

Outrage as Mother Enlists 5-Year-Old in Controversial Waxing Business, Authorities Investigate

Inset: Jasmine Moss (Shelby County Sheriff”s Office). Background: The house where Moss…

Son Reflects on Life Before Mother’s Captor Faces Long Prison Sentence for Family Kidnapping and Abuse

Background: News footage of David Remley (right) in court on Jan. 15,…

Shocking Verdict: Man Enlists Teen Son in Chilling Forest Disposal of Girlfriend’s Remains

Insets (from left to right): Jennifer Ruth Stuart and William Glen Blake…

Judge Set to Dismiss DOJ Lawsuit: Trump Administration Blocked from Sensitive Voter Data Access

President Donald Trump speaks in the Cabinet Room of the White House,…

Teen Who Calmly Confessed to Stabbing Mother 46 Times Faces Verdict After Sudden Plea Shift

Left: Derek Rosa, second from left, appears in court for sentencing in…

Cold Case Breakthrough: California Police Arrest Suspect in Decades-Old Unsolved Murder

A California man has been apprehended in connection with the 2001 murder…

Deadly Love Triangle: IRS Agent’s Sinister Plot Unveiled Through Fetish Website

Brendan Banfield is currently facing trial for the alleged murder of his…

Shocking Childcare Scandal: Worker Arrested for Dangerous Attention-Seeking Actions

An 18-year-old day care employee in Minnesota has been taken into custody…

Two Individuals Apprehended for Allegedly Stealing Over $900 in Target Merchandise; Suspect Admits to Ongoing Theft Since August

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – In a brazen display of retail theft, Ashley Gibson…