July 18 (UPI) — The three men charged in the death of Ahmaud Arbery pleaded not guilty and a judge denied bond to one of the defendants Friday in court.
William “Roddie” Bryan, 50; Greg McMichael, 64; and his son, Travis McMichael 34, each face charges of malice murder, felony murder, aggravated assault, false imprisonment and criminal attempt to commit false imprisonment for the Feb. 23 death of Arbery.
Video footage from Bryan’s vehicle showed Arbery’s death as he was jogging through a Brunswick neighborhood less than 2 miles from his home. It shows Arbery, 25, being boxed in by two pickup trucks driven by the defendants. Travis McMichael then appears to get out of his vehicle and shoot Arbery three times with a shotgun.
The elder McMichael told police they pursued Arbery after suspecting he’d committed a series of break-ins in the neighborhood, though there hadn’t been a string of break-ins reported in the area in weeks, according to CNN.
Superior Court Judge Timothy Walmsley ruled Friday that Bryan shouldn’t be released on bond pending his trial.
All three men appeared in the Glynn County court via video conference.
Arbery’s death was one of several that sparked Black Lives Matter protests across the globe over the past several weeks. Advocates said the White defendants in the case targeted Arbery because he was Black.
