Nov. 13 (UPI) — A Georgia judge on Friday denied bond for two of the three men charged with murder for the death of Ahmaud Arbery earlier this year.
Chatham County Superior Court Judge Timothy Walmsley said Greg McMichael and his son, Travis McMichael, must remain behind bars because a video of them appearing to chase down Arbery and shoot him to death shows they pose a danger to their community.
The McMichaels, along with William “Roddie” Bryan, 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.
Family and friends of the McMichaels testified to the character of the two men to Walmsley, but the judge cited the video footage in his decision to deny bond. He said the men had no way to know whether Arbery was behind any burglaries.
“And that somehow resulted in individuals thinking it was appropriate to block that individual’s path of travel, shoulder a firearm in order to get him to stop,” the judge said.
“There is a significant danger to all of those actions. Individuals who do that need to be aware of the fact they can end up exactly where [the McMichaels] are now.”
Bryan also was denied bond earlier this year.
Arbery’s mother, Wanda Cooper-Jones, had asked the judge to deny the bail.
“These men are proud of what they’ve done,” she said. “In their selfish minds, they think they’re good guys.”
Arbery’s death was one of several that sparked Black Lives Matter protests across the globe over the past several months. Advocates said the White defendants in the case targeted Arbery because he was Black.
