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3 Georgia men convicted of Ahmaud Arbery's murder

Arbery Trial suspects
Posted at 5:43 AM, Nov 24, 2021
and last updated 2021-11-24 13:49:28-05

Three men implicated in the February 2020 shooting death of 25-year-old Ahmaud Arbery have been convicted of murder charges in a Brunswick, Georgia, court.

The jury returned the verdict Wednesday, the second day of deliberations.

This story is breaking. Below is the original copy of the story.

Jurors have reached a verdict in the Georgia trial of three white men accused of murdering Ahmaud Arbery, a 25-year-old Black man. The trial will resume Wednesday afternoon as the jury foreperson reads the verdict.

The verdict was reached amid the second day of deliberations.

Earlier in the day, jurors asked the court to review videos and 911 calls taken the day of the shooting that led to Arbery's death.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and CNN report that jurors asked for and were granted permission to rewatch two videos that show the fatal shooting. They also re-listened to a recording of a 911 call that was placed by one of the suspects, Greg McMichael, in the moments before Arbery was shot.

The requests were granted amid the second day of deliberations in the trial of three white men — McMichael, his son Travis and William "Roddie" Bryan — who stand accused of murder in connection with the death of Arbery, who is Black.

According to The Associated Press, jurors deliberated for about six hours on Tuesday after lawyers wrapped up closing arguments and the judge handed down instructions.

On Tuesday, prosecutors closed their case by arguing that three men were not justified to take Arbery into custody on a since-repealed citizens' arrest law.

"When three people chase an unarmed man in two pickup trucks to violate his personal liberty, who gets to claim, 'I'm not really responsible for that?' Under the law in Georgia, no one gets to say that," lead prosecutor Linda Dunikoski said.

In addition to citing Georgia's citizen's arrest law, defense lawyers have argued that the gunman, Travis McMichael, fired his shotgun at Arbery at close range in self-defense.

Arbery was chased and fatally shot on Feb. 23, 2020, after he was spotted running in the Satilla Shores neighborhood of Brunswick.

Arbery had briefly stopped inside a home in the neighborhood that was under construction. The McMichaels armed themselves and chased after him in pickup trucks when they saw him in the area, believing him to be responsible for a series of break-ins in the area.

Video from the incident showed the McMichaels drive up beside Arbery. A struggle followed for a few moments before Travis McMichael fired his gun, and Arbery stumbled to the ground.

The three men face nine charges that range from malice murder to false imprisonment.