How Ahmaud Arbery’s Accused Murderers Could Still Get Off
But the delay in justice in Arbery’s death somehow kept getting more brazen. Two district attorneys rescued themselves from the case—one has even been charged criminally for their response to the episode—even as they and other law-enforcement officials faced credible accusations of corruption in an area marred by a long legacy of
police and official misconduct.
Meanwhile, several controversial Civil War-era statues appeared to, at least in part, open the door for legal justification of the gruesome killing
many have described as a “lynching.”
From a legal standpoint, this trial is not as open and shut as some people might believe,” J. Tom Morgan, a former DeKalb County district attorney, told The Daily Beast. “I can see why every district attorney in this area did not want to touch this.”
Experts consulted by The Daily Beast pointed to a
messy jury selection process as the latest looming obstacle for the already-complicated case.
So far, numerous jurors have admitted to Judge Timothy Walmsley they already have strong opinions of the case, personally know the defendants, or are terrified about the possibility of rendering a verdict that might have social and legal consequences on the community.
“I think it would be naive to think there couldn’t be real-world repercussions,” one
female resident reportedly said this past week.
The sluggish pace has made it difficult for the court to even come up with the 64 residents needed to complete the initial round of jury selection.
Morgan noted that if the slow pace of just the first round of jury selection continues, Walmsley might be forced to conclude that the McMichaels and Bryan can’t get a fair trial in Glynn County.
“All eyes are on this case and they are on this case for many reasons,” Ronald Carlson, a professor in the University of Georgia School of Law, told The Daily Beast. “This case has had many problems from the start, and further delay in the case would only be met with outcry.”
