Fewer than half the 1000 people summoned for jury duty in Ahmaud Arbery murder trial have shown up

Just half the 1,000 people called as prospective jurors for the Ahmaud Arbery murder trial have shown up, amid warnings of a possible revolt.   

Of the first group of 600, only 283 actually showed up, according to the county clerk. A second group of 400 were summoned Monday but only half of them turned out as well.

They have been summoned by the Superior Court of Glynn County for the trial of Gregory McMichael, his son Travis McMichael and William ‘Roddie’ Bryan Jr, charged with chasing down and killing Arbery, a 25-year-old black man, in February 2020.

No official reason has been given for the low turnout. Glynn County’s website explains why answering a jury summons is important – but doesn’t explain possible punishments for ignoring such an order. DailyMail.com has contacted the court for further information. 

Attorneys and the Superior Court Judge Timothy Wamsley are currently narrowing down a group of 12 potential jurors and four alternates, and want a pool of 64 people to select from. However, over 10 days into jury selection, only 47 people have been ruled qualified to serve. 

Ahmaud Arbery, 25, was killed on February 23, 2020, while he was out for a run in his neighborhood

Travis McMichael (left), his father Gregory McMichael (center) and their friend William ‘Roddie’ Bryan (right) have all been charged with federal hate crimes in the death of Ahmaud Arbery

Superior Court Judge Timothy Walmsley is trying to narrow the pool of 1,000 to 16 – 12 jurors and four alternatives, but many are claiming to know Arbery, the defendants, potential witnesses, and each other 

One of the main problems lawyers and the judge are finding is people having already formed strong opinions about the case which took the country by storm over a year ago, but some are also familiar with or know the defendants, while others are frightened.

Arbery was jogging in Satilla Shores on February 23, 2020 when the McMichaels and Bryan are accused of running him down and killing him. The three defendants are charged with malice and felony murder. They have pleaded not guilty.

The three men also face charges of aggravated assault, false imprisonment and criminal attempt to commit false imprisonment.

The McMichaels weren’t arrested until video surfaced of the shooting in May of 2020. 

The viral nature and national media coverage of the shooting have made it near impossible to find impartial jurors.  

Arbery was chased by the armed  McMichaels as he was jogging in February 2020 

Arbery, in a white T-shirt, is confronted by Travis McMichael, who holds a shotgun

One woman said she didn’t know much about the case, but had seen headlines on Facebook and ‘I run with Ahmaud’ bumper stickers across town.

A male potential juror flat out said he felt Arbery was murdered. 

‘But, I mean, based on the video, Ahmaud was unarmed and the other two were not. It’s kind of hard to show it’s self-defense there,’ he told prosecutors.

Many prospective jurors are nervous about potential backlash regardless of verdict.  

‘I think it would be naive to think there couldn’t be real-world repercussions,’ the female juror said. 

Another problem involves Glynn County’s rules for jurors, which requires that they have, as defense attorney Kevin Gough put it, nothing to do and no TV for 12 hours.

‘We are going to have a revolt by the jury pool,’ attorney Kevin Gough said. 

Walmsley sympathized with the concerns, he said he had no plans of changing the process. ‘I apologize to folks who believe that we are taking up too much of their time, but I hope folks can see the bigger picture here,’ Walmsley said. 

On February 23, 2020, bodycam footage shows Travis McMichael, his son Gregory and pal Roddie Bryan box Arbery in with the truck, before shooting him dead as he tried to flee. Travis McMichael fired the shots that killed Arbery, while his dad watched, and Bryan filmed. 

The judge is still deciding whether or not to enter the photo as evidence in the trial. 

Police bodycam footage shows the Confederate flag vanity plates on Travis McMichael’s pickup truck 

Arbery was killed on February 23, 2020, by three close-range shotgun blasts after the McMichaels pursued him in a pickup truck as he was running through their neighborhood. 

The McMichaels and Bryan, who are all being held in jail pending a trial date, all deny felony murder charges.

Their lawyers, who have previously said McMichaels and Bryan believed Arbery was a burglar, are yet to comment on the federal hate crime allegations.

The federal indictment alleges the McMichaels’ armed themselves with firearms, got into a truck and chased Arbery through the public streets of the neighborhood while yelling at Arbery, using their truck to cut off his route and threatening him with firearms.’

It also alleged that Bryan got into a truck and then chased Arbery before using the vehicle to block his path.

Gregory McMichael (left) and Travis McMichael (right) are photographed being taken into custody

The indictment alleges that the men ‘used force and threats of force to intimidate and interfere with Arbery’s right to use a public street because of his race’.

In addition to the hate-crime charges, prosecutors allege the men tried ‘to unlawfully seize and confine Arbery by chasing after him in their trucks in an attempt to restrain him, restrict his free movement, corral and detain him against his will, and prevent his escape’.

The McMichaels and Bryan already face state criminal charges of murder, aggravated assault, false imprisonment and criminal attempt to commit a felony but no trial date has been set.

They weren’t arrested until 10 weeks later when a cellphone video of the shooting was leaked online and a national outcry erupted.