The Georgia judge in the murder trial of three white men accused of killing a black Georgia jogger denied a defense motion on Monday for a mistrial and another to remove the Rev. Jesse Jackson from the gallery.
Jackson joined Ahmaud Arbery’s family at the Glynn County Courthouse. He walked into the courthouse hand in hand with Arbery’s father, Marcus Arbery Sr., and Barbara Arnwine of the Transformative Justice Coalition.
Attorney Kevin Gough asked Judge Timothy Walmsley to remove the famed civil rights lawyer. It was the second time Walmsley has denied Gough’s request to bar people from the courtroom. Last week, Gough took umbrage with the Rev. Al Sharpton showing up, arguing it could intimidate the almost all-white jury.
JESSE JACKSON WALKS HAND IN HAND INTO GEORGIA COURTROOM WITH AHMAUD ARBERY’S FATHER
On Monday, he once again objected, arguing Jackson’s presence would prevent his client, William “Roddie” Bryan, from getting a fair trial. He asked Walmsley to make Jackson sit in the overflow room next door, but the judge refused.
The Brunswick lawyer, whose client cornered, blocked, and cut off the 25-year-old black jogger five times, allowing Travis McMichael allegedly to open fire with his 12-gauge shotgun, has made a series of incendiary comments. He told Walmsley, “We don’t want any more black pastors coming in here or other Jesse Jackson, whoever was in here earlier this week, sitting with the victim’s family trying to influence a jury in the case.”
Attorney Jason Sheffield, who represents Travis McMichael, distanced himself from Gough’s remarks, calling them “asinine and ridiculous.”
Though Gough awkwardly apologized for his Sharpton comment, the fallout has brought further scrutiny to a case in which race has played a major factor.
Bryan, Travis McMichael, and his father, Greg McMichael, have been charged with nine counts each, including malice murder, felony murder, and aggravated assault.
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The young man’s death was only investigated after footage Bryan took of the incident was leaked online and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation became involved. The shooting and the alleged cover-up dominated national headlines and became part of a larger racial reckoning among the deaths of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor.
Prosecutors claim Arbery was an innocent man shot by three white strangers because of the color of his skin. The defendants argue they thought Arbery was stealing and that security cameras in an open-framed house under construction had previously caught him on tape, though investigators have rejected those claims.
