The killing of Ahmaud Arbery: What we know so far about the makeup of the jury

BRUNSWICK, Ga. — The jury in the trial for three men charged with felony murder in the 2020 shooting of Ahmaud Arbery is close to being seated at the Glynn County courthouse.

Motions were being heard Thursday and the judge said he expected to seat and swear the jury in on Friday so opening arguments could begin.

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BACKGROUND ON THE CASE

The killing of Arbery sparked national attention following the leak of a graphic video online that showed his final moments.

The 25-year-old was out for a run in the Satilla Shores neighborhood when he was chased by three men and shot and killed on Feb. 23, 2020.

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The three men, Gregory McMichael, Travis McMichael and William “Roddie” Bryan, were arrested months later following an investigation by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation not only into the shooting, but also how prosecutors Tom Durden and Jackie Johnson in southeast Georgia handled the case.

Now they are on trial for felony murder. The father and son duo confronted Arbery about recent trespassing and burglary incidents in the neighborhood and shot and killed him in the street. Bryan trailed them in his vehicle and recorded Arbery’s shooting death.

WHAT WE KNOW ABOUT THE JURY

Right now, we know the jury will consist of 11 white people and one Black person. There will also be three alternate jurors, who are white.

On Thursday afternoon, one of the jurors, a white woman in her 60s, who was a retired nurse, has been medically excused. This brings the total of alternate jurors from four to three.

Action News Jax dug through the jury numbers to show you who makes up this group of jurors and alternates.

We know the one Black person is a man in his 60s. There are 11 women and four men in total. Three jurors appear relatively young, in their 20s or 30s. Ten seem to be middle aged, and two are in their 70s or older.

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We also looked at the questions the jurors and alternates were asked, to reveal more about them. Here is a snapshot of who makes up the panel:

At least four jurors have ties to law enforcement. That includes one retired federal agent and another who spent 50 years in law enforcement.

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One woman moved to Brunswick after the shooting, while another plans to move out of the county soon. There are at least three current or retired nurses and one Air Force veteran.

There were also three people who said they don’t know much about the case. One doesn’t use a computer or social media. Another has never seen the video of the shooting, but wanted to serve on the jury because she said it’s her civic duty. Here is what we know so far:

• White woman, middle aged, 30s-40s - previously worked as a 911 operator
• White man, senior, 70s-80s - worked for 50 years in law enforcement
• White woman, middle aged, 50s
• White woman, young adult, 20s-30s - goes out of her way not to read news/politics
• White man, middle aged, 60s - retired from federal law enforcement
• Black man, middle aged, 60s - doesn’t use a computer or social media
• White woman, young adult, 20s - is a mother, preparing to move out of Glynn County
• White woman, middle aged, 40s-50s - former nurse
• White woman, middle aged, 60s - has never seen the shooting video, became a U.S. citizen in 2012, wants to serve on the jury because she believes it is her civic duty
• White woman, middle aged, 40s-50s - is a mother
• White woman, young adult, 20s-30s - moved to Brunswick after the shooting
• White woman, middle aged, 60s - is a mother; her kids have law enforcement ties; has formed an opinion of guilty, but can set that aside
• White man, middle aged, 60s - Air Force veteran
• White woman, senior, 70s - former state government employee
• White woman, middle aged, 40s - nurse and mom

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