Former Prosecutor in Ahmaud Arbery Murder Indicted
3 Min Read
A former Georgia prosecutor involved in the Ahmaud Arbery's murder faces criminal charges for using her position to shield the victim's killers.
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A portrait of Ahmaud Arbery at a vigil to mark the first anniversary of his death, at New Springfield Baptist Church in Waynesboro, Georgia (Reuters)
In February 2020, an unarmed 25-year-old black man, Ahmaud Arbery, was killed by a white man and his son in Georgia. The murderers pursued Arbery, who was jogging at the time, and the son brutally shot him at close range using a shotgun. The whole case was unprovoked, and the only reason behind the barbaric homicide, which could be dubbed as lynching, was the father and son thinking Arbery was a burglar - however, no criminal evidence whatsoever verifies that.
The murderous father, Greg McMichael, and his son, Travis, were later charged with murder alongside a neighbor, William Bryan, who joined the chase and recorded the crime on his phone.
Now, the prosecutor who was involved in the case, Jackie Johnson, was indicted Thursday by a grand jury in Georgia over her "showing favor and affection" toward Greg, one of the murderers. The jury also accused her of directing police officers not to arrest another suspect.
Johnson was indicted on charges of violating her oath of office and hindering a law enforcement officer. These charges fall under a felony and could face one up to five years in prison based on the said charges.
The indictment came as a result of an investigation requested by Georgia's Attorney General into prosecutors' handling of the murder case. It showed multiple violations committed by Johnson, such as "knowingly and willfully" directing two Glynn County police officers not to arrest the son and redirecting the case to another District Attorney after recusing herself, without disclosing that she had previously sought said DA's assistance on the case.
Upon taking on the case, DA George Barnhill, whom Johnson requested the case be redirected to, defended the murderers' conduct, stating that they had "solid first-hand probable cause" to chase and stop Arbery, as he was a "burglary suspect."
Johnson and McMichael Sr. had worked together as late as 2019 when Greg McMichael was an investigator at Jackie Johnson's office. Evidence shows that McMichael had called Johnson asking her for advice right after the fact.
"Jackie, this is Greg," he said, according to a recording of the call included in the public case file. "Could you call me as soon as you possibly can? My son and I have been involved in a shooting, and I need some advice right away."
