Father Jesse Jackson, left, sits with Ahmaud Arbery’s mother, Wanda Cooper-Jones, at the trial for the murders of Greg McMichael his son, Travis McMichael, and a neighbor, William “Roddie” Bryan, in the case Kill Ahmaud Arbery in Glynn District Court.
Stephen B. Morton / AP
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Stephen B. Morton / AP
Father Jesse Jackson, left, sits with Ahmaud Arbery’s mother, Wanda Cooper-Jones, at the trial for the murders of Greg McMichael his son, Travis McMichael, and a neighbor, William “Roddie” Bryan, in the case Kill Ahmaud Arbery in Glynn District Court.
Stephen B. Morton / AP
Prosecutors are close to solving their case against three white men accused of murder in the murder of Ahmaud Arbery. Racial aspects of the trial resurfaced again on Monday, when a defense lawyer protested Father Jesse Jackson’s presence in the courtroom, saying the presence of a civil rights icon could have an effect to the jury.
The state continues to question Georgia Bureau of Investigation agents and experts as the trial enters its second week. “We’re getting close to the finish line,” a prosecutor said during a late-morning break, according to a summary report highlighted by Journalist Kailey Tracy.
Gough again objected to the presence of pastors
Jackson was seated with Arbery’s mother when attorney Kevin Gough, who represented William “Roddie” Bryan, asked judge Timothy Walmsley to remove him from court, re-establishing his objections that had appeared on the standards. topic last week, when he said, “We don’t want more Negro pastors here.”
Noting that the Arberys have ceded some of their allotted space in the courtroom to figures like Jackson and Father Al Sharpton, Gough added, “The seats in the courtroom’s public gallery are not like the seats in the Lakers game.”
Gough began the day by asking Judge Timothy Walmsley to order deputy sheriffs or bailiffs to identify and record the movements of anyone attending the trial. Walmsley rejected that idea, and he reiterated that he would not place limits on the presence of pastors. That doesn’t stop Gough from trying to get rid of Jackson.
“At this point, I’m not exactly sure what you’re doing,” Walmsley said. “I ruled on this court’s position regarding the gallery. And in all faith, I didn’t even know that Father Jackson was in the courtroom, until you started suggesting mine.”
“It’s almost as if you’re just trying to get on with this [request] for purposes other than just for the attention of the court and I find that objectionable,” the judge said.
Walmsley later said he found it “reprehensible” when Gough wondered last week, after speaking out against Black pastors, about what might happen in the courtroom if “a group who came in here dressed as Colonel Sanders with a white mask, sitting in the back.” Gough didn’t get a chance to finish that idea last week, because his comment was cut off by Walmsley.
Judge denies wrongdoing after Arbery’s mother cries
Arbery’s mother, Wanda Cooper-Jones, reacted to the sight of her son in court by crying – a brief emotional outburst that prompted Walmsley to ask for a brief break. In court, Jackson can be seen comforting Cooper-Jones, placing his hand over her shoulder.
Gough later turned to a denunciation, saying that because of the outbreak, along with the protests for racial justice outside the courts, “these defendants can no longer get a fair trial.”
Defense teams for two other defendants – Greg and Travis McMichael – joined the motion, noting that there had been at least one emotional outburst earlier during the proceedings. But Walmsley cites legal precedent as saying emotions can run high at a murder trial, and he noted that the judges were successful in avoiding a mistake by taking immediate action. and cures, such as declaring recess and dismissing the jury.
Rev Jesse Jackson in Brunswick to try 3men accused of murdering Ahmaud Arbery. Say that Atty Gough’s complaints about him and Rev Sharpton are a diversion. “The defense’s case is weak.”
Saying that the defense is looking for a wrongdoer pic.twitter.com/iD9hyE1CZp– Lisa Hagen (@TwitrHagen) November 15, 2021
Walmsley denied the abuse trial, and he warned the attorneys in the case to be mindful of the language they use.
“Everybody needs to understand – everyone – your words in this courtroom have an impact on a lot of what’s going on,” the judge said.
Speaking outside the courtroom, Jackson later say WABE’s Lisa Hagen reports that the defense’s case is of the week, saying that Gough and other attorneys are hoping a negligent person can spare their client from murder, like Lisa Hagen of WABE member station reported.
