The prosecution’s presentation of evidence and surgically precise cross-examination of Travis McMichael, the shooter, in fact shattered the unjustified self-defense / arrest claims that were raised. . The jury clearly saw these efforts as their own: a desperate attempt during the trial to treat the three defendants as sympathetic, as acting on the belief that they were imbued with authority, privilege, and authority. and the power of law enforcement.
Even as jurors considered the citizen’s arrest narrative, Travis McMichael’s contradictory statements and testimony, along with video evidence, demonstrated that he was never afraid of imminent harm happened and never even told Arbery that he was keeping him for the police. He never mentioned in his statements or expressed genuine fear that Arbery would somehow use McMichael’s own weapon, his gun, or his truck, to do harm. any of the three defendants.
It is White’s prerogative on steroids that these three defendants think they have the power to stop, detain, and ultimately kill a man, when they could have committed many other actions along the way. They can wait for the police to arrive or watch from afar without confronting Arbery; instead, they tracked him down, stopped him, and brandished a shotgun.
Likely historically, this ruling will not change our criminal justice system or our nation. The murder convictions of Travis and Gregory McMichael and William Bryan were the result of a case in one jurisdiction.
We should not fool ourselves that, overnight, our system was changed or reformed. This case shows the system maybe work, not it do work, because too often, it doesn’t.
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