Nation
Testimony wraps up, closing arguments next at hate crimes trial for Ahmaud Arbery's killers
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BRUNSWICK, Ga. — The defense and prosecution rested Friday in the federal hate crimes trial of the three men convicted of Ahmaud Arbery’s murder after four days of testimony that included racist text messages and social media posts, and graphic crime scene images.
U.S. District Court Judge Lisa Godbey Wood excused the jury for the weekend and scheduled closing arguments for Monday.
Father and son Gregory and Travis McMichael armed themselves and chased Arbery in a pickup truck two years ago after spotting the 25-year-old Black man jogging in their coastal Georgia neighborhood. William “Roddie” Bryan, a neighbor, joined the pursuit and recorded cellphone video of Travis McMichael blasting Arbery with a shotgun.
The defendants were convicted of murder last fall in a state trial and sentenced to life in prison, but state prosecutors did not present evidence the murder was racially motivated – evidence that is central to the federal prosecutors’ case. All three men have pleaded not guilty.
HOW DO YOU PROVE HATE IN THE AHMAUD ARBERY CASE? The answer is more complicated than you think
Jurors heard from seven witnesses on Friday, including two people who worked closely with Travis McMichael and a neighbor of the McMichael family. Witnesses largely testified to the use of racial slurs by Travis McMichael and Bryan, while one witness testified that Gregory McMichael once made disparaging comments about a Black woman tenant who was behind on her rent.
The prosecution’s 20th and final witness, Carole Sears, recounted for jurors a 2015 encounter with the elder McMichael while she was in town with her daughter for a court hearing involving a man who had killed Sears’ husband in a drunken driving crash years earlier.
Gregory McMichael, then an investigator for the local district attorney, had been tasked with driving Sears and her daughter to and from the airport. She said McMichael was pleasant until she expressed sadness about the death of civil rights champion and former Georgia state representative and senator Julian Bond.
“Terrible? I wish that guy had died years ago,” Sears recalled Gregory McMichael saying. “All these Black people are nothing but trouble. I wish they’d all die.”
Gregory McMichael’s attorney, A.J. Balbo, called the only defense witness, a longtime resident of the Satilla Shores subdivision where Arbery was killed. After the defense played a 911 call from Gregory McMichael about seeing the people under a local bridge, Evelyn Lindy Cofer testified only that she’d seen a man under the same bridge while driving her boat through the creek.
Jurors saw the shotgun used to kill Arbery and heard jail conversations between Travis McMichael and a woman identified as “mom” on the call and Gregory McMichael and someone identified as “Mack,” who he also refers to as “bro.”
Raisa Habersham is a watchdog and investigative reporter for Savannah Morning News. Contact her at rhabersham@gannett.com.
Contributing: The Associated Press.
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Uber, Lyft made safety improvements, but many of those protect riders more than drivers. But drivers are also in danger.
Naomi Ogutu
Opinion contributor
I’ve been a rideshare driver in New York City for six years, and I take pride in my job and helping my passengers get where they need to go safely. But my safety is not a guarantee. I’m a mom of three. I need to know that I’ll make it home to my kids at the end of each night.
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Business
'A bad déjà vu': Under the crush of Western sanctions, Russians fear a return to dark economic days
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The lone No. 1 seed still alive heading into the Elite Eight, Kansas needs only a win against No. 10 Miami (Fla.) to book a spot in the Final Four.
No. 2 Duke and coach Mike Krzyzewski can make one last Final Four and chase one final national championship by beating No. 4 Arkansas.
No. 2 Villanova can reach the national semifinals for the third time in six tournaments by winning what should be a defense-dominated brawl against No. 5 Houston.
And after beating No. 4 UCLA in the Sweet 16, No. 8 North Carolina is one win from reaching the Final Four under first-year coach Hubert Davis.
If everything goes according to plan, this year’s Final Four will consist of some of the biggest names in the history of the sport.
But the last week has taught us that this year’s NCAA Tournament will inevitably deviate from the script.
So look for the Jayhawks to be shocked in the Elite Eight, as the Bill Self collection of tournament collapses adds another painful chapter. Based on how things have gone through three rounds, Arkansas is a lock to send Krzyzewski into retirement one game shy of the Final Four. Villanova may be a two-time champion under Jay Wright, but the Wildcats will be smothered by Houston.
And, of course, the Tar Heels will lose to the team that embodies the wackiness and uncertainty of this entire tournament.
Saint Peter’s stands at the precipice of another outlandish achievement: being the first No. 15 seed — the first seed lower than No. 11, in fact — to reach the Final Four.
The Peacocks will be the underdog once again come Sunday, when they’ll match against a deeper and more talented opponent with decades of history to more than overshadow the Peacocks’ three-game run.
But beating another college basketball giant will simply take what we already know the Peacocks can bring to the table: Saint Peter’s reached the Elite Eight with energy, aggressiveness and composure, following the model set by unflappable coach Shaheen Holloway, and that same combination will give the Peacocks a chance at etching themselves into an even more permanent place in NCAA Tournament history.
“We’re happy but don’t mistake, we’re not satisfied, we’re not satisfied at all,” said guard Doug Edert. “The job is not finished. We feel like we belong and the more games we win the more confidence we build.”
That sounds like bad news for the Tar Heels, who might’ve righted the ship after a poor start to ACC play but could be the latest blueblood to the Peacocks’ formula.
At some point, the magic has to run out — for Saint Peter’s, which somehow keeps stacking upsets of higher-ranked opponents, and for the tournament at large, which has been wackier than ever but could suddenly snap back to the status quo.
But this March has not gone according to plan. Several big names lost early. Others failed to get out of the second round. The story of this year’s tournament has been upsets, shockers, letdowns, unpredictable officiating and unpredictability, period — why should the next two days be any different?
Follow colleges reporter Paul Myerberg on Twitter @PaulMyerberg
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