BRUNSWICK, Ga. — *Portions of the jury selection livestream will not have audio per an order from the judge.
Jury selection for the three men accused of murder in the death of Ahmaud Arbery continues Thursday, with the family of Arbery frustrated over the slow pace of questioning.
Arbery was shot and killed on Feb. 23, 2020. Cellphone video leaked to the public shows two armed white men in a truck approaching the 25-year-old Black man as he runs down the road. One of the men, later identified as Travis McMichael, and Arbery struggle over McMichael's shotgun before Arbery is shot and collapses.
Travis McMichael, his father Gregory McMichael and William "Roddy" Bryan, who recorded the video, are all charged with murder in Arbery's death.
Bookmark this page for live updates on the trial as they unfold.
Day 8
9:44 p.m.: Five more potential jurors qualified Thursday, bringing the total to 47, closer to the magic number of 64 to start final jury selection.
5:58 p.m.: They’ll have to qualify 22 between today and tomorrow to meet the magic of 64 to start final jury selection.
12:30 p.m.: Arbery's father, Marcus Arbery Sr., has been inside the courtroom this morning, along with representatives from the Transformative Justice Coalition.
12:27 p.m.: An 18-year-old potential juror says she does not want to serve, saying "I just feel like I'm young and don't want to judge anyone's life." The judge denies the defense's motion to strike the juror.
12:24 p.m.: Two potential jurors have been dismissed so far, one for health reasons and another because she is a caregiver for her elderly mother and has a fixed opinion. She says her experience working in law enforcement and the federal prison system affects her judgement.
12 p.m.: So far, three potential jurors have been individually questioned. Selection breaks for lunch until 12:30 p.m.
9:32 a.m.: Again, several potential jurors know key players in the case, including Bryan's attorney, the defendants themselves, Gregory McMichael's daughter and wife, Bryan's fiancee and Arbery or his family members.
9:20 a.m.: At least seven potential jurors say they have already formed an opinion in regard to guilt or innocence of the defendants.
9:14 a.m.: Jury selection begins late due to having to wait on potential jurors to arrive. There were 18 present as of 9 a.m. Members of the clerk's office were calling people to ask where they were. Thursday's pool includes 19 potential jurors.
8:30 a.m.: Jury selection is expected to resume. Wednesday, six additional potential jurors were qualified, bringing the total to 42. There need to be 64 before selection can move to its next phase, and despite no-shows and the glacial pace of questioning, defense attorneys are confident they can reach that number by Friday.
Day 7
5:15 p.m.: Six qualified today, bringing the number of qualified potential jurors to 42, closer to the magic number of 64 potential jurors. This is the earliest they've finished questioning this week. Now discussing whether or not to bring all 64 when they reach that into court when they decide to strike down to 12 jurors and four alternates due to COVID restrictions.
2:09 p.m.: Defense attorneys for Travis McMichael, Jason Sheffield and Bob Rubin, say they're fine with the pace of jury selection because it gives potential jurors time they "critically need to understand what's being asked of them."
9:31 a.m.: So far, 12 potential jurors say they have formed an opinion on the guilt or innocence of the defendants. Five say their minds are not perfectly impartial between the state and the accused.
9:11 a.m.: Jury selection starts with a group of 19 potential jurors.
8:30 a.m.: Jury selection is expected to resume. So far, 36 potential jurors are now qualified. Defense attorney Jason Sheffield hopes to reach the "magic number" of 64 by Friday, which will have to be narrowed down to 12 jurors and 4 alternates.