BRUNSWICK, Ga. — *The above video was previously published Sept. 2
It took police 74 days to arrest Ahmaud Arbery's killers. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation says the primary reason for this delayed justice is former Brunswick District Attorney Jackie Johnson.
For her alleged role in preventing a proper investigation, Johnson, 49, was indicted Sept. 8 by a Glynn County grand jury on charges of “violation of oath of a public officer” and “obstruction and hindering a law enforcement officer,” her indictment states.
Johnson was booked into Glynn County jail for about an hour on a $10,000 bond, but she was "released on her own recognizance" which means she didn't have to post a bond.
Johnson recused herself from working the Arbery case and recommended Waycross DA George Barnhill take over. She sought assistance from Barnhill before turning the case over to him.
The indictment states that Johnson failed “to treat Ahmaud Arbery and his family fairly and with dignity” when she didn't disclose that she went to another Georgia DA for assistance with the case.
Johnson says she recused herself from the case because one of the killers, Greg McMichael, previously worked in her office. The indictment states that Johnson showed McMichael "favor and affection during the investigation."
Johnson also “knowingly and willfully” directed two Glynn County police officers not to arrest Travis McMichael, “contrary to the laws of said state,” the indictment states.
Travis McMichael is Greg McMichael's son. Both men were convicted of numerous murder charges Wednesday, along with William "Roddie" Bryan.
Bryan joined the McMichaels in chasing Arbery taking cellphone video of Travis McMichael fatally shooting Arbery at close range with a shotgun.
Arbery was running in the killers' neighborhood before the men chased him in their pickup trucks on Feb. 23, 2020.
The McMichaels weren't arrested until May 7, a couple of days after the video shot by Bryan was made public. The men also face federal hate crimes charges.
Johnson's handling of the case and the lack of media coverage in the days that followed were immediately scrutinized by many national activists.
