BRUNSWICK, Ga. — Warning: This article contains language that some may find offensive.
Closing arguments are scheduled to commence on Monday, in Brunswick. The prosecution and the defense rested their cases in the trial against Ahmaud Arbery's killers: Travis McMichael, Greg McMichael and William "Roddie" Bryant.
Seven witnesses testified for the prosecution. Meanwhile, the presentation from the defense team was nearly two hours.
There were a few emotional and uncomfortable events for the Arbery family, and those who testified.
Ahmaud Arbery's father, Marcus Arbery Sr., left the courtroom twice. It occurred while a GBI crime lab and firearms examiner showcased Travis McMichael's 12 gauge shotgun to the jury.
The second exit happened while the expert witness was reviewing evidence that included pictures of Arbery's bloodied shirt with holes.
First Coast News noticed Marcus and another family member taking a walk outside to gather themselves.
"I thought of my son," Marcus explained why came back after an emotional morning in the courtroom. "I'm a strong man. I'm not weak."
When Travis shot Arbery, the GBI agent said he fired at a 'contact to near contact' range, meaning Arbery's chest was inches away from the barrel of the shotgun. Marcus was seen shaking his head during the explanation.
Next, the prosecution introduced a resident who lived near the McMichael's in Satilla Shores. She recalled a disturbing conversation with Greg McMichael concerning a Black woman. The former neighbor said Greg, who was also a landlord, called one of her tenants a "Big fat Black woman" or walrus. It was said Greg complained how that specific resident did not always pay rent on time. One summer, he turned off her A/C to motivate to pay rent.
"Her big Black ass paid the rent," the witness quoted.
A second female witness recalled how Greg was cordial when they first met in 2015. However, the first impression immediately changed when she found out about Georgia Congressman and Civil Rights activist, Julian Bond, passed away. She said Greg went on an angry rant and expressed how he wanted Bond "in the ground" years before he died. According the witness, Greg said "all these Blacks are nothing but trouble," and "I wish they all died."
Plus, a third witness talked about her experience working with Travis McMichael while he was in the Coast Guard. To the witness, Travis was vulgar.
In 2012, she mentioned to her peers how she used to date an NBA player, his response was, "Once you go Black, you end up in a wheelchair." On one occasion, the Coast Guardswoman said Travis called her a "Ni**er Lover." Not once did he say the N-Word around his Black colleagues. When asked why she didn't report him, the witness explained she was "green."
One of Travis' former supervisors from his job in Brunswick was there to testify.
On the day Arbery was killed, deponent described Travis as 'calm'. He called to ask for the day off after leaving the police station. To the witness' understanding, the shooting happened in self-defense. That was until the video of Arbery's murder went viral. The former Navy Veteran said he was shocked and upset when he saw the video.
"What he told me was a lie," the witness said to prosecutors.
The federal hate crime trial will commence on Monday, President's Day. Arbery's mother, Wanda Cooper Jones, said she's expecting a guilty verdict from the jury.
"They really didn't like people who look like me," Cooper Jones said. "They really killed my son because he was Black."
Since both parties rested their case, the next phase is closing arguments and deliberations. The prosecution requested two hours of closing time, while the defense asked for a combined total of four-and-a-half hours.