(Trends Wide) — Lee Merritt, attorney for Wanda Cooper-Jones, Ahmaud Arbery’s mother told Trends Wide that a defense attorney for William “Roddie” Bryan Jr., one of three men accused of pursuing and killing Ahmaud Arbery, asked prosecutors a plea deal and was rejected.
“Prosecutors shared with Wanda Cooper Jones that defendant Willam Bryan asked for a plea deal before finishing his arguments. Prosecutors rejected any plea offer,” Merritt told Trends Wide’s Ryan Young in a text message.
Trends Wide contacted the Cobb County district attorney’s office, which declined to comment on whether the defense had commented to them on a plea deal.
What we learned from testimony days at the Ahmaud Arbery death trial
After 10 days of court proceedings with more than 20 witnesses and investigators giving testimony, prosecutors and defense attorneys will begin final arguments in the trial for the death of Ahmaud Arbery on Monday.
The trial in the death of Ahmaud Arbery has touched multiple conversations that occur in state legislatures and the courts, from the role of race in the criminal justice system and how video evidence can spur action, to self-defense rights. and the consequences of the use of firearms in the streets.
Arbery supporters have held prayer vigils and marches in front of the courthouse in Brunswick, the seat of Glynn County, Georgia.
Ahmaud Arbery was jogging through a residential area near Brunswick when three men chased him in their vehicles. The incident ended with the death of Arbery by shooting at the hands of one of the men on February 23, 2020.
Defense attorneys have said their clients were attempting to pursue a citizen arrest legal action against Arbery, whom they suspected of robbery.
The three men — Travis McMichael, who shot and killed Arbery; his father Gregory McMichael, a former police officer and investigator for the local district attorney’s office; and his neighbor William “Roddie” Bryan Jr. – are charged with wrongful death, aggravated battery, false imprisonment and criminal attempt to commit false imprisonment, according to the indictment. The men have pleaded not guilty.
No charges were brought against the defendants for months until Bryan’s cell phone video showing the shooting sparked outrage and condemnation for little progress in the case. The first two prosecutors recused themselves for conflicts of interest, citing their proximity to Gregory McMichael during their professional careers.
Additional charges levied against the defendants include aggravated assault, false imprisonment, and criminal attempt to commit a felony. If convicted, each man could face life in prison without the possibility of parole.
The three men have also been charged with federal hate crimes and attempted kidnapping.
Prosecutors cite inconsistencies by Travis McMichael
Over the course of two days, Travis McMichael gave testimony about the moments before, during and after the shooting. Prosecutors during questioning on Thursday pressed McMichael about discrepancies in his statements and actions on the day of Ahmaud Arbery’s death.
McMichael said during his testimony Wednesday that he and his father had an encounter less than two weeks before the shooting with a black man, who was “crawling in the shadows” near a house under construction. Residents testified in court that a series of robberies had affected the neighborhood prior to the shooting.
McMichael testified that on the day of the shooting, his father told him he saw “the guy coming down the street.” They got into their truck and Travis McMichael said they caught up with Arbery and tried to talk to him twice, but he didn’t respond.
Travis McMichael said he noticed another truck in the neighborhood. Prosecutors contend that Bryan, the third defendant, got into his own truck and joined the chase, although he did not know what was going on, and struck Arbery with his vehicle.
He eventually passed Arbery down the road, McMichael testified, parked his vehicle and got out, then pointed his shotgun at Arbery as he approached, telling him to stop. McMichael claims that before shooting Ahmaud Arbery, the man approached the truck, grabbed the rifle, and hit him.
On Thursday, prosecutor Linda Dunikoski challenged McMichael for what she said were inconsistencies in her accounts to authorities. That included not initially telling police that he and his father were trying to make a citizen’s arrest, although that is what the defense has held ever since. She also covered the differences in her stories about when and where she told Arbery certain things, like to stop.
McMichael responded that he was “scattered” and “confused” in the hours after the shooting, because “this is the most traumatic event I have ever been through in my life.”
McMichael also acknowledged several times, under Dunikoski’s questioning, that he never saw Ahmaud Arbery armed during the chase, never heard Arbery threaten him verbally, and that Arbery never responded or showed any interest in talking to McMichael while trying to ask him what he was doing.
