A judge said Thursday he will review under seal mental health records of Ahmaud Arbery to decide whether they can be used by defense attorneys to support their case that the slaying of the 25-year-old Black man was an act of self-defense.
Superior Court Judge Timothy Walmsley declined to hear from an expert witness that defense lawyers plan to use to discuss Arbery’s mental health at trial until the judge rules on whether the records can be admitted into evidence.
Travis McMichael and his father, Greg McMichael, armed themselves with guns and pursued Arbery in a pickup truck when they spotted him running in their coastal Georgia neighborhood Feb. 23, 2020. A neighbor, William “Roddie” Bryan joined the chase and took cellphone video of Travis McMichael shooting Arbery three times at close range with a shotgun.
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