Judge in Arbery death federal trial to seat jury Monday

U.S. District Court Judge Lisa Godbey Wood said Friday she’s ready to start the hate crimes trial of three white men who chased and killed Ahmaud Arbery in 2020. Sixty-four people were deemed qualified to serve as impartial jurors.

AP Photo/Sarah Blake Morgan, file

The federal judge presiding over the hate crimes trial of three white men who chased and killed Ahmaud Arbery said she will seat a jury Monday after a week spent asking potential jurors what they already know about the Black man’s death as well as their views on racism in America.

U.S. District Court Judge Lisa Godbey Wood said Friday she’s ready to start the trial with 64 people deemed qualified to serve as impartial jurors. That pool will be narrowed to a main jury of 12 plus four alternates Monday, when the judge also expects attorneys to make opening statements.

It will be the second time the port city of Brunswick, on the Georgia coast south of Savannah, has held a trial in Arbery’s killing since November, when the same three defendants were convicted of murder in a Georgia state court.