One Black juror, 11 whites to hear trial over Arbery slaying

A jury has been selected in the murder trial of three white men accused of killing Ahmaud Arbery, a Black man who was killed while jogging through a residential neighborhood in Georgia. One black juror and 11 whites were selected.

Prosecutors tried to get the judge to reinstate several Black jurors who’d been struck, but Judge Timothy Walmsley said he had limited power to change the jury’s makeup. Defense lawyers were able to give race-neutral reasons for their decisions, which means legal precedents about striking jurors based only on race did not apply.

Describing Arbery’s father Marcus Arbery Sr.’s reaction, Attorney Barbara Arnwine said, “When they said 11 out of 12, he took his breath in, hard. Cause it was a shock! It hurts!”