A former Georgia prosecutor was indicted for misconduct after allegedly using her position to protect the men who chased and murdered Ahmaud Arbery.
On Thursday, a Glynn County grand jury indicted former Brunswick Judicial District Attorney Jackie Johnson, accusing her of violating her oath of office when she shielded the men from being charged with crimes immediately after they fatally shot Arbery for hindering a law enforcement officer.
Abery, a 25-year-old Black man, was killed on Feb. 23, 2020. Greg McMichael and his son Travis McMichael chased and killed Arbery after they spotted him running in the neighborhood. The father and son duo thought the victim was a burglar suspect.
William “Roddie” Bryan is accused of helping the McMichaels pursue Arbery. Bryan recorded the tragic and senseless encounter with a cellphone, which shows Travis shooting Arbery at close range with a shotgun.
The three men were not immediately charged following the shooting and remained free for over two months until the Georgia Bureau of Investigations looked into the matter.
Greg worked as an investigator in Johnson’s office and left a voicemail on her cellphone after the incident.
The indictment claims Johnson showed “favor and affection” toward Greg amid the investigation and interfered with police officers at the scene by “directing that Travis McMichael should not be placed under arrest.”
Johnson continues to deny any wrongdoing, saying she immediately recused herself from the case because of Greg’s former employment. She also recommended an outside prosecutor, Waycross Judicial Circuit District Attorney George Barnhill, to oversee the case. He concluded no charges were warranted.
After Arbery’s family noted he had a son working for Johnson as an assistant prosecutor, Barnhill later stepped aside.
Johnson lost reelection last year. She blames it on Arbery’s case.
You can really put them all four under the jail.
