Jury selection will begin on Monday for the McMichaels and William “Roddie” Bryan, a neighbor who joined the father and son in pursuit and took the video that ultimately recorded the death of Ahmad Arbery.
The McMichaels and Bryan are each charged with nine counts, including malice murder, felony murder, aggravated assault, and other crimes.
The men had initially told police they used pickup trucks to keep Arbery from fleeing their Satilla Shores neighborhood because they had suspected him of trespassing and stealing from properties in the area.
More than 1,000 potential jurors are expected to show up at the Glynn County Courthouse on Monday morning. Twelve people will ultimately be selected as jurors for the trial, and experts say the selection process could take weeks.
“I’ll be surprised if they pick a jury this week. I think that we’re going to have so many individuals who know too much about this case and have opinions on one side or the other that are so ingrained on the long history of this case, the small community. That it’s going to take several attempts to get a jury,” attorney Gene Nichols, who is not affiliated with this case, explained to News4Jax.
Nichols also said he would not be surprised if the judge decides to go to a different jurisdiction to pick a jury outside of Glynn County.
