Racist texts were found on the phone of one of the men responsible for Ahmaud Arbery’s murder.
William “Roddie” Bryan filmed the tragic killing of Arbery, a Black man who was stalked and followed while on a jog. Arbery was hunted down by Bryan, Travis McMichael, and McMichael’s son Gregory. Travis fatally shot Arbery after a struggle. Now, new reports show that Bryan had racist tests on his phone. However, his attorney claims Bryan doesn’t have a “hateful bone in his body.”
During an interview with “48 Hours,” Bryan’s attorney, Kevin Gough, says Bryan was “minding his own business” at home when he saw a truck he recognized chasing a man that he didn’t know, CBS News reports. Gough says that’s when Bryan got into his truck and began following as “any other patriotic American would have done under the same circumstances.”
“Why did he record it?” Omar Villafranca of “48 Hours” asked. “Why not?” Gough responded. The lawyer claims that Bryan “has never been more than a witness to this shooting.” However, prosecutor #JesseEvans, who also spoke with “48 Hours, says he thinks Bryan was “an active participant.” Evans says Bryan couldn’t have been merely “minding his own business” because Bryan tried to box Arbery in with his truck. Authorities say Arbery’s palm print was found near a dent on the truck, suggesting that Bryan hit Arbery. But Gough says that’s a lie.
“The jury’s gonna look at the facts of this case and they’re gonna conclude that whether Ahmaud Arbery was white, Black or Martian, that Roddie Bryan wouldn’t have acted any differently on the day in question,” Gough says. The gag is, two weeks ago, prosecutors let the court know that they intend on using past racial slurs investigators found in Bryan’s phone as evidence. Bryan sent a text that read: “I bet ya’ll are truly having a Monkey Parade over there.” Gough claims those texts were taken out of context. But, how Sway?
“I’ve got multiple pages of him using the N-word. And that doesn’t make him a racist?” Villafranca asked. “No, sir,” said Gough. “Do you use that word?” Villafranca questioned. “I mean, feel free to use it on national TV right now, Kevin. If you think, ‘Eh, it can be put– it can be used in a proper context.'” “It’s not a word I would use,” Gough responded. “But I’m not Roddie Bryan.”
Bryan has pleaded not guilty to charges of felony murder and criminal attempt o commit false imprisonment in the death of Ahmaud Arbery. The McMichaels have pleaded not guilty to felony murder and aggravated assault, PEOPLE reports.
The interview is part of an all-new “48 Hours” episode “Justice for Ahmaud,” scheduled to air October 10 at 10/9c on CBS.
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