Trial in Ahmaud Arbery slaying set by judge for February

By RUSS BYNUM
Associated Press

SAVANNAH, Ga. (AP) — A federal judge has scheduled a trial in early 2022 for three Georgia men charged with hate crimes in the killing of Ahmaud Arbery. U.S. District Court Judge Lisa Godbey Wood issued a written order saying jury selection in the case will begin Feb. 7. Father and son Gregory and Travis McMichael armed themselves, chased and fatally shot 25-year-old Arbery last year after spotting the Black man running in their neighborhood outside the coastal city of Brunswick. Their neighbor William “Roddie” Bryan joined the chase and was also charged. The three men are already scheduled to stand trial in October on murder charges in a Georgia state court. They were indicted on federal charges in April. Attorneys for all three men say they committed no crimes.