Two lawyers for Gregory McMichael, 64, the older man charged in the fatal shooting of Ahmaud Arbery, believe the public has accepted a narrative of the shooting that has been created from an “incomplete set of facts.”
“So often the public accepts a narrative driven by an incomplete set of facts, one that vilifies a good person, based on a rush to judgement, which has happened in this case,” said Laura Hogue, an attorney for Gregory McMichael, according to CNN.
“While the death of Ahmaud Arbery is a tragedy, causing deep grief to his family — a tragedy that at first appears to many to fit into a terrible pattern in American life — this case does not fit that pattern,” said Frank Hogue, another attorney for Gregory McMichael.
Attorneys for Travis McMichael, 34, the son of the elder McMichael, made similar remarks during a press conference on Thursday, according to News4Jax.
“What we’re asking and we’re imploring everybody for the sake of our communities is to just take a breath, let the facts develop, let the case play out where it should play out, which I think we can all agree, is in court,” said attorney Bob Rubin.
“We know that there are strong opinions. We know that there is anger. We know that there is outrage. We are open to those opinions. We will listen to that outrage. We promise not to inject more volatility into this process as best we can control,” said Jason Sheffield, another attorney for the younger McMichael. “Our commitment is to the truth, and we will seek it.”
Both Gregory McMichael and Travis McMichael were charged with felony murder and aggravated assault last week, about 36 hours after the case was handed over to the Georgia Bureau of Investigations.
The shooting, which occurred on February 23, attracted widespread national attention after video surfaced of the moments leading up to and including the fatal gunshots. Gregory McMichael told police after the incident that he was pursuing a burglary suspect. The family of Ahmaud Arbery believes he was on a jog at the time he was killed.
In the time since Arbery’s death, the case has been passed to the desk of four prosecutors, the first two of whom recused themselves for actual or perceived conflicts of interest. The third prosecutor, who took over the case in mid-April, stepped down from the case after recommending the Georgia Bureau of Investigations look into the matter, and asking a grand jury to review the evidence.
According to NPR, Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr asked the Department of Justice on Tuesday to investigate “possible prosecutorial misconduct” on the part of the first two district attorneys who reviewed the case between late February and early April.
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