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SAVANNAH, Ga. — A judge on Tuesday refused to dismiss misconduct charges against a former Georgia prosecutor charged of hindering the investigation into the 2020 murder of Ahmaud Arbery.
The one-page ruling by Chief Judge John R. Turner comes 20 months after defense attorneys for former District Attorney Jackie Johnson filed a legal motion arguing that the case against her should be dismissed. lack of evidence.
Johnson served as coastal Glynn County’s top prosecutor when white men in pickup trucks chased and killed Arbery on Feb. 23, 2020, after they saw the young Black man running in their neighborhood.
The fatal chase was initiated by Greg McMichael, a retired investigator who had worked for Johnson. His adult son, Travis McMichael, fired the shotgun that left Arbery, 25, dead in the street.
A neighbor, William “Roddie” Bryan, joined the chase and recorded video of the murder with his cell phone.
More than two months passed before the McMichaels and Bryan were arrested on murder charges in Arbery’s death, which occurred after Bryan’s graphic video was leaked online and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation took over the case. local police case.
A grand jury indicted Johnson in connection with Arbery’s death in September 2021, charging her with a felony for violating her oath of office and impeding a police investigation, a misdemeanor.
The case has progressed slowly for more than two years. And that’s unlikely to change in the near future. One of Johnson’s defense attorneys, Brian Steel, represents rapper Young Thug in a extensive extortion trial which began in Atlanta this week after 10 months of jury selection. The trial itself is expected to last several more months.
The case against Johnson is being prosecuted by Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr’s office. The indictment alleges that Johnson used his office to try to protect the McMichaels and told Glynn County police officers on the day of shooting that they should not arrest Travis McMichael.
Johnson pleaded not guilty and denied any wrongdoing, saying he immediately recused himself from the case involving Arbery’s death because Greg McMichael was a former employee.
His defense attorneys filed a legal motion in March 2022 seeking to dismiss the case. They argued that there was “not a shred of evidence” to support the charge of impeding police.
Prosecutors responded in May 2022 with a court file that list 16 calls between phones belonging to Johnson and Greg McMichael in the days and weeks after the shooting. One of the calls lasted 21 minutes, according to the court document.
By the time she was charged, Johnson had already been removed from office. She has said that her controversy over her handling of Arbery’s murder influenced her re-election loss in 2020.
After her arraignment, she turned herself in at the Glynn County Jail and was released without having to post cash bail.
While Johnson’s case has been stalled, Arbery’s killers have been convicted and sentenced in state and federal courts.
In November 2021, the McMichaels and Bryan were found. guilty of murder in Glynn County Superior Court, where a judge sentenced them to life in prison. A United States District Court jury convicted all three federal hate crimes in February 2022. The McMichaels each received a second life sentence during the August sentencing, while Bryan received an additional 35 years in prison.
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