A judge has scheduled the trial for a former district attorney in Georgia for early 2025, following charges of obstructing a police investigation related to Ahmaud Arbery’s homicide.
Jury selection for Jackie Johnson’s criminal misconduct trial is set to commence on January 21 in Glynn County, as ordered by Senior Judge John R. Turner. A pretrial hearing to finalize motions is planned for December 11.
In February 2020, at the time of Arbery’s death, Johnson served as the lead prosecutor in the county. Arbery, a 25-year-old Black man, was shot while fleeing three white men pursuing him in trucks on a residential street. The men involved later claimed they believed Arbery was committing a crime and acted in self-defense, but all three were eventually convicted of murder and federal hate crimes.
Johnson opted to recuse her office from the case because Greg McMichael, the individual who instigated the chase, was a retired investigator in her employ. His son, Travis McMichael, fatally shot Arbery at close range with a shotgun, while their neighbor, William “Roddie” Bryan, participated in the chase and filmed the incident, which surfaced online more than two months later.
After the public uproar stemming from Arbery’s death, Johnson lost her reelection bid. In September 2021, a grand jury charged her with a felony offense for violating her oath of office and a misdemeanor for hindering a law enforcement officer.
The proceedings in Johnson’s case have progressed slowly since she was initially charged, booked in jail, and released without appearing in court. The recent scheduling order from Turner marks the first legal movement since he rejected motions from Johnson’s legal team to dismiss the case last November.
According to Turner, the lengthy delays were, in part, due to one of Johnson’s attorneys, Brian Steel, being preoccupied with defending Grammy-winning rapper Young Thug in a significant racketeering trial over the past two years.
The decision to schedule Johnson’s trial happened shortly after Young Thug entered a guilty plea on multiple charges including gang-related crimes, drug offenses, and firearm violations.
Steel, along with co-counsel John Ossick, has not provided immediate comments about the recent developments.
Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr expressed in a statement that they are eager to present their case in court. Meanwhile, the family of Ahmaud Arbery has emphasized that their quest for justice remains incomplete until Johnson is held accountable at trial.
Wanda Cooper-Jones, Arbery’s mother, reiterated the importance of this trial in a statement to the press, but did not reply promptly to a message seeking further comment.
