In Brunswick, Georgia, a judge concluded the trial against a former local prosecutor accused of using her office to shield the individuals involved in the death of Ahmaud Arbery. The trial, which had proceeded for a week, was suddenly stopped without the jury reaching a verdict, as the judge dismissed the felony charge against Jackie Johnson.
Jackie Johnson, who previously served as the District Attorney, has long asserted that she did not influence the police decision not to arrest anyone in the case of Arbery’s fatal shooting, which took place nearly five years ago in Glynn County, Georgia. The accusations against her included a felony charge of violating her oath of office and a misdemeanor charge of obstructing law enforcement. The case came to an abrupt halt when the presiding Senior Judge, John R. Turner, ruled in favor of Johnson this past Wednesday.
The dismissal followed arguments made by Johnson’s legal team, which highlighted serious flaws in the 2021 indictment alleging that the charges were untenable due to various technical mistakes. Judge Turner expressed that making this ruling was not a decision he wished to take but acknowledged that the concerns raised about the indictment required acceptance. Earlier in the week, he has also ruled Johnson not guilty of the misdemeanor charge, stating that the prosecution had failed to provide any substantial evidence proving she instructed police not to make arrests in connection with Arbery’s shooting.
The parents of Ahmaud Arbery conveyed their frustration with the court’s decision, maintaining their belief that Johnson acted to protect the men who fatally shot their son. Marcus Arbery Sr. described the judge’s actions as “devastating,” while Wanda Cooper-Jones expressed her conviction that the jury would have found Johnson guilty, citing that the evidence against her was apparent.
On February 23, 2020, Greg and Travis McMichael pursued Arbery, a 25-year-old Black man, while armed and using a pickup truck, after spotting him running in their neighborhood near Brunswick. Another individual, William “Roddie” Bryan, participated in the pursuit and recorded video footage of Travis McMichael shooting Arbery with a shotgun. The absence of arrests for more than two months following the shooting only changed once the video surfaced online, prompting the Georgia Bureau of Investigation to take over the case. Eventually, all three men involved were charged and found guilty of murder in separate legal trials.
Following these events, Georgia Attorney Chris Carr initiated an investigation into Jackie Johnson, leading to her indictment in 2021. Prosecutors accused her of knowingly withholding information regarding a prior legal assessment from another district attorney, which suggested that Arbery’s shooting may have been in self-defense. Notably, Greg McMichael had been part of Johnson’s team as an investigator prior to his retirement and had left a voicemail seeking assistance from her.
During her trial, Johnson denied allegations of misconduct, asserting that she never advised anyone to protect the McMichaels. A key witness, George Barnhill—one of the prosecutors who examined Arbery’s case—testified that he had reached an independent conclusion regarding the justification of the shooting without any input from Johnson. Johnson’s lead defense attorney, Brian Steel, strongly criticized the indictment, suggesting that it painted Johnson as a proponent of racism, which he claimed was untrue.
After her departure from office in November 2020, an election loss was attributed to the controversy surrounding the Arbery case. Following the trial’s conclusion, Johnson left the courthouse without addressing the press. Throughout the trial, prosecutors encountered difficulties, with witnesses indicating they observed no illegal actions on Johnson’s part. The indictment alleged that Johnson instructed police not to arrest Travis McMichael, but one officer claimed that did not occur, while the other officer was never called to testify.
Following the judge’s ruling dismissing the indictment, Carr’s office expressed regret over the situation, reinforcing their belief in the validity of the case they had presented. The defense had raised requests for dismissal prior to the ruling, arguing that the oath violation charge referenced an outdated oath and contended that the indictment cited conduct that did not constitute a crime. They pointed out that the claims regarding her interactions with the Arbery family and the attorney general’s office were legal actions.
With the dismissal of charges, the legal pursuit against Johnson has met a significant hurdle, leaving Arbery’s family and many in the community feeling a sense of injustice regarding the proceedings and outcome.
