I did not think this would happen, I thought white supremacy would win. I was wrong all day and night.
The jury in the trial of three men for the death of Ahmed Arbery was made up of 11 white people and one black person, but prosecutors told CNN that they felt that when the jury heard their arguments, they would make the decision to find all three guilty, which they did.
“I was hopeful based on the evidence that we presented in the case that we put forth that the jury would see the truth of what actually took place and bring justice for the Arbery family,” Cobb County senior assistant district attorney Linda Dunikoski said. “After we picked the jury, we looked at them and realized that we had very, very smart, very intelligent, honest jurors who were going to do their job which is to seek the truth. And so, we felt that putting up our case, it doesn’t matter whether they were black or white, that putting up our case that this jury would hear the truth, they would see the evidence and that they would do the right thing and come back with the correct verdict which we felt they did today.”
One main goal for prosecutors Paul Camarillo, Cobb County senior assistant district attorney, said was to simply show that the defendant’s claim of self-defense, simply wasn’t a viable argument.
“We had to show that it did not apply in this case and if they could not get past that hurdle, they never could get to self-defense,” Camarillo said.
Larissa Ollivierre, Cobb County assistant district attorney, said she felt bad for Arbery’s parents when one defense attorney began talking about Arbery’s toenails.
“I think the comments were unnecessary and they were low. and I just feel bad that Ahmaud’s mom dad and had to sit there and listen to all of those things,” Ollivierre said.
Dunikoski said defense attorney Kevin Gough’s comments about black pastors– though made without the jury present — was strategic.
“Mr. Gough is a very, very good attorney, and he purposefully and intentionally and strategically, I believe, did what did he in an effort to attempt to insert potentially some error into the case in case he lost the case and it went up on appeal,” she said
The attorney for William “Roddie” Bryan Jr. said he plans to appeal after his client was convicted in the murder of Ahmaud Arbery.
“Anybody in that position would be disappointed, would be hurt, would be shocked,” said Kevin Gough, Bryan’s defense attorney, after he was convicted of murder and other charges in the death of Arbery.”
“Here he is, he does everything he’s supposed to do, he’s fully cooperating, he’s done everything that he can and now he’s looking at spending the rest of his life in prison,” the attorney continued as he spoke to members of the media Wednesday afternoon.
Travis McMichael, who shot Arbery, and his father, Gregory McMichael, were also found guilty of murder and other charges. The three defendants are white, Arbery was black.
Gough said he planned to appeal the decision regarding his client, noting, “We believe the appellate courts will reverse this conviction.”
Gough was doubtful about the possibility of parole for Bryan.
“At his age, 25 years before parole eligibility? I don’t think parole is even something he’s going to be worrying about right now,” Gough said.
Wanda Cooper-Jones, the mother of Ahmaud Arbery, told CNN that her prayers had been answered and that “today was a very good day,” after three men were found guilty in her son’s killing.
“To hear that the accused murderers were actually found guilty, I mean, that was huge. We finally got the justice for Ahmaud that he deserved back in 2020,” she said.
Cooper-Jones also discussed thoughts she had about other mothers who were in her circumstance seeking justice for their children.
“My message to these families is don’t give up, keep pushing, keep fighting,” Cooper-Jones said.
Lee Merritt, an attorney for Cooper-Jones, said they are looking forward to the federal prosecution of the men found guilty Wednesday in Georgia.
Merritt said he agreed with Martin Luther King Jr.’s sentiment that the arc of the moral universe is long but it bends toward justice, but not on its own.
“The moral arc is long and I agree that it does bend toward justice but it doesn’t bend on its own,” Merritt said. “It takes fight being mothers like the one I’m sitting next to that I have the real honor and privilege to represent.”
Lead prosecutor Linda Dunikoski said spoke about the verdict today, saying “When you present the truth to people and they can see it, they will do the right thing and that’s what this jury did today in getting justice for Ahmaud Arbery,”
Dunikoski, who is a Cobb County senior assistant district attorney, successfully prosecuted the cases of Travis McMichael, his father Gregory McMichael and their neighbor William R. Bryan.
All three men were convicted Wednesday of chasing and murdering Arbery, a 25-year-old Black jogger who was running in their neighborhood.
“The verdict today was a verdict based on the facts, based on the evidence and that was our goal, was to bring that to that jury so that they could do the right thing,” said Dunikoski, adding, “the jury system works in this country.”
She also thanked her trial partners, calling it “a gigantic team effort.”
