Ahmaud Arbery Murder Suspect Allegedly Called Him N-Word After Shooting
Ahmaud Arbery Murder Suspect Called Him N-Word After Shooting ... According to Detective's Testimony
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1:35 PM PT -- The hearing is over, and the judge concluded there is enough evidence to move forward with the case … so it will now be kicked up the the Glynn County Superior Court.
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Before it ended, however, Bryan’s attorney stated in his closing argument that “any patriotic American” would have helped the McMichaels like his client did.
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12:22 PM PT -- The detective, now focusing on William "Roddie" Bryan, testified that, while searching Bryan's phone, they had discovered he had used racial slurs in the past in at least one conversation with a friend.
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10:15 AM PT -- The detective was asked if he believes Travis acted in self-defense. He replied saying he doesn't believe the incident was self-defense by McMichael ... it was self-defense by Arbery. The GBI officer added that he believes Ahmaud chose to get away from the men chasing him, but when he thought he couldn't escape, he chose to fight.
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The court is now in recess for lunch.
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9:24 AM PT -- The defense attorney questioned the detective about Arbery's mental health history. The detective said he learned of some treatment Ahmaud had received, but didn't elaborate much. The detective is also beginning to get grilled about whether this could be a case of self-defense.
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9:09 AM PT -- The GBI detective says there are several more examples of Travis McMichael using racial slurs on his phone and social media. This includes an alleged Instagram comment about using violence against black people -- "blow that [n-word's] head off."
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The detective also says Travis allegedly expressed online that "he loved his job 'cause he was on a boat and there weren't any n-words anywhere."
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7:54 AM PT -- The detective continued to explain the pursuit of Ahmaud by the 3 men that led to him being shot by Travis, and it concluded with a bombshell.
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According to the detective's testimony ... Bryan told cops he heard Travis refer to Arbery as a "f***ing n*****" after he shot him, while Ahmaud was on the ground and before police arrived at the scene.
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7:15 AM PT -- The McMichaels both appeared by video for the hearing. They were both in a court at the Glynn County Jail, where they're being held without bail. William Bryan opted to not appear on camera, although he was in the same room at the jail.
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A Georgia Bureau of Investigation detective took the stand and testified he's found zero evidence Ahmaud ever took anything from the under-construction home he was walking through shortly before he was shot and killed. You'll recall, Gregory McMichael claims he thought Ahmaud matched the description of a burglary suspect.
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The detective gave dramatic testimony about all the turns the McMichaels and Bryan made as they drove around the neighborhood, literally chasing down Ahmaud ... and eventually started recording video of him.
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The 3 defendants in Ahmaud Arbery's murder will face a judge in a preliminary hearing to determine whether there's enough evidence to move forward with the case ... and TMZ will be streaming live.
The attorneys for Gregory McMichael, Travis McMichael and William "Roddie" Bryan Jr. are slated to appear at Glynn County Magistrate Court in Georgia ... nearly a month after the McMichaels were arrested for murder and denied bond and 13 days after Bryan, who recorded the deadly encounter, was arrested.
FEBRUARY 2020
The alleged murderers will appear in court via teleconference. All 3 have been charged with murder in the February 23 death of Arbery, who was simply jogging down the street when he was stopped and confronted by the McMichaels. A struggle ensued and Travis shot Arbery. He fell to the ground and died.
Travis and Gregory were arrested for murder May 8. They later faced a judge and were denied bond. Bryan, who recorded the incident, was arrested 14-days later and was slapped with charges of felony murder and criminal attempt to commit false imprisonment.
As we reported ... authorities allege Bryan "did attempt to confine and detain Ahmaud Arbery without legal authority, by attempting to confine ..." adding, Bryan was "utilizing his vehicle on multiple occasions during the above time frame, with the intention of confining and detaining Arbery."
So, the felony is false imprisonment, and if such a felony results in someone's death, that person can be charged with felony murder.
Bryan has claimed he was simply a witness and had no involvement in the killing. He also said he feared for his life after the video was leaked. The handling of the case has drawn scrutiny -- with good reason -- prompting the Georgia Attorney General to formally request the Justice Department get to the bottom of what happened.
We're also told bail may become a bone of contention.
The hearing is set to begin at 6:30 AM PT.
Originally Published -- 6:00 AM PT
