Ahmaud Arbery death: Opening statements set to begin for ex-prosecutor's trial

GLYNN COUNTY, Ga. - Opening statements are set to begin on Tuesday in the criminal misconduct trial of a former Georgia prosecutor charged with interfering in the police investigation of the 2020 killing of Ahmaud Arbery.

Jackie Johnson is charged with violating her oath of office, a felony punishable by up to five years.

READ ALL THE STORIES ON AHMAUD ARBERY'S MURDER

Ahmaud Arbery's death in Georgia

The backstory:

Father and son Greg and Travis McMichael armed themselves and chased the 25-year-old Arbery in a pickup truck after seeing him run past their house on Feb. 23, 2020. A neighbor, William "Roddie" Bryan, joined the pursuit in his own truck and recorded cellphone video of Travis McMichael shooting Arbery with a shotgun at point-blank range.

Greg McMichael was a retired investigator who had worked for Johnson. He called her roughly an hour after the killing.

"My son and I have been involved in a shooting, and I need some advice right away," he said in a voicemail left on Johnson’s cellphone and later included in court records.

More than two months passed with no arrests until Bryan’s graphic video of the shooting leaked online. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation took over the case from local police and arrested the McMichaels and Bryan on murder charges. The three men were sentenced to life in prison after being convicted of murder in 2021.

Prosecutors say Johnson abused her office by trying to shield the McMichaels. The indictment says Johnson showed "favor and affection" toward Greg McMichael and interfered with police by "directing that Travis McMichael should not be placed under arrest."

Jury selection in the Jackie Johnson trial

What we know:

Officials summoned a large pool of potential jurors due to the notoriety of the case. More than 500 jury duty notices were mailed and 200 were filled out and returned. Many have been dismissed due to biases or hardship. Some expressed strong opinions about the case during questioning, with individuals either accusing Johnson of granting "special treatment" to Ahmaud Arbery's killers or defending her actions as part of her prosecutorial duties. Superior Court Clerk Rebecca Walden anticipates the process will take about a week to complete.

Opinions on Jackie Johnson's actions remain polarized. A dismissed potential juror wrote that Johnson "interfered with the investigation and let convicted murderers go," while another called the prosecution against her a "witch hunt." Meanwhile, a potential juror excused from the trial stated, "I don’t really think what she did was wrong... Jackie Johnson was just doing her job."

What's next:

Senior Judge John R. Turner is planning to seat a jury on Tuesday morning at the Glynn County courthouse in the port city of Brunswick. Jury selection began a week ago but was delayed by a rare winter storm that left the coastal community coated in snow and ice.

Opening statements from prosecutors and defense attorneys were scheduled for later Tuesday after a 12-person jury plus two alternate jurors are seated. 

Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr’s office is prosecuting the case.

Johnson’s trial is expected to last two weeks or more. It’s being held at the same courthouse where Arbery’s assailants were convicted in 2021.