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GBI agents search home of Ahmaud Arbery murder suspects

Published  May 20, 2020 9:14am EDT
Ahmaud Arbery Shooting
FOX 5 Atlanta

BRUNSWICK, Ga. - Investigators say they have searched the home of the father and son charged in the murder of Ahmaud Arbery.

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation says agents executed a search warrant at the home of 64-year-old Gregory McMichael and 34-year-old Travis McMichael on Tuesday at around 6:39 p.m.

Officials say this search was part of the Arbery murder investigation, but would not give any further details about possible evidence or what they were searching for specifically.

Arbery was killed Feb. 23 after a pursuit by the white father and son who armed themselves and gave chase after seeing the 25-year-old black man running in their subdivision. More than two months passed before Gregory and Travis McMichael were jailed on charges of felony murder and aggravated assault.

Gregory McMichael and Travis McMichael (Glynn County Sheriff's Office)

LEARN MORE ABOUT THE AHMAUD ARBERY SHOOTING

Gregory McMichael, a retired investigator for the local district attorney, told police he thought Arbery was a burglar. He said Arbery attacked his son before he was shot.

Arbery’s mother, Wanda Cooper-Jones, has said she believes her son was merely out jogging.

The delay in criminal charges and a cellphone video of the shooting leaked shortly before the May 7 arrests fueled national outrage over Arbery’s death.

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Last week, defense attorneys for the McMichaels cautioned against rushing to judgment. They said they soon plan to seek a preliminary hearing from a magistrate judge in Glynn County at which new details might be revealed. They also plan to ask that the McMichaels be released from jail on bond pending trial. That decision will now fall to Walmsley.

No court hearings had been scheduled as of Monday afternoon.

Gregory McMichael worked as an investigator for the local district attorney for more than two decades before he retired last year. Attorneys for Arbery’s family and others have blamed the delay in arrests in part on the elder McMichael’s ties to local law enforcement. The McMichaels weren’t charged until after the Georgia Bureau of Investigation was brought into the case in early May.

Meanwhile, three district attorneys have passed on prosecuting the case, which now resides with the district attorney of Cobb County in metro Atlanta.

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The Associated Press contributed to this report.