Judge denies bail for two of the suspects in Ahmaud Arbery case

A Georgia judge on Friday denied bail to the white father-son duo who were involved in the killing of Ahmaud Arbery, a Black man, in February.

The ruling by Chatham County Superior Court Judge Timothy Walmsley to deny Greg McMichael, 64, and Travis McMichael, 34, came at the end of a lengthy bond hearing that began Thursday, featuring hours of testimony from friends and family of the McMichaels.

Arbery, 25, was shot and killed Feb. 23 while jogging in Brunswick, Ga., after being confronted by the McMichaels, who followed him in their truck.

Although Arbery was shot in February, no charges were brought against the McMichaels until May when cellphone footage of the incident was leaked.

In June, a grand jury indicted the McMichaels and William Bryan — the man who filmed Arbery’s death — on a slew of charges, including felony murder.

Bryan was already denied bail in the summer.

On Thursday, prosecutor Jesse Evans presented racist text messages and social media posts that Travis McMichael had previously sent. Bryan previously said that Travis McMichael used a racial slur when he shot Arbery.

The McMichaels have claimed that they believed Arbery to be a suspect in a recent string of break-ins in the area. Their attorneys have alleged that Arbery was in the neighborhood for “nefarious purposes” but offered no evidence.

“These men are proud of what they’ve done,” Wanda Cooper-Jones, Abery’s mother, said Thursday at the hearing. “In their selfish minds, they think they’re good guys.”