Outside judge appointed to Ahmaud Arbery case

A judge from outside the Georgia community where Ahmaud Arbery was shot and killed in February is slated to preside over the case after all five judges in the district recused themselves, according to The Associated Press.

Superior Court Judge Timothy R. Walmsley, who is based 70 miles north in Savannah, was appointed to take on the case.

Gregory McMichael and Travis McMichael face charges of murder and aggravated assault in the death of Arbery, a black 25-year-old, who was shot and killed on Feb. 23.

A video of the shooting that surfaced earlier this month sparked outrage across the country and demands that charges be brought.

Gregory and Travis McMichael say that they thought Arbery was a burglary suspect and that he attacked the younger McMichael before being shot. Arbery’s family says he was out for a run.

The charges came more than two months after Arbery’s death, after the Georgia Bureau of Investigation took over the case. 

Gregory McMichael is a retired investigator for the local district attorney and had close ties to law enforcement, which attorneys for the Arbery family say caused the delay in charges. 

Three district attorneys have already passed on prosecuting the case, according to the AP.