Live updates: Ahmaud Arbery murder trial | Today Headlines

Judge Timothy Walmsley reads the instructions to the jury after the prosecution completes its final rebuttal at trial. The jury will then begin its deliberations.

Travis McMichael, along with his father Gregory McMichael and neighbor William “Roddie” Bryan Jr., face malicious murder and criminal murder charges in the murder of Arbery on February 23, 2020. The men sued Arbery – qu ‘they suspected of burglary – in their vehicles, which led Travis McMichael to fatally shoot Arbery.

In her final rebuttal, Linda Dunikoski, the lead prosecutor, argued that the defendants could not claim self-defense and asked the jury to find the men “guilty of all charges against the indictment”.

“They started; they can’t claim self-defense. And then, of course, provocation. You can’t force someone to defend against you, so you can claim self-defense. The Wild West So there are three cases where the accused cannot claim self-defense, ”Dunikoski told the jury.

What we know about the jury: The jury is made up of a black member and 11 white members. The composition of the jury drew criticism from the Arbery family and emphasized the history of southern racial exclusion in the jury selection.

Ben Crump, an attorney representing the Arbery family, expressed disappointment with the jury selection earlier this month, saying the final panel does not represent the people of the town where both Arbery and the accused lived.

“A jury needs to reflect the community. Brunswick is 55% black, so it is outrageous that black jurors have been intentionally excluded to create such an unbalanced jury in a cynical effort to help these cold-blooded killers escape crime. justice, “Crump said in a statement.

CNN’s Nicole Chavez and Brandon Tensley contributed reporting in this article.