Black Woman Becomes Prosecutor In Ahmaud Arbery Case

Georgia’s attorney general will reportedly appoint a new prosecutor in the case of Ahmaud Arbery’s shooting death, after calls for the current prosecutor to recuse himself.

Atlanta station WSB-TV reports that an official announcement is expected Monday (May 11) that will name Cobb County district attorney Joyette Holmes, who is African American, to handle the high profile case.

The case has cycled through the hands of three different prosecutors, beginning with Glynn County prosecutor Jackie Johnson who recused herself due to conflicts of interest, as did Ware County prosecutor George Barnhill. Weeks after the Feb. 23 incident, it landed on the desk of Tom Durden, Liberty County D.A., who recommended that the case go to a grand jury. 

Father and son, Gregory McMichaels, 64, and Travis McMichaels, 34, were arrested last week in connection with the fatal shooting and charged with felony murder after video leaked on social media showing the fatal assault. 

Georgia attorney general Chris Carr has also asked the Justice Department to get involved in the case, according to The Washington Post. 

Holmes, a Republican, became the first Black woman to serve as Cobb County D.A., when former prosecutor Vic Reynolds was appointed director of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, the agency that brought charges against the McMichaels. Prior to being appointed district attorney, she was Cobb’s Judicial Circuit’s Chief Magistrate.

Team Roc, the social justice arm of Jay-Z’s Roc Nation sent a letter to Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp, Carr and Durden requesting that a new prosecutor be appointed.