Ahmaud Arbery

Former district attorney Jackie Johnson is accused of interfering with the police investigation into the shooting death of Ahmaud Arbery, nearly five years after he was murdered while jogging.

Arbery's killing on Feb. 23, 2020, became part of a larger national reckoning over racial injustice and killings of unarmed Black people.

The day after the shooting, then-District Attorney Jackie Johnson placed a call to Greg McMichael, a retired investigator for her office.

The defense attorneys insisted the three men's pursuit of the 25-year-old was prompted by "honest, though erroneous, suspicion that he committed crimes" and not because of his race.

Eight of the jurors are white, three are Black and one is Hispanic. They will hear the hate crimes case against Travis McMichael, Greg McMichael and William Bryan, which examines if race was a factor.

A federal hate crime trial for father and son Gregory and Travis McMichael is scheduled to begin Feb. 7.

Travis McMichael, who pulled the trigger, and his father, Greg, have no chance for parole. A federal hate crimes trial remains in a case widely seen as racially motivated.

Travis McMichael; his father, Greg; and their neighbor William "Roddie" Bryan all faced nine criminal counts in Georgia state court, including felony murder, aggravated assault and false imprisonment.

Travis McMichael, his father, Greg, and William 'Roddie' Bryan have all been charged with Arbery's murder. The high-profile shooting helped spark protests for racial justice in the summer of 2020.

The nearly all-white jury has been sent home until Monday, when they're expected to hear closing arguments. Earlier in the day, Travis McMichael, who killed Arbery, underwent cross-examination.