In February 2020, in Brunswick, Georgia, Ahmaud Arbery was murdered in broad daylight by three men, who were former police officers. The three defendants claim that he was trespassing in their neighborhood and they fatally shot Ahmaud in “self defense” after they had attempted a citizen’s arrest. 

A nationwide outcry for justice was formed after cellphone video of the murder taking place was released. With this, the men were arrested and began to await their trial, which started just within this past week.

With the already slow process of putting together a jury, it has been even more difficult with the trial for Ahmaud Arbery. All of the potential jurors either know the defendants, are scared, or they know the case well. 

After taking almost 12 hours a day for the first week of the jury selection, about 23 prospective jurors were chosen by the court. 12 jury members will be selected as well as four alternates.

According to CNN, one of the prospective jurors made the statement while being questioned “Nobody deserves to be gunned down depending on the situation,” also adding that he had watched the video of the case, and is nervous. 

The defendants, who have pleaded not guilty, are not only facing charges of murder. They will also be faced with the charges of aggravated assault, false imprisonment and criminal attempt to commit false imprisonment.

With the information that was released, it is likely that this trial will be very public and will be a controversial case all throughout the media. More information about the trial and the verdict will be released in the coming weeks.