On the heels of 17-year-old Kyle Rittenhouse's acquittal for murdering two people using an AR-15 assault rifle, three men were found guilty for the murder of 25-year-old Ahmaud Arbery. I think surprise, followed by agonizing relief, were the emotions of many U.S. citizens after the verdict was announced. Many were hoping to see justice prevail. But historically, justice in Georgia has not been kind to many innocent black people over the years.
The fact that eleven of twelve jurors finding the three white men guilty of killing a black man were also white, made this guilty verdict a landmark decision in Georgia criminal law. What makes this guilty verdict historical is the message it sends to Georgia's gun-toting citizens who choose to take the law into their own hands. It says you will be held accountable for your actions, period. And hidden between the lines of this crucial verdict is an unwritten statement that "black lives matter" and are protected by Georgia laws just as much as white lives. In other words, Georgia has just taken a progressive step forward in improving racial equality in their justice system.
Unfortunately, Ahmaud Arbery had to lose his life in order for Georgia's judicial system to finally gain insight and accept truths about white privilege versus black innocence. His death opened the door for prosecutor accountability in Georgia.
And this came about only after Georgia's Bureau of Investigations findings, as well as Ahmaud's mother filing a civil lawsuit against Brunswick, Ga. prosecutor Jackie Johnson, for her prejudiced handling of the shooting death of her son and alleged "cover-up:"
Even with clear footage of the ambush attack on Ahmaud Arberry, it took transferring the investigation to another Georgia county district attorney, before justice could strap up its boots and begin hunting for the truth. 74 days after telling local police and investigators they killed Ahmaud Arbery in self defense, the three men were arrested.
But Georgia's judicial injustice and racism toward blacks doesn't go down without a fight. Defense lawyers for Arbery's killers showed their racial bias early in the case, during jury selection:
In the end justice was served, as all three men (Greg McMichael, Travis McMichael and William "Roddie" Bryan) are found guilty on murder charges and will face the harsh reality of impartial justice.
Credit Georgia's Cobb County senior assistant district attorney Linda Dunikoski, who's prosecutorial talent was on full display in the nationally televised trial. Ms./Mrs. Dunikoski convincingly disproved defendants' lies and assumptions with cold, hard facts. She tore apart the defense attorney's self-defense plea and tore into defendant Travis McMichael with truths he could only agree with on cross-examination. All this while staying true to her respect for law and the legal process. I think she put on a litigation clinic for both prosecutors and defense attorneys alike. She could and should write a book about what she just accomplished. Outstanding!
Dunikoski won by scoring with a barrage of Slam Dunk facts! She's a Litigating Lebron....
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