Savannah, Georgia (AP) — One of the men convicted of murder and deadly shooting in street pursuit Armor berry According to a court document filed Thursday, he spoke several times over the phone with his former boss, the district attorney, days and weeks after the 2020 killing.
Investigators called Greg McMichael, a retired investigator in her office, when Jackie Johnson, a lawyer in the then Brunswick Judicial Circuit District, began a deadly pursuit of Arbury the day after the shooting. I found that. The prosecutor said the call lasted more than nine minutes in a lawsuit against Mr Johnson for illegal activities.
The petition opposes a defense movement seeking dismissal of the case.
With Johnson on February 23, 2020, when McMichael left a voicemail to Johnson about an hour after the shooting, and until May 5, 2020, a graphic cell phone video of Arbury’s murder was leaked online. 16 calls between McMichael’s phone numbers were listed. The video triggered a public protest against the death of a young black man by the hands of three white trackers.
More than half of the calls lasted only a few seconds to a minute, some were unanswered and others involved voice mail. According to court records, the seven calls lasted only 3 to 21 minutes.
The grand jury was charged last year with a felony charge for violating Johnson’s oath of office and a misdemeanor charge for interfering with police investigations.Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr’s Office Johnson has charged a case alleging that he used her position to protect McMichael and his son.
“Evidence shows that Johnson showed his favor and affection for McMichael while the case was pending, including when she was making a DA decision on his case,” the prosecutor’s law said. Documents stated.
Johnson claimed that she immediately declined herself from the investigation and handed over the case to an outside prosecutor. Her lawyer asked her judge to dismiss her charges, saying “there is no evidence of cinchilla” that she interfered with the police investigation.
Johnson’s lawyer, John Osick, did not immediately respond to phone or email messages asking for comments on the phone between Johnson and McMichael on Thursday. The legal submission by the prosecutor did not reveal the details of the telephone conversation.
McMichael and his son Travis McMichael, armed with guns and using pickup trucks, chased after finding 25-year-old Arbury running in the neighborhood just outside the port city of Brunswick. rice field. His neighbor William “Rodi” Brian joined the chase on his truck and recorded a video of a cell phone where Travis McMichael blows up Arbury at close range with a shotgun.
The man told police that Travis McMichael fired for self-defense as Arbury tried to throw a punch and grab a shotgun. McMichael’s told police he suspected Arbury was a thief. Arbury was unarmed when he was killed, and police found no evidence that he had stolen anything.
All three were convicted murder He was sentenced to life imprisonment by a state court jury last November. They were tried again in federal court, and a jury convicted them in February. Commit a hate crime.. The sentence in that case is scheduled for August.
Johnson Lost her re-election race She denied cheating, but served as a district attorney in November 2020, accusing the public of anger over the delay in arrest over Arbury’s death.
Hours after the shooting, Johnson asked the district attorney George Burnhill of the adjacent Waycross judicial circuit to meet with local police the next day and advise on the case. Prosecutors in the case of illegal activity said Burnhill decided not to seek prosecution after one meeting.
Until after the meeting, Johnson waited for the Georgia Attorney General’s Office to appoint an external prosecutor to oversee the case. According to legal documents, Johnson called the Attorney General’s office three days after Arbury’s death and said paralegal Burnhill had already accepted the case.
“But Johnson did not disclose that Burnhill had already considered the case and declared it self-defense. Therefore, despite the conflict, Johnson had virtually the consequences of the case. I chose. “
Burnhill eventually gave up himself. On April 3, 2020, when Johnson learned that Burnhill was standing beside her, she had a call from her phone to Greg McMichael, court filings said.
The last phone listed among them was made on May 5, 2020, when the killing video was posted online. The murder trial revealed that a lawyer consulted by Greg McMichael leaked the video to a local radio station.
According to legal filing, the phone consisted of Greg McMichael leaving a voice email to thank Johnson for his referral. He told her: “He’s going to perform the interference for me now, and that’s very good advice, and I’m very grateful for it.”
Greg Michael and his son were arrested two days later for murder. Brian’s arrest continued two weeks later.