The Brunswick father and son accused of killing Ahmaud Arbery are seeking bond after spending three months in jail, according to motions filed Thursday.
Greg and Travis McMichael were charged with murder and aggravated assault on May 7, one day after the GBI began its investigation into the February shooting. The 64-year-old father and 34-year-old son were arrested days after a video showing Arbery’s Feb. 23 death hit social media.
On Thursday, defense attorneys for each McMichael filed separate motions seeking bond.
“There is no risk that Mr. McMichael will fail to appear in court — he does not have a passport, and most importantly his family, including his parents and 3-year-old son, are here in Georgia,” the motion for Travis McMichael states. “If past history is indicative of future behavior, there is absolutely no evidence that Travis McMichael will commit crimes or pose a danger to the community or witnesses while he awaits trial.”
Additionally, Greg McMichael’s attorneys, Laura and Franklin Hogue, and Travis McMichael‘s attorneys, Bob Rubin and Jason Sheffield, filed motions seeking to have two charges dropped — malice murder and criminal intent to commit a felony. The attorneys contend those charges illegally contain more than one allegation, the motions state.
Arbery was shot three times by Travis McMichael, according to investigators. He and his father had chased down Arbery in their pickup truck, aided by a second driver, William “Roddie” Bryan.
Greg McMichael told police he suspected Arbery, 25, of committing break-ins. A video Bryan shot shows Travis McMichael briefly tussling with Arbery in the Satilla Shores neighborhood before firing three shots at him. Family and friends say Arbery was an avid runner who was out for a jog. The McMichaels and Bryan are white. Arbery was Black.
Bryan, also charged with murder, was denied bond at a July hearing. Lawyers for the three men have said their clients committed no crimes. All three suspects previously entered “not guilty” pleas.
Travis McMichael graduated from Brunswick High School in 2004 and later enlisted in the U.S. Coast Guard, receiving awards for his service, according to his attorneys. At the time of Arbery’s death, he lived with his parents.
Greg McMichael is a former investigator with the Brunswick Judicial Circuit district attorney’s office.
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