The defense lawyers for William Bryan, Travis McMichael and Greg McMichael in the murder trial for the killing of Ahmaud Arbery filed for mistrial because Arbery's mother was crying in the courtroom.
During the trial, Judge Timothy Walmsley decided to adjourn the trial because he heard "weeping in the back" during witness testimony.
Kevin Gough, representing all three men, called for a mistrial before court could resume.
Defense lawyer Robert Rubin, one of Travis McMichael's attorneys, said he noticed "several jurors" saw Arbery's mom sob and joined the motion for mistrial.
Rubin claimed the jurors expressed "sympathy" for Arbery:
"These types of moments ... favor the state."
Defense attorney Franklin Hogue, representing Greg McMichael, also backed the motion.
Gough, who made headlines last week when he asked to limit Black pastors in the court room, again objected on Monday when he saw civil rights leader Reverend Jessie Jackson in the court's gallery.
He asked:
"How many pastors does the Arbery family have?"
He claimed the presence of Black ministers would influence the jury.
Walmsley already denied the lawyer's motion for a mistrial the first time.
Walmsley's response was the same this time around.
"At this point, I'm not exactly sure what you're doing."
"At this point, it's almost as if you're just trying to continue this for purposes other than just bringing it to the court's attention and I find that objectionable from the court's standpoint."
Walmsley shut down any further conversation with Gough:
"I'm done talking about this."
He affirmed there are measures taken to ensure the jurors are not influenced by anything outside of the court.
"I will say that is directly in response, Mr. Gough, to statements you made which I find reprehensible."
The judge said the court has been "balancing a lot of things" to "respect members of the public's rights" to attend the trial.
Walmsley added:
"You need to understand that your words in this courtroom have an impact on a lot of what's going on."
"And so my measured response at this point is to balance all of that out and try to move forward with the trial."
People are outraged with Gough's continual attempts to stop the judicial process.
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Bryan and the McMichaels are facing felony charges of murder, aggravated assault and false imprisonment in the shooting death of Ahmaud Arbery in Glynn County, Georgia, in February 2020.
Jane Rosenberg
Jane Rosenberg
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@arianagrande/Instagram