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BRUNSWICK, Ga. (WTOC) - Ahmaud Arbery’s mother, Wanda Cooper-Jones, took the stand Wednesday, delivering emotional testimony against the former prosecutor now charged with interfering in the investigation of her son’s murder.
Former Brunswick District Attorney Jackie Johnson is on trial accused of violating her oath of office and obstructing law enforcement.
Prosecutors say she used her power as D.A at the time to shield her former employee Greg McMichael and hindered the arrest of his son Travis.
The two are among three men convicted of Arbery’s February 2020 murder in Brunswick’s Satilla Shores neighborhood.
Deputy Attorney General John Fowler spent much of his questioning of Cooper-Jones laying out a timeline of the lack of info he says the mother got in the week’s after Arbery’s death.
Cooper-Jones told jurors former Brunswick district attorney Jackie Johnson and those handling the case never contacted her.
“My family and I were left in the dark for about 73 days without an arrest and the majority of those days, we didn’t have any information, sir,” said Cooper-Jones.
Prosecutors accuse Johnson’s office of not adhering to Cooper-Jones' rights as a victim in the wake of her son’s murder.
During cross examination, defense lawyers said it was on the Georgia Attorney General’s office and one of the case’s appointed prosecutors, former Waycross D.A. George Barnhill, to update Cooper-Jones after Johnson recused herself.
Johnson’s lawyer Keith Adams said that it was Glynn County police officers that were saying Arbery was committing a burglary before he was shot and not treating the 25-year-old as a victim.
“It wasn’t Jackie Johnson calling you...putting out this falsehood,” said Adams.
“Jackie Johnson did not call me at all. While she was calling George Barnhill, it would’ve been proper for to call me,” said Cooper-Jones in response.
The defense also asked if Georgia’s Attorney General’s office, which is prosecuting the trial, explained to Cooper-Jones that once a D.A declares a conflict, they can’t have anything to do with the case.
“It would’ve been polite, I think,” replied Cooper-Jones.
As their first witness in the case, prosecutors called Glynn County sheriff’s deputy Rod Nohilly to testify.
Nohilly said he responded to the Arbery murder scene and spoke with both McMichaels in a police station interview room afterwards.
Prosecutors said they were attempting to show that after the shooting Greg McMichael was not concerned about himself, but for his Travis.
On cross examination, one of Johnson’s lawyers played clips of the interaction between Nohilly and Greg McMichael.
Nohilly can be heard telling McMichael that Travis should get counseling after the shooting.
McMichael also tells Nohilly he called Johnson after the incident.
“I called Jackie...let her know what’s happening,” said Greg McMichael. “She may recuse herself and have somebody else look at it...That’s the way you do it.”
Nohilly than testified that both McMichaels knew they were not going to be arrested on the day of Arbery’s murder and said he did not have any knowledge of Johnson trying to stop an arrest.
The Executive Director of Georgia’s Prosecuting Attorneys Council, a group that manages the state’s district attorneys, testified for hours Wednesday about duties and proper conduct.
Johnson is charged with violating her oath of office after prosecutors say she did not treat Ahmaud Arbery’s family fairly after his murder.
Charging documents say Johnson did not tell Georgia’s Attorney General’s office that she had previously sought out help on the case from then-D.A. of neighboring Waycross, George E. Barnhill.
Johnson recused herself due to a conflict of interest since her former investigator, Greg McMichael, was involved in the shooting.
“When you’re recusing yourself off a case, you want independent eyes, you want fresh eyes to look at the case,” said Peter Skandalakis, Executive Director of Georgia’s Prosecuting Attorneys Council.
“Would that be knowledge you would want to know,” asked John Fowler, Deputy Attorney General of the Prosecution Division.
“I would want to know that,” said Skandalakis.
On cross examination, Johnson’s defense lawyer said the former prosecutor had no idea that Barnhill had already come to a conclusion about the shooting.
“If the conflicted person, Jackie, did not know,” asked Johnson’s lawyer, Brian Steel.
“Again, even though I would want to know, there’s nothing illegal about it,” said Skandalakis.
The trial is expected to resume Thursday morning.
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News Source : https://www.walb.com/2025/01/30/ahmaud-arberys-mother-testifies-da-misconduct-trial/
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