The office of Cobb County District Attorney Joyette Holmes announced this afternoon that the Glynn County Grand Jury has indicted Travis McMichael, Greg McMichael and William R. Bryan on malice and felony murder charges in the Feb. 23, 2020, death of Ahmaud Marquez Arbery, 25.

The press release describes the Grand Jury’s decision as follows, with a link to the complete indictment:

The indictment returned today formally charges each of the three defendants with nine counts: malice murder; felony murder (four counts); aggravated assault (two counts); false imprisonment; and criminal attempt to commit false imprisonment.

The indictment is viewable online at www.glynncounty.org/1086/Superior-Court

“This is another step forward in seeking justice for Ahmaud. Our team from the Cobb Judicial Circuit has been committed to effectively bringing forward the evidence in this case, and today was no exception. It has been an effort of many agencies including the Georgia Bureau of Investigation and the Department of Justice who have worked together to get to this point. We will continue to be intentional in the pursuit of justice for this family and the community at large as the prosecution of this case continues,” DA Holmes said.

The Cobb DA’s Office was able to present this case today to Glynn County’s Grand Jury pursuant to the Second Order Extending the Declaration of Statewide Judicial Emergency, signed by Georgia Supreme Court Chief Justice Harold D. Melton on May 11, 2020, which states: “Grand juries that are already impaneled or are recalled from a previous term of court may meet to attend to time-sensitive essential matters, but these grand juries should not be assembled except when necessary and only under circumstances in which social distancing and other public health guidance can be followed.”

This was reiterated in the Third Order Extending the Declaration of Statewide Judicial Emergency, issued on June 12, 2020. The additional Guidance from the Supreme Court authorizes a district attorney to assemble an existing grand jury if the district attorney determines the matter is essential to the administration of justice, if a delay may substantially harm to public interest, and if the grand jury can be assembled safely.

The full document can be found at:

https://www.gasupreme.us/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/Further-Guidance-on-Grand-Juries_May-11.pdf

The defendants’ arraignment before Judge Timothy R. Walmsley has not yet been scheduled.