The former Brunswick-circuit district attorney Jackie Johnson faces trial next week in Glynn County in what is likely the final criminal case in the Ahmaud Arbery saga.
She is accused of using her position as Brunswick Judicial Circuit District Attorney to protect her former employee, Gregory McMichael, and his son, Travis, from criminal charges in the murder of Arbery. The two men and their neighbor, who are white, chased and killed Arbery, who is Black, after they saw Arbery out for a jog on Feb. 23, 2020, and mistakenly assumed he was running from a crime.
The video of the killing incensed Americans, and Johnson’s alleged role in covering for the men led to outrage and investigations. She lost her reelection and a grand jury indicted her in September 2021.
More than three years later, after multiple delays stemming from Johnson’s own lawyer, jury selection begins on Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025, for the trial. The ex-district attorney’s defense team has a 26-person witness list, so trial may stretch past the first week.
Johnson has pleaded not guilty on the two charges for violating her oath of office. She is represented by Brian Steel, a top Atlanta criminal defense lawyer who has experience representing high-profile clients. He is credited with dismantling Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis’ wide-ranging racketeering case against his rapper client.
The Current has been covering Johnson since 2020. For readers who want to catch up ahead of the trial, we’ve assembled some stories to refresh background knowledge.
- Former DA charged for interfering in Ahmaud Arbery case finally in court (Dec. 11, 2024)
- ‘Judge’s hands are tied’: Jackie Johnson case turns 3 years old with no trial date set (Aug. 28, 2024)
- In Brunswick, drug cops were convicted. A prosecutor was indicted. But hundreds of people caught in their maw are forgotten. (Apr. 22, 2024)
- Indicted Brunswick DA, Arbery killer allegedly in contact 16 times (May 5, 2022)
- Former Brunswick DA claims vendetta by Glynn County officials in Arbery case (March 24, 2022)
- ‘It seemed like our lives didn’t matter.’ (Nov. 30, 2021)
- As Arbery trial starts, Glynn County seeks accountability (Oct. 14, 2021)