Men Charged With The Murder Of Ahmaud Arbery Arraigned In Georgia
(Photo : Photo by Sean Rayford/Getty Images)
BRUNSWICK, GA - JULY 17: A protest sign calling for justice for Ahmuad Arbery sits in the grass outside the Glynn County Courthouse on July 17, 2020 in Brunswick, Georgia. Gregory McMichael, Travis McMichael, and William 'Roddie' Bryan appeared before a judge for the murder of Ahmaud Arbery.

One of the three men who were charged with murdering Ahmaud Arbery is currently being investigated for unrelated sex crimes, as stated by the officials of Georgia.

Last week, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation confirmed through Twitter that they were contacted by the Glynn County Police Department on July 15 to go through the allegations charged against William "Roddie" Bryan Jr. the rumored crimes took place in Camden County.

The agency responsible for the arrest of Bryan in May on charges of felony murder and criminal attempt to commit false imprisonment after a few months of his involvement in the Arbery's death case on February 23, claimed on Friday that Camden County Sheriff's Office requested for the investigation. Initially, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation claimed that the request was from the Glynn County Sheriff's Office, but later drew back, Crime Online reported.

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation posted on Twitter, saying that the investigation is active and ongoing without giving a full account regarding the allegations.

Reportedly, on February 23, Bryan filmed Gregory McMichael, 64 years old, and his son Travis McMichael, 34 years old, shooting to death Arbery, 25 years old, while he jogged in Brunswick. All three charged with malice and felony murder in relation to the death of Arbery pleaded not guilty.

Gregory McMichael reportedly said that Arbery bears a resemblance to a suspect in a sequence of looting incidents in the neighborhood of Satilla Shores. However, authorities claimed that the only recent break-in happened on January 1, when a 9mm pistol was stolen from an unlocked truck outside the McMichael's residence.

According to First Coast News, Bryan was accused by the authorities for assisting the McMichaels armed themselves and went after Arbery in their truck, thinking that the 25-year-old victim was the suspect for the looting incidents. Bryan told the authorities that he was only a witness.

But authorities claimed that Bryan used his own vehicle to detain and confine Arbery during the chase, which he filmed. The hunting ended in a struggle between Travis McMichael and Arbery, who was unarmed and was shot by the 64-year-old man and cursed him while he was helplessly dying on the road. Bryan informed the authorities that he eavesdropped on Travis using the insult.

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On Friday, Jesse Evans, Cobb County Deputy Chief Assistant District Attorney, said that the text messages of Bryan revealed that he used racist insult that included the n-word. He added that Arbery was struck by Bryan with his vehicle in the course of the chase and that the vehicle was dented as a result.

Kevin Gough, attorney of Bryan, failed to give his comment regarding the sex crime allegations charged against his client.

On Friday, Gough repeatedly claimed in court that his client was only a witness to the crime, adding that the murder case was made possible by the video Bryan captured on that day.

Earlier in the hearing, Gough objected to the mask with the name of George Floyd printed worn by S. Lee Merritt, an attorney for the Arberys, saying that using it in court was highly unnecessary and inappropriate.

Wanda Cooper-Jones, Arbery's mother, uttered that she does not consider Bryan as an innocent bystander to the death of her son. She repeatedly called the killing of Arbery a hate crime and wanted Bryan to be denied bond after his participation in Arbery's death.

Bryan together with the McMichaels remained in jail without bond.

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