On Friday, CBS News reported that William "Roddie" Bryan, the man who allegedly helped box in Black jogger Ahmaud Arbery and filmed as Gregory and Travis McMichael pursued and fatally shot him, asked prosecutors for a plea agreement — and was soundly rejected.
"Lawyers for one of the defendants in the trial of the killing of Ahmaud Arbery have asked prosecutors for a plea deal, Arbery family attorney Lee Merritt told CBS News. Merritt said the prosecution 'turned it down — flat out,'" reported Ben Mitchell, Rodney Hawkins, and Omar Villafranca. "Merritt told CBS News he believes the request means Bryan is 'concerned about the strength of the state's case.'"
"All three are charged with murder and other counts for the death of Arbery, a 25-year-old Black man who was jogging in the Georgia neighborhood in February 2020," continued the report. "The three defendants, who are all White, have separately been charged by the Justice Department with federal hate crimes. They have pleaded not guilty and claim they were acting in self-defense."
Experts have suggested the prosecution succeeded in throwing serious doubt on the defenses of the three, who have claimed they were simply trying to make a citizens' arrest and protect their neighborhood after recent crimes.
The defense counsel has caused more controversy by trying to bar Black pastors from the courtroom to offer comfort to Arbery's family, which critics have said reflects racial bias.