Jackie Johnson: Ex-Georgia DA booked for obstructing Ahmaud Arbery murder case
GLYNN COUNTY, GEORGIA: A former Brunswick Judicial Circuit District Attorney was booked into a Georgia county jail in connection with the Ahmaud Arbery murder case, on the very day his killers were pronounced guilty of murder. Jackie Johnson, 49, turned herself in at the Glynn County Jail after she was charged with obstructing cops in executing initial arrests. There have been multiple public petitions for the removal and disbarring of Johnson after she blocked police officers from arresting Travis and Gregory McMichael, two of the three killers of Arbery.
All the three accused in the Ahmaud Arbery murder trial were found guilty on Nov 24 on multiple charges for killing the 25-year-old Black man when he was out jogging on the streets. Father-son duo Travis and Gregory McMichael, and their neighbor William 'Roddie' Bryan Jr. shot dead Arbery on February 23, 2020, in Brunswick after the McMichaels chased him with their truck. Bryan reportedly joined the McMichaels as they chased the victim and helped them trail him. He also captured the video of the killing on his cellphone that eventually got leaked, sparking national outrage. The jury at Glynn County, Georgia delivered the verdict after more than ten and a half hours of deliberation.
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According to reports, DA Johnson was friends with Gregory McMichael, a former police officer who had been an employee at her office. She was accused of blocking the cops from arresting the McMichaels in order to protect her friend. Officers who were in charge of the Arbery investigation revealed that they had enough cause to arrest the father-son duo but they were blocked by the DA. "She shut them down to protect her friend McMichael. They were told not to make the arrest," stated Commissioner Peter Murphy.
In September 2021, Johnson was indicted on misconduct charges which accused her of using her power and status to shield the alleged killers of Arbery, and specifically blocking the arrest of Travis McMichael. Last week, Johnson was further indicted by a grand jury and charged with felony violation of oath of office and a misdemeanor charge for obstructing police work. However, she denied the allegations and continued to maintain that her office withdrew from the case since accused Gregory McMichael was her former employee.
Presently, she is being prosecuted by the office of Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr. Meanwhile, Arbery family attorney Ben Crump said, "Ahmaud Arbery's life matters.