Three white men serving life sentences for the murder of Ahmaud Arbery have returned to court to request a new trial. Greg McMichael, his son Travis McMichael, and their neighbor William “Roddie” Bryan were convicted in 2021 after pursuing and fatally shooting the 25-year-old Black man in a Georgia subdivision.

On Thursday, the defense teams presented their arguments before Superior Court Judge Timothy Walmsley, who presided over the original trial and sentencing. They raised multiple points, including claims of jury bias and ineffective legal representation for one of the defendants. Judge Walmsley has allocated up to two days to hear these motions.

The incident occurred on February 23, 2020, when the McMichaels armed themselves and pursued Arbery after spotting him running past their home in Brunswick. Bryan joined the chase in his own vehicle and recorded a video of Travis McMichael firing a shotgun at Arbery, who collapsed on the street after being shot.

During the hearing, Travis McMichael’s attorney, Pete Donaldson, argued that juror No. 380 had concealed his bias in favor of the Arbery family during jury selection. Donaldson cited a conversation with the juror conducted by a private investigator, in which the juror expressed feeling the weight of “the whole Black race” on his shoulders as the sole Black member of the jury panel.

Judge Walmsley indicated he would allow the juror to testify, though with specific limitations, barring any discussion of jury deliberations due to legal protections.

For more than two months after Arbery’s death, no arrests were made until Bryan’s cellphone footage was leaked online, prompting intervention from the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. The case became a focal point in the national discourse on racial injustice, paralleling the killings of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor.

Defense attorneys had argued in the original trial that the armed pursuit of Arbery was justified based on their suspicions that he was attempting to steal from the neighborhood. Travis McMichael testified that he shot Arbery in self-defense, claiming the victim attacked him. However, law enforcement found no evidence that Arbery had committed any crime.

Greg McMichael’s attorney, Jerry Chappell, supported Donaldson’s assertion that the verdict lacked fairness. Meanwhile, Rodney Zell, representing Bryan, contended that his client’s trial counsel failed to provide adequate defense, particularly when allowing Bryan to be interviewed twice by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation prior to his arrest. Bryan’s voluntary statements regarding the pursuit were utilized against all three defendants during the trial.

On the stand, Kevin Gough, Bryan’s trial attorney, acknowledged making “a gamble” by cooperating with the GBI in hopes of classifying Bryan as a witness rather than a suspect. He admitted that some of Bryan’s statements to investigators may have been detrimental.

Seeking a new trial is the initial step for the defendants to challenge their murder convictions. The McMichaels received life sentences without the possibility of parole, while Bryan was given the chance for parole.

Additionally, all three men were found guilty of federal hate crimes in a separate trial in February 2022, with the jury determining they targeted Arbery due to his race. Prosecutors presented extensive evidence, including social media posts and witness testimonies, that revealed the men had used racist language.

The 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals is currently considering an appeal regarding the hate crime convictions, with a decision yet to be announced.