Father, son charged in Ahmaud Arbery case want to be free while awaiting trial

This Thursday, May 7, 2020, file photo combo of images provided by the Glynn County Detention Center in Georgia shows Gregory McMichael, left, and his son Travis McMichael. Georgia's attorney general on Sunday asked the U.S. Department of Justice to investigate the handling of the killing of Ahmaud Arbery, a black man who authorities say died at the hands of the two men as he ran through a neighborhood. (Glynn County Detention Center via AP, File) (Uncredited)

Court documents obtained Thursday by News4Jax show that attorneys for the father and son charged in the killing of Ahmaud Arbery have filed motions for bond.

Greg McMichael and Travis McMichael are charged with murder in the shooting death of Arbery, 25, as he jogged through the Satilla Shores neighborhood. A third man, William “Roddie” Bryan, is also charged with murder. He record on his cellphone Arbery’s final moments before he was gunned down.

Recommended Videos



All three were formally charged in July in connection with the case and each entered a not guilty plea. Each man has been denied bond.

On Thursday, attorneys for both men filed separate motions. The motion for Travis McMichael argues that he’s an “excellent candidate” for low bond in that he poses no significant risk of fleeing, no significant threat or danger to any person or property in the community, no significant risk of committing any felony pending trial, and no significant risk of intimidating witnesses.

It goes into detail on his family background & employment – and includes various exhibits of photos, certificates and letters, one of them is from his roommate when he was stationed in Pascagoula, Mississippi with the U.S. Coast Guard. The handwritten letter of support describes Travis McMichael as a mentor and “not someone who would go looking for trouble or mistreat people while out on bond.”

Lawyers for the McMichaels have cautioned against a rush to judgment and have said the full story will come out in court.