"Don't Rush To Judgment": Attorneys For Travis McMichael Says He Has Been Vilified For Ahmaud Arbery's Death
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"Don't Rush To Judgment": Attorneys For Travis McMichael Says He Has Been Vilified For Ahmaud Arbery's Death
Travis McMichael and his father Gregory McMichael have been charged with killing Ahmaud Arbery.
Attorneys representing Travis McMichael say that their client has been vilified, and is not guilty of the charges against him for the killing of Ahmaud Arbery.
READ: Man Who Recorded Ahmaud Arbery Shooting Receives Death Threats, Loses Job
Robert Rubin and Jason Sheffield, attorneys for the 34-year-old McMichael, released a statement saying that they "conducted an extensive initial investigation and believe there is compelling evidence that Mr. McMichael is not guilty of the charges against him."
"Travis has been vilified before his voice could even be heard. … The truth in this case will exonerate Travis," the attorneys said elsewhere inn the statement, according to WGN9.
In a separate report from CBS News, the attorneys also held a news conference at their office in the Atlanta suburb of Decatur on Thursday, where the pair spoke further about the incident between the Arbery and the McMichaels.
"Right now we are starting at the end. We know the ending. What we don't know is the beginning," Sheffield said, with Rubin adding: "We implore all of you ... don't rush to judgment."
Attorneys for Arbery's parents responded to Rubin annd Sheffield's statement, writing in an email: "We agree with the attorneys for Travis McMichael that the justice system affords all citizens the presumption of innocence and that there shouldn't be a rush to judgment or stereotyping. We only wish that their client, Travis McMichael, had provided that same presumption of innocence to Ahmaud Arbery before chasing and killing him."
On Thursday, May 7, Travis and his father Gregory McMichael were arrested and charged for the murder of Arbery. He reportedly died from two shotgun wounds and was also shot a third time. The Glynn County Coroner conducted the autopsy on February 24, the day following his death, and their findings included that he, in fact, did die from two close-range shotgun hits in his chest.
