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Black district attorney to take over Ahmaud Arbery case

Black district attorney to take over Ahmaud Arbery case
Posted at 1:47 PM, May 11, 2020
and last updated 2020-05-11 16:47:55-04

SAVANNAH, Ga. (AP) — Georgia's attorney general is appointing a black district attorney to take over the case involving the slaying of Ahmaud Arbery.

Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr said in a press release that the case would be turned over to District Attorney Joyette M. Holmes of the Cobb County Judicial Circuit.

“Today, our office formally appointed District Attorney Joyette M. Holmes of the Cobb County Judicial Circuit to lead the prosecution. District Attorney Holmes is a respected attorney with experience, both as a lawyer and a judge, and the Cobb County District Attorney’s office has the resources, personnel and experience to lead this prosecution and ensure justice is done.”

Holmes is the third outside prosecutor assigned to the case since Arbery was slain Feb 23.

The case went more than two months without arrests until last week, when video of Arbery's shooting surfaced online.

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation charged a white father and son with felony murder and aggravated assault.

A Justice Department spokeswoman said Monday that federal prosecutors are looking at the evidence to determine if federal hate crime charges are warranted.