Ahmaud Arbery case: Father, son accused of murder now have lawyers

Action News Jax reporter Russell Colburn is LIVE on FOX30, CBS47 at 5 & 6

BRUNSWICK, Ga. — Two criminal defense lawyers out of Macon, Georgia will represent Gregory McMichael, one of the two men accused of murdering Ahmaud Arbery. McMichael along with his son Travis McMichael are charged with aggravated assault and felony murder in the shooting death of Arbery on Feb. 23. They were arrested by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation on May 7 and are both currently in jail.

Frank and Laura Hogue will represent McMichael. According to a release from the attorneys, they have been practicing law for more than 25 years.

They will hold a press conference Friday, May 15 at 11:30 a.m.

Atlanta-area attorneys Jason Sheffield and Bob Rubin will be representing Travis McMichael. In a news conference the attorneys held today, Sheffield and Rubin asked the community to not rush to judgment, reminding them that Travis McMichael will have his day in court and is presumed innocent.

Travis McMichael’s attorneys said while they are not representing his father, they will be working with the firm that is.

“A young man has died. And that is always a tragedy. And that is at the forefront of our minds as we proceed down this road. But that does not mean that a crime has been committed.” Rubin said.

PHOTOS: Two men arrested in Ahmaud Arbery’s death

S. Lee Merritt, Benjamin Crump and L. Chris Stewart, attorneys for the mother and father of Ahmaud Arbery, released the following statement on Thursday’s press conference held by the attorneys for Travis McMichael

"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.

"The men who ambushed Ahmaud Arbery rushed to judgment on February 23.

"Mr. Arbery is the victim and his family was left with a lifetime of pain. The family continues to pray for justice for Ahmaud.”

Ahmaud Arbery case: Travis McMichael's attorneys speak about murder investigation Ahmaud Arbery case: Travis McMichael's attorneys speak about murder investigation

ORIGINAL STORY: Ahmaud Arbery case: Man killed in Brunswick in February, shooter not arrested

“So often the public accepts a narrative-driven by an incomplete set of facts, one that vilifies a good person, based on a rush to judgment, which happened in this case.” Laura Hogue, one of Gregory McMichael’s attorneys, said.

Read the full release below:

“While the death of Ahmaud Arbery is a tragedy, causing deep grief to his family -- a tragedy that at first appears to many to fit into a terrible pattern in American life -- this cause does not fit that pattern. The full story, to be revealed in time, will tell the truth about this case,” Frank Hougue said.

© 2020 Cox Media Group