BRUNSWICK, Ga. – The attorney for the man who recorded the fatal shooting of Ahmaud Arbery is asking the state to disclose any bias that the latest special prosecutor might have.
On Thursday morning, the attorney for William “Roddie” Bryan Jr., who was arrested last week on charges of felony murder and criminal attempt to commit false imprisonment, filed motions seeking information from Georgia Bureau of Investigation and the district attorney’s office.
In one motion, Bryan’s attorney, Kevin Gough, demands disclosure of any improper bias and any basis for the disqualification of Cobb County District Attorney Joyette Holmes, the fourth district attorney assigned to the case.
Holmes’ office said it “cannot comment on such outside of court.”
Last week, the special prosecutor did address allegations that her office has a conflict of interest.
“We’re doing the right thing by what we do. Our proprietorial code of conduct requires that we be ministers of justice and seek that and only that in cases. So while that may be a distraction and people are talking about those things, we’re not making that our priority," Holmes said.
In another motion, Gough claims “information and facts about this case continue to be leaked to the news media, including some information which may well have come directly or indirectly from the State of Georgia.”
He goes on to request that the district attorney enters into a “non-disclosure agreement with the victim’s family” to prevent information about the case from leaking.
Attempts to reach Gough on Thursday were unsuccessful.
According to arrest warrants obtained from the GBI, Bryan, 50, attempted “to confine and detain” Arbery “utilizing his vehicle on multiple occasions" during the encounter that ended with Arbery’s killing on Feb. 23. A Glynn County Police Department report states Bryan did that after Gregory McMichael, 64, and his son, 34-year-old Travis McMichael, got their guns, got in their truck and chased Arbery, 25, through the Satilla Shores neighborhood because they thought he was a burglar.
Larry English, the owner of an under-construction home in the neighborhood that Arbery was seen inside of on the day of the deadly shooting, released a statement Thursday.
“My wife and I remain wary of further attempts to use our family to spread misinformation about the slaying of Ahmaud Arbery, especially falsehoods about the victim of this crime, Mr. Arbery. Currently, the interview by the McMichaels’ attorneys is set for Sunday, May 31," the statement reads, in part.
READ: May 28 English family statement
English also said the GBI has downloaded the contents of his entire phone, including messages that he said are unrelated to the case.
The motions come ahead of a preliminary hearing that has been scheduled for all three men charged in the shooting death of Arbery.
Bryan and the McMichaels, who were arrested May 7 on charges of felony murder and aggravated assault, will have a hearing at 9:30 a.m. June 4 in the Glynn County Magistrate Court.
The judge, prosecutor and defense lawyers will be in court, as well as witnesses, but the three defendants will take part by a closed-circuit feed from the jail.
All three men are being held without bond.