The jury, consisting of 11 White members and one Black member, was selected Wednesday evening after a two-and-a-half-week selection process that ended with prosecutors for the state accusing defense attorneys of disproportionately striking qualified Black jurors and basing some of their strikes on race.
The court heard arguments for more than two hours on the merits of why defense struck the potential jurors before Judge Timothy Walmsley ultimately denied the state’s motion and ruled there were valid reasons, beyond race, for why the jurors were dismissed.
Of the 16 total jurors selected — including the four alternates — there are five men and 11 women, according to the pool reporter inside the courtroom.
Wanda Cooper-Jones, Arbery’s mother, said as she left the courthouse Wednesday she was “shocked” there was only one Black juror.
“I mean, that was devastating,” she said.
