Citizen's Arrest Laws in Georgia Murder Trial

Ahmaud Arbery was shot in the state of Georgia in 2020 while jogging through a white neighborhood. Three men who thought he might be responsible for burglaries in the area tried to detain him and, in the ensuing struggle, ended up killing him. In their defense against murder charges, the accused are invoking a law allowing "citizen's arrests"-- an ancient concept expanded in Georgia in 1863 to help slave owners catch fleeing slaves. This law has since been repealed, but other Georgia laws will be cited by the defendants in this criminal trial including a "right to carry" law and another described as a "stand your ground" law. Cornell University criminal law expert Joseph Margulies explains here what these laws do in an interview with NPR's Ashish Valentine. 4 min. 40 sec.

Another, shorter piece on NPR, on this trial, from October 20, can be found here. 4 min., transcript available.