Jackie Johnson found herself on the opposite end of the courtroom Wednesday.
The former Georgia District Attorney is accused of violating her oath of office due to her handling of the Ahmaud Arbery murder case, by slow-walking prosecution of the three men ultimately convicted of the murder.
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Arbery was gunned down while jogging through a neighborhood in Glynn County in 2020.
Johnson showed little emotion as attorneys debated several motions during the pre-trial hearing.
It marked her first court appearance since being charged in September 2021.
Prosecutors requested Johnson’s appointment by the Governor, electoral history and popularity be excluded from trial, along with prior successful convictions secured by her former office.
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Johnson’s defense attorneys pushed to exclude evidence including the results of other cases Johnson’s office had recused itself from in the past.
They also requested the Georgia Attorney General’s Office be disqualified from the case, claiming the defense intends to call the state’s top cop as a witness during the trial and that the AG’s Office is alleged as a victim in the case.
“If he’s a witness in the case, then he can’t prosecute the case,” defense attorney Brian Steel said.
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It was a request staunchly opposed by the state.
“By trying to make Attorney General (Christopher M.) Carr a witness by speculation, without subpoenaing him and trying to come up with some vague reason, they’re trying to get this case into a place where it can not go forward any further,” John Fowler, Deputy Attorney General of the Prosecution Division, said.
The defense also renewed a motion to dismiss the case entirely, claiming a key witness’ testimony was not recorded during a grand jury hearing.
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“The portions that I know, I believe in good faith, I do not have is a critical witness,” Steel said.
But prosecutors argued there was no legal obligation to document the testimony.
“We gave them testimony of other witnesses, which is actually more than is required under the statute. We did even more than is required under the statute and we turned over all their testimonies to them,” Fowler said.
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No rulings on the motions were rendered during the hearing.
The case is set to go to trial next month.
The prosecution and defense indicated they expect it to last two and a half weeks.
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