Authorities in Florida say three correctional officers face murder charges for allegedly beating a handcuffed inmate who threw urine at one of them.

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement announced the arrests of 29-year-old Christopher Rolon, 34-year-old Kirk Walton, and 24-year-old Ronald Connor on Thursday.

In a news release, the department said the alleged incident occurred on Feb. 14 while the inmate was being removed from his cell so he could be transferred from a mental health unit at a Miami-Dade County prison to another prison.

After the inmate allegedly threw urine at one of the officers, he was placed in handcuffs.

Once they removed him from his cell, the officers began to beat him, the department said.

"The inmate was beaten so badly he had to be carried to the transport van," the department said. "Once inside, he was placed in a secure compartment by himself."

As they made their way to the other prison, the officers made a stop in Ocala. It was there they discovered the inmate had died.

According to the medical examiner's office, the inmate's death was caused by a punctured lung leading to internal bleeding.

According to the ME's report, the inmate also suffered injuries to his face and torso consistent with a beating.

The agency said the Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office would prosecute the case.

OCILLA, Ga. — A jury has found a man accused of killing a popular high school teacher in 2005 not guilty of murder.

Tara Grinstead vanished from rural Irwin County, Georgia. She was last seen leaving a cookout.

Ryan Duke had told investigators in 2017 he killed Grinstead and helped Bo Dukes burn her body.

Duke went as far as telling Georgia Bureau of Investigation agents details that had not been made public.

But when he took the witness stand during his trial, he insisted he was innocent and that it was his friend who had killed her.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported that the jury acquitted Duke of malice murder, felony murder, aggravated assault and burglary but found him guilty of concealing a death.

Grinstead’s body has never been found. However, her DNA was found in bone fragments located in the area that Duke said she was burned.

Duke will be sentenced Monday.

SILVERTON, Ohio —

Qasseem Dixon, 25, and Ryan Brown, 27, are both accused of murdering nine-year-old Da'Myiah Barton-Pickens in a drive-by shooting.

"The motive for this aggravated murder is in retaliation for a robbery," said Dave Wood, assistant prosecutor for Hamilton County.

Investigators said Brown recruited Dixon to shoot up the home on Plainfield Road because of a drug dispute involving one of Da'Myiah's relatives.

Both defense attorneys said their clients did not have any criminal history involving violence.

WLWT decided to look into that.

Hamilton County juvenile court records show Dixon first faced criminal charges when he was 14 years old.

He was charged with assault, disorderly conduct and aggravated robbery with a deadly weapon -- a firearm.

Other charges such as possession of marijuana and receiving stolen property followed him through his teenage years.

Dixon has been in and out of jail or prison almost every year of his adult life.

"This defendant's history while out on bond is atrocious," Wood said.

Records show the father of three was sent to prison for having weapons on him in 2017.

"Once he got out of the Department of Corrections, within less than a year, he was charged with possession of cocaine. He posted that bond, and within 14 days, he picked up a new felony fleeing and eluding that he was ultimately convicted of," Wood said. "While he posted those two bonds, he picked up a third indictment of having weapons under disability and posting bonds on all those indictments, he picked up a fourth indictment for possession of fentanyl."

Dixon served a 36-month prison sentence.

Brown also has a rap sheet.

From what WLWT was able to find, he didn't start committing crimes until he was an adult.

Records show he has a carrying concealed weapons conviction in 2020 and multiple possession of drugs charges between 2015 and this year.

"He currently has a pending aggravated possession of drugs. He was charged with having more than the bulk amount of Oxycodone. It's a felony of the third degree," Wood said.

The two suspects now face the most serious crime a person can face in Ohio, aggravated murder.

Dixon is being held in the Hamilton County Justice Center on a $2.5 million bond. Brown's bond was set at $2 million.

More than a year after the bodies of Maggie Murdaugh and her son Paul were discovered on the prominent Lowcountry family's property in Colleton County, South Carolina, charges in the double homicide may be filed as soon as this week.

On Tuesday, family members were told disgraced attorney Alex Murdaugh would be charged this week in the murder of his wife and son.

Video above: Murdaugh murders investigation: 1 year later

Family members were notified by the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division, as a courtesy, Tuesday morning.

John Marvin Murdaugh, Alex Murdaugh's younger brother, told WCIV SLED agents did not tell the family what charges Murdaugh will face but they would be in connection to the double homicide.

Alex Murdaugh told authorities from the onset he discovered the bodies of his wife and son after they were shot to death the night of June 7, 2021.

Murdaugh was eventually charged with dozens of fraud-related crimes after allegations he stole millions of dollars from his clients and from the family of the former Murdaugh housekeeper, Gloria Satterfield, who died after a fall at the Murdaugh home.

Alex Murdaugh's attorney Jim Griffin provided sister station WJCL the following statement:

"We have not been advised by anyone associated with law enforcement or the Attorney General's office that Alex will be charged with murder. I am aware that SLED advised the family that they intend to seek murder indictments from a grand jury later this week. We won't have any comment until charges are actually brought against Alex."

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

A 47-year-old man has been arrested and charged with murder in Georgia.

Police said Richard Sigman got into an argument with a man at a restaurant. The man reportedly claimed Sigman threatened to shoot him. Police said a security officer confronted Sigman and told him to leave.

The Carrollton Police Department says an investigation indicates Sigman walked into a parking deck and began shooting into a parked vehicle, striking
the victim who died after being taken to a hospital.

She has been identified as Anna Jones, a recent graduate of Mount Zion High School. She reportedly planned to attend the University of West Georgia, where Sigman was a professor.

"UWG has terminated the employment of Richard Sigman and continues to work with the city of Carrollton Police Department, which leads this ongoing investigation," university president Dr. Brendan Kelly said in a statement obtained by CBS News. "On behalf of the university, we wish to convey our deepest condolences to Anna's family and many friends."

MIAMI (AP) — Prosecutors in South Florida announced a second-degree murder charge Thursday against social media model Courtney Clenney related to the fatal stabbing of her live-in boyfriend.

Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle announced the charge against the 26-year-old model during a news conference.

Clenney was arrested Wednesday in Hawaii. Fernandez Rundle said Clenney, who goes by the name Courtney Tailor on platforms like Instagram and OnlyFans, remains jailed in Hawaii while authorities work to have her extradited to Florida.

Fernandez Rundle characterized Christian Obumseli's April 3 death at the couple's Miami apartment as the culmination of a "tempestuous and combative relationship" that began in November 2020.

The county medical examiner said in an autopsy report that Obumseli, who worked in cryptocurrency, died from a forceful downward thrust from a blade that went 3 inches (7.6 centimeters) into his chest, piercing a major artery.

According to an arrest report, Clenney acknowledged killing Obumseli but said she was acting in self-defense. She said Obumseli had pushed her and thrown her to the floor, which prompted her to grab and knife and throw it at Obumseli from about 10 feet (3 meters) away.

The medical examiner said Obumseli's wound could not have been caused by a knife thrown from that distance.

Clenney's Miami defense lawyer, Frank Prieto, did not immediately respond to messages seeking comment from The Associated Press.

He previously told the Miami Herald that Clenney was in Hawaii while in rehabilitation for substance abuse and post-traumatic stress disorder. He said they look forward to clearing her name in court.

In a case dubbed the "Fitbit murder," a Connecticut man was sentenced to 65 years in prison Thursday for the 2015 fatal shooting of his wife at their home.

During his trial, Richard Dabate concocted a story that two days before Christmas, a masked intruder broke into their home, killed his wife, Connie Dabate, and tied him up, the Associated Press reported.

According to the news outlet, law enforcement said the timeline Dabate gave them did not match the data on Connie Dabate's Fitbit, which showed her moving around an hour after she was supposedly shot.

Police also added that the news outlet reported no signs of a struggle inside the residence.

According to the Associated Press, prosecutors said Richard Dabate chose to kill his wife because details of his affair with another woman he got pregnant at the time of the killing were about to unravel.

The 46-year-old was convicted in May by a jury, the Associated Press reported.

The news outlet reported that Debate plans to appeal, claiming he's innocent and saying someone else killed his wife.

The 1988 murder of a Pennsylvania woman has finally been solved thanks to DNA evidence collected from a letter sent to a local newspaper a decade ago and from the victim's clothing.

On Thursday, the Pennsylvania State Police and Berks County District Attorney John Adams held a press conference about the unsolved murder of 26-year-old Anna Kane, NBC News reported.

They identified her killer as Scott Grim, the news outlet reported.

According to Pennsylvania Crime Stoppers, Kane's body was found on Oct. 23, 1988, near Ontelaunee Trail Road in Perry Township.

She had been beaten and strangled to death, the media release said.

Law enforcement said they collected DNA evidence off the clothing of the mother of three, the Reading Eagle newspaper reported.

The news outlets reported police tested the DNA, but no match was found at the time.

After running a front page article in 1990 about the unsolved murder, the newspaper received a letter from a "concerned citizen" with “numerous intimate details” about the homicide, law enforcement told NBC News.

The news outlet reported that DNA collected from the envelope was later tested and found to match the DNA collected from Kane's clothing.

NBC News reported that sometime this year, Parabon NanoLabs in Virginia conducted genetic genealogy testing and found that the DNA profile likely matched Grim.

According to NBC, Grim wouldn't be brought up on charges since he died of natural causes in 2018. He was 58.

MIDDLETOWN, Ohio —

The anguish being felt in Manati, Puerto Rico, is resonating with people in Middletown, Ohio, where Nitza Valderrama lived and worked.

"When I saw the news, I started to cry, and I just don't believe it," said Zairelishka Huertas.

The 11-year-old said Valderrama was like an aunt to her. She said she was beautiful and kind.

"We were just so close, and I never knew anything like this could happen. I just thought she was going to come back because I've been waiting for her," Zairelishka said.

Valderrama was killed on Friday while visiting family in Puerto Rico.

Her ex-partner, Amnerie Manzano Diaz, was arrested and charged with murder.

Investigators in Puerto Rico said Diaz showed up at a police department with Valderrama's body in her car and admitted to shooting her.

"I'm very teary inside my heart right now. I'm not going to see this wonderful person again," said Lewis Booker, Valderrama's neighbor.

Neighbors and close friends are heartbroken.

They said Valderrama was a Christian who was active in her church.

They said she was also a thrill seeker who went skydiving in April and was already looking forward to jumping again.

Above all, friends said she loved children and was very excited to land a job as a bilingual specialist at Rosa Parks Elementary School in Middletown.

"She worked really hard, and she had everything. She was going to live the American dream, and it was taken way too soon from her," said Mary Moore, a friend of Valderrama's.

Tuesday afternoon, loved ones gathered outside Valderrama's home. They honored her life with a balloon release. There were also whispers of "Happy birthday in heaven," as Tuesday would have been her 32nd birthday.

Friday evening, Milwaukee police said someone shot and killed a United States Postal Service carrier while he was delivering mail.

The United States Postal Inspection Service identified the victim as Aundre Cross. Police said he was in his 40s.

For over 18 years, Cross delivered the mail and smiles.

"Aundre came to work every day with a smile on his face. If you was sad, he was going to make sure gonna get a smile. He's going to make you laugh every day," said Melissa Carter, a friend and coworker to Cross.

Video shared with sister station WISN 12 News by Elaxex Trammel, a resident on his route, showed him laughing and smiling while delivering her mail just hours before he was killed.

"If you had a bad morning, he could come in loud, joyful, change your whole mood. Forget what you were even upset about," said Cross' friend and coworker, Jyfena Brown, "He was a good person. Had three beautiful kids, a wife. Imagine how they feel, two weeks before Christmas."

Surveillance video obtained by sister stationWISN 12 News captured the gunfire and a subject running to a car. The car appears to resemble the same car on the U.S. Postal Inspection Service's wanted poster. The wanted poster says the suspect vehicle is a silver Audi Q5 SUV with tinted windows.

"Being a carrier in Milwaukee is very scary now. And you are alone on the route. It's just literally you and the mail," Brown said.

The U.S. Postal Inspection Service is offering a reward of up to $50,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the suspect(s) involved in the homicide.

Postal workers gathered Saturday evening, where Cross spent the last moments of his life, to mourn the loss of one of their own.

"It's sad to see someone good like him. It just hurts because he didn't deserve this at all," Brown said.

Milwaukee police ask anyone with information to contact them at 414-935-7272 or to remain anonymous, contact Crime Stoppers at 414-224-Tips or P3 Tips App.

Watch the video above for the full story.

DAYTON, Ohio —

More than four years after a family from Mason was killed in a wrong-way crash on Interstate 75, the woman accused of killing them is on trial.

Abby Michaels, 25, of Xenia, faces six counts of murder and three counts of aggravated vehicular homicide. Last Friday, three additional counts of aggravated vehicular homicide and an OVI charge were dismissed.

On March 17, 2019, prosecutors said Michaels intentionally drove the wrong way on the interstate and crashed into another car killing Timmy Thompson, 51, his wife Karen Thompson, 50 and their 10-year-old daughter Tessa.

The Thompsons were on their way home to Mason after visiting family when they were hit head-on.

"By nightfall, that living family was no longer alive," assistant Montgomery County prosecutor Bryan Moore said in his opening statement.

Prosecutors said other drivers saw Michaels' car drive through an emergency turn-around and head north in the southbound lanes.

"And they watch in horror as that vehicle collides with the Thompson vehicle. That vehicle is being driven, controlled by Abby Michaels," Moore said.

Defense attorney Jay Adams called what happened tragic but said there is more to the story.

"This issue is whether or not Abby Michaels acted knowingly. That's the whole case," Adams said.

Adams said Michaels had suffered for years from a seizure disorder.

"At the end of this, Abby Michaels was involved in a tragic event with the Thompson family. That is very sad, but she didn't murder anybody. She suffered from a medical condition," Adams said.

One of the first people to testify Monday was Michaels' husband at the time of the crash, Kyle Pastorelle. He had filed for divorce two days prior and was not with Michaels that night.

Prosecutors showed surveillance footage of Michaels wearing a festive, green and white St. Patrick's Day hat at Ron's Pizza in Miamisburg.

Prosecutors pointed her out in the video leaving the restaurant at 7:43 p.m. that night.

Eleven minutes later, Pastorelle said Michaels called him asking to come over.

"I was pretty adamant on 'No, we're not doing this. It's not going to happen,' and that's when she told me that — she was driving at the time — and that's when she told me she was going to drive backwards on 75," Pastorelle said.

Pastorelle said Michaels sent him a text message a few minutes later and said, "Goodbye. I love you. I'm dying now."

By 8:10 p.m., Moraine police were dispatched to the deadly crash.

During cross-examination, Pastorelle testified to Michaels' medical issues.

"You were asked about seizures and whether you've actually seen any in the seven years. You know she's had them, correct?" Adams asked.

Pastorelle said, "Yeah."

Adams asked, "You know she's been hospitalized for them, correct?"

"Yes," Pastorelle answered.

The bench trial is expected to last most of the week.

A farmworker accused of killing seven people in back-to-back shootings at two Northern California mushroom farms will be charged with seven counts of murder and one of attempted murder, a prosecutor said Wednesday.

The charges will be filed before Chunli Zhao, 66, makes his first court appearance Wednesday afternoon, said Steve Wagstaffe, the district attorney for San Mateo County.

It was not immediately clear whether Zhao had an attorney who could speak on his behalf.

Authorities believe Zhao acted alone Monday when he entered a mushroom farm where he worked in Half Moon Bay and opened fire, killing four people and seriously wounding a fifth, San Mateo County sheriff’s officials said. He then drove to another nearby farm where he had previously worked and killed an additional three people, said Eamonn Allen, a sheriff’s spokesperson.

The sheriff's office said it believes the shootings were “workplace violence" but has not further detailed a motive. It was California's third mass shooting in eight days, including the killing of 11 in Monterey Park in the Los Angeles area amid Lunar New Year celebrations Saturday.

Zhao also faces a special circumstance allegation of multiple murder, as well as sentencing enhancements on each count for the use of a firearm, Wagstaffe said.

If convicted of the special circumstance, Zhao could face life in prison without the possibility of parole or the death penalty. Gov. Gavin Newsom issued a moratorium on executions in 2019.

Officials have not yet released the names of the five men and two women who died, nor the one man who was injured. Some were Asian and others were Hispanic, and some were migrant workers.

Servando Martinez Jimenez said his brother Marciano Martinez Jimenez, who was a delivery person and manager at one of the farms, was among those killed. Servando Martinez Jimenez said his brother never mentioned Zhao or said anything about problems with other workers.

“He was a good person. He was polite and friendly with everyone. He never had any problems with anyone. I don’t understand why all this happened,” Martinez Jimenez said in Spanish.

Marciano Martinez Jimenez, 50, had lived in the United States for 28 years after arriving from the Mexican state of Oaxaca. Servando Martinez Jimenez said he is working with the Mexican consulate to get his brother’s body home.

Allen declined to answer questions about whether Zhao had any previous criminal history, saying, “there were no specific indicators that would have led us to believe he was capable of something like this.”

But it would not have been Zhao’s first fit of workplace rage, the San Francisco Chronicle reported. In 2013 Zhao was accused of threatening to split a coworker’s head open with a knife and separately tried to suffocate the man with a pillow, the Chronicle reported, based on court documents.

The two were roommates and worked at a restaurant, and the man, identified as Jingjiu Wang, filed a temporary restraining order against Zhao that was granted but is no longer in effect. Wang could not be immediately reached, the Chronicle reported.

Video below: California Gov. Newsom speaks out against gun violence after Half Moon Bay, Monterey Park shootings

The shootings occurred at California Terra Garden, previously known as Mountain Mushroom Farm, and nearby Concord Farms.

David Oates, a California Terra Garden spokesperson, said that he did not know how long Zhao worked there and that he was one of 35 employees who had stayed when ownership changed. Oates declined to provide details of the four slain workers.

Concord Farms owner Aaron Tung said in a statement that the farm was waiting for more information before it could comment.

Half Moon Bay is a small, laid-back, coastal and agricultural city about 30 miles south of San Francisco. Its sweeping views of the Pacific Ocean make it a popular spot for hikers and tourists, who flock there to surf and for an annual giant pumpkin festival.

The new year has brought six mass killings in the U.S. in fewer than three weeks, accounting for 39 deaths. Three have occurred in California since Jan. 16, according to a database compiled by The Associated Press, USA Today and Northeastern University. The database tracks every mass killing — defined as four dead, not including the offender — in the U.S. since 2006.

The shootings in Half Moon Bay and Monterey Park followed the killing of a teenage mother, her baby and six others at a home in California’s Central Valley on Jan. 16. Officials discussing the investigation mentioned a possible gang link to the killings.

Disgraced South Carolina attorney Alex Murdaugh was convicted of murder Thursday in the shooting deaths of his wife and son in a case that chronicled the unraveling of a powerful Southern family with tales of privilege, greed and addiction.The jury deliberated for less than three hours before finding Murdaugh guilty of two counts of murder at the end of a six-week trial that pulled back the curtain on the once-prominent lawyer’s fall from grace.Murdaugh, 54, faces 30 years to life in prison without parole. His sentencing has been scheduled for Friday morning.Through more than 75 witnesses and nearly 800 pieces of evidence, jurors heard about betrayed friends and clients, Murdaugh’s failed attempt to stage his own death in an insurance fraud scheme, a fatal boat crash in which his son was implicated, the housekeeper who died in a fall in the Murdaugh home, the grisly scene of the killings and Bubba, the chicken-snatching dog.In the end, Murdaugh’s fate appeared sealed by cellphone video taken by his son, who he called “Little Detective” for his knack for finding bottles of painkillers in his father’s belongings after the lawyer had sworn off the pills. Testimony culminated in Murdaugh’s appearance on the witness stand, when he admitted stealing millions from clients and lying to investigators about being at the dog kennels where the shootings took place but steadfastly maintained his innocence in the deaths of Maggie and Paul Murdaugh.“I did not kill Maggie, and I did not kill Paul. I would never hurt Maggie, and I would never hurt Paul — ever — under any circumstances,” Murdaugh said.Murdaugh’s 52-year-old wife was shot four or five times with a rifle and their 22-year-old son was shot twice with a shotgun at the kennels near at their rural Colleton County home on June 7, 2021.Prosecutors didn’t have the weapons used to kill the Murdaughs or other direct evidence like confessions or blood spatter. But they had a mountain of circumstantial evidence, led by a video locked on Paul Murdaugh’s cellphone for more than a year — video shot minutes before the killings that witnesses testified captured the voices of all three Murdaughs.Alex Murdaugh, 54, had told police repeatedly after the killings that he was not at the kennels and was instead napping before he went to visit his ailing mother that night. Murdaugh called 911 and said he discovered the bodies when he returned home.But in his testimony, Murdaugh admitted joining Maggie and Paul at the kennels, where he said he took a chicken away from a rowdy yellow Labrador named Bubba — whose name Murdaugh can be heard saying on the video — before heading back to the house shortly ahead of the fatal shootings.Murdaugh lied about being at the kennels for 20 months before taking the stand on the 23rd day of his trial. He blamed his decadeslong addiction to opioids for making him paranoid, creating a distrust of police. He said that once he went down that path, he felt trapped in the lie.“Oh, what a tangled web we weave. Once I told a lie — I told my family — I had to keep lying,” he testified.Prosecutor Creighton Waters grilled Murdaugh about what he repeatedly called the lawyer’s “new story” of what happened at the kennels, walking him moment by moment through the timeline and assailing his “fuzzy” memory of certain details, like his last words to his wife and son.A state agent also testified that markings on spent cartridges found around Maggie Murdaugh’s body matched markings on fired cartridges at a shooting range elsewhere on the property, though the defense said that kind of matching is an inexact science.Murdaugh comes from a family that dominated the local legal scene for decades. His father, grandfather and great-grandfather were the area’s elected prosecutors for more than 80 years and his family law firm grew to dozens of lawyers by suing railroads, corporations and other big businesses.The now-disbarred attorney admitted stealing millions of dollars from the family firm and clients, saying he needed the money to fund his drug habit. Before he was charged with murder, Murdaugh was in jail awaiting trial on about 100 other charges ranging from insurance fraud to tax evasion.Prosecutors told jurors that Murdaugh was afraid all of his misdeeds were about to be discovered, so he killed his wife and son to gain sympathy to buy time to cover his tracks.Murdaugh’s lawyers will almost certainly appeal the conviction based on the judge allowing evidence of the financial crimes, which they contend were unrelated to the killings and were used by prosecutors to smear Murdaugh’s reputation.

BALTIMORE — The Maryland Office of Chief Medical Examiner is experiencing an unprecedented backlog of autopsies. The delays mean families have to wait weeks to say goodbye to their loved ones who were murdered or overdosed.

“The bodies are piling up and decaying right in front of everyone’s eyes,” said Patrick Moran, President of AFSCME Council 3, which has members who are autopsy assistants and forensic investigators. “Bodies are decomposing, and that’s not the way to treat those that have lost their lives and families who are looking for closure.”

More than 200 bodies are awaiting autopsy. Moran said members of the union describe a gruesome scene at the agency in Baltimore, which is responsible for investigating violent or suspicious deaths, including all deaths unattended by a physician.

“It’s pretty vile, and it’s pretty unhealthy,” said Moran.

Running out of space, the Maryland Department of Health converted a parking garage downtown into a morgue until a permanent expansion could be built.

“The additional storage that has been provided allows adequate capacity decedents that may be awaiting autopsy as well as decedents who are completed and awaiting funeral homes,” said Dr. Jinlene Chan, Deputy Secretary of MDH, at a House subcommittee meeting last week.

Dr. Chan said the backlog has been rising for the last few weeks. It’s caused by high vacancy rates (17.2 percent in December) and increasing numbers of murders and drug overdoses, which are resource-intensive cases.

An MDH spokesperson said there is a nationwide shortage of qualified applicants.

Moran said it’d been a longstanding challenge to maintain adequate staffing.

As of December, three positions had been vacant for almost a year. Fire medical examiners have retired or resigned over the last two years, and three more are expected to retire soon.

“We need them to recruit more people to do the job. They need to look at what people need. The resources people need to do the job, the salary they need to do the job, and take action.

In a statement, MDH said they offer highly competitive salaries, and they are performing direct outreach to fill openings, dedicating a recruitment specialist specifically for OCME.

To assist with the growing workload, MDH added 21 new positions, including medical examiners, toxicologists, and support professionals.

In the meantime, FEMA is supplying two pathologists and two pathology assistants to provide additional support to OCME beginning this week.

The delays ultimately impact the families who grieve the loss of a loved one.

“The families are anxious anyway because they have lost someone dear to them, so it adds onto the anxiety level,” said Erich W. March, the VP and CEO of March Funeral Homes.

March said the OCME used to take two days to perform an autopsy. Now it’s taking as long as two weeks from the date of death, forcing families to wait to say their final goodbyes.

“It makes it difficult for the family plans their memorial service or tribute because they don’t have a real set date as to when the preparations can be completed,” said March.

The OCME is accredited by the National Association of Medical Examiners or NAME. To maintain that status, there are specific standards they have to meet, and these issues are causing violations.

NAME’s standard is that no autopsy physician should be required to perform more than 325 autopsies per year. In fiscal 2021, OCME reported its highest ratio with 390 autopsies performed per ME, significantly surpassing the phase II standard.

In the FY23 MDH budget analysis, the Department of Legislative Services wrote that although OCME can continue to operate without accreditation, being accredited by NAME improves the public’s trust that the office is performing its work in a proper environment and limits questions about the validity of MEs’ findings at trials.

DLS pointed out that increased ME vacancies and higher caseloads have led to this ratio, and it is likely to have lasting impacts on recruitment and retention efforts.

Abby Isaacs at WMAR first reported this story.

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Across the country, many major American cities are reporting spikes in violence.

Nationwide, homicides are up more than 44% compared to where they were in 2019.

On Thursday, President Joe Biden will speak about the violence and provide some solutions to reduce the bloodshed.

RECORD HOMICIDES

The following cities set new records for homicides in 2021:

• Albuquerque
• Austin
• Colorado Springs
• Columbus
• Indianapolis
• Louisville
• Memphis
• Milwaukee
• Philadelphia
• Portland
• Tucson

In Tucson, there were 93 homicides in 2021. In 2020, the city reported 68 homicides.

In Milwaukee, there were 197 in 2021 compared to 190 the year before.

In Indianapolis, 271 homicides occurred in 2021. That's a rise from 215 in 2020.

Other major metropolitan areas like Tampa Bay, Kansas City, Denver and Cleveland didn't set records but they came close.

PRESIDENT SET TO SPEAK

Mayors and police chiefs all around the country have their own ideas as to what is needed to reduce violence. On Thursday, Biden will share ideas. Whether or not they will make a difference is still unclear.

The president will deliver his remarks from New York City, a city reeling from the deaths of two police officers who were killed in the line of duty last month.

Biden is expected to address efforts to provide more federal funding to hire more officers nationwide and improve community programs that are meant to prevent violence.

The president will also highlight ways for police to better engage suspects, especially those experiencing a mental health crisis.

Biden is also expected to talk about how well his newly-created “Strike Force” program is combating gun trafficking, which is the process of firearms being moved from one city to another.

GUN TRAFFICKING UPDATE

It's estimated 50,000 guns are moved around the U.S. each year through gun trafficking, usually from states where it's easier to buy a gun to places where it is tougher.

That's how many criminals around the country are getting their guns, according to New York City Mayor Eric Adams.

“We know that new guns are arriving by car, by bus and by train every day," Adams said during a recent speech on gun violence.

Biden's visit to New York is tacit approval of the city's new approach of utilizing more police on the street, which is the opposite of what the "Defund the Police" movement called for in 2020 after the death of George Floyd.

Whatever specifics Biden lays out Thursday, the reality is that his power on the issue of guns is relatively limited. Efforts to pass comprehensive gun control and universal background checks in Congress remain stalled.

The death of an LGBTQ advocate and brother of a former Miami mayor is being investigated as a homicide, authorities said, after his body was discovered in a Florida landfill.

Jorge Diaz-Johnston, a plaintiff in a historic same-sex marriage lawsuit against Miami-Dade County in 2014, was found dead at a Jackson County landfill on Jan. 8, the Tallahassee Police Department said.

The body had been in trash collected from an Okaloosa County landfill that morning and transported to Jackson County by a garbage transportation company, according to a statement released by the Okaloosa County Sheriff's Office.

The 54-year-old was last seen Jan. 3 in Tallahassee, police said.

Diaz-Johnston and his husband Don Johnston were one of six couples who filed a lawsuit in Miami-Dade County in 2014 challenging Florida's ban on same-sex marriage. A Miami-Dade circuit judge ruled in the couples' favor in 2015.

"There are just no words for the loss of my beloved husband Jorge Isaias Diaz-Johnston," Johnston wrote on social media Wednesday. "He touched so many people with his kind and generous heart."

Manny Diaz, chair of the Florida Democratic Party and the mayor of Miami from 2001-2009, released a statement thanking police and city officials who worked to locate his brother and investigate the circumstances surrounding his disappearance.

"I am profoundly appreciative of the outpouring of support shown to me, my brother-in-law Don, and my family after the loss of my brother, Jorge Diaz-Johnston. My brother was such a special gift to this world whose heart and legacy will continue to live on for generations to come," the statement said.

The investigation into Diaz-Johnston's death is ongoing, the Tallahassee Police Department said. Investigators asked for those with any information to contact detectives.

A North Carolina man was arrested Thursday in connection with the kidnapping and murder of a 4-year-old girl in Lexington County, South Carolina, more than three decades ago, according to the Lexington County Sheriff's Office.

Thomas Eric McDowell, 61, has been charged with murder, kidnapping and first-degree burglary in the disappearance and death of Jessica Gutierrez.

Gutierrez disappeared from her home sometime after 11:30 p.m. on June 5, 1986, according to a missing person poster distributed by the sheriff's office and the FBI.

Authorities later identified McDowell's fingerprint, according to a redacted arrest warrant. It's unclear where authorities found the fingerprint or when it was identified as belonging to McDowell.

In the same warrant, authorities said McDowell was later identified in a photo lineup, and he told other people he had kidnapped and killed the girl.

The sheriff's office said the girl was never seen again, and her body was never found.

Lexington County Sheriff Jay Koon said after taking "a fresh look at the case" last year, special agents from the FBI and the state prosecutor's office visited the area. South Carolina law enforcement agents helped interview more than 125 people. A video featuring an emotional interview with Jessica's mother, Debra, was also circulated when the case was reopened.

But it's unclear what development in the case led to McDowell's arrest, and a spokesperson for the sheriff, who provided the arrest warrants and other information, didn't supply an answer to this question when pressed by CNN.

"If you're not safe at home, where are you going to be safe?" asked the girl's mother, Debra Gutierrez, in an interview last year with law enforcement officials. The mother said she "had mental breakdowns" following her daughter's disappearance.

McDowell was living in Lexington County in 1986. The Wake Forest Police Department arrested him at his home Thursday morning, about 20 miles north of Raleigh. He is being held in the Wake County Detention Center, according to the sheriff's office, which also said the case will be prosecuted by the South Carolina Attorney General's Office.

CNN has contacted the South Carolina Attorney General's Office for additional information and is awaiting comment.

At a hearing Friday afternoon in Raleigh, North Carolina, McDowell, represented by a public defender, was ordered held without bond until he is extradited to South Carolina.

Nearly 17 years after being sentenced to die, Scott Peterson was resentenced to life without parole Wednesday during an emotional hearing in which family members of his slain pregnant wife, Laci, called him out for the killing in 2002 and his apparent lack of remorse.

“I still feel the grief every day, after 19 years,” said her mother, Sharon Rocha. “Your evil, self-centered, unforgiveable selfish act ended two beautiful souls. And for what reason? There was no reason other than that you just didn’t want them anymore. You didn’t want a baby nor the responsibility of being a father. You’re a coward."

“I have dreams about her,” she added about her daughter, who was 27 and eight months pregnant when she was killed carrying the boy the couple planned to name Connor. “And sometimes when I wake up, I cry because they’re so realistic and I know I’ll never see her again.”

Laci Peterson's brother and sister, Brent Rocha and Amy Rocha, added their own emotional comments during the hearing.

The California Supreme Court ruled a year ago that Peterson's jury was improperly screened for bias against the death penalty. Stanislaus County District Attorney Birgit Fladager, who came to fame as one of three prosecutors in Peterson’s trial, opted this time to settle for life without parole.

Peterson’s attorney, Pat Harris, said his client has shown no remorse because he’s not guilty. He said, as he has in the past, that the defense can now prove that burglars were nearby on the day Laci disappeared — though investigators say they were ruled out as suspects.

Peterson was uniformly described as a loving husband and expectant father, Harris said, until it became public that he was having an affair at the time of his wife’s disappearance.

Then “he quickly became the most hated man in America,” Harris said, with a billboard outside the courtroom asking if he was a “man or monster.”

Peterson was prepared to speak, something Peterson didn’t do during his initial trial and sentencing, Harris said, but Superior Court Judge Anne-Christine Massullo didn't allow it.

Peterson’s supporters were in the courtroom to show their support, but they were not allowed to speak.

Massullo resentenced Peterson without adding her own significant comment. She is separately considering if Peterson was prejudiced by juror misconduct.

But she opted to resentence Peterson first, over the objections of his lawyers, to resolve a problem with his status.

He had been in San Quentin State Prison, home to California’s death row, since he was condemned to death in March 2005. That followed his conviction in November 2004 during a trial that was moved 90 miles to San Mateo County because of worldwide publicity.

But Massullo said he couldn’t stay on death row once prosecutors said they would not again seek his execution. He was moved to the county jail for resentencing and is expected to remain there until Massullo decides on whether he should get a new trial.

She plans about a weeklong hearing from Feb. 25 through March 4 to hear defense claims that the woman known as Juror 7 falsely answered questions during the selection process.

They say she actively sought to join the jury and later co-authored a book on the case. Richelle Nice has not been named in court papers but co-authored the book with six other jurors.

Defense lawyers contend she was biased because she had been a crime victim, which she did not disclose during jury selection. They learned only later that she had been beaten by a boyfriend in 2001 while she was pregnant. She obtained a restraining order during another pregnancy against a boyfriend’s ex-girlfriend because she was fearful the woman would harm her unborn child.

Nice said in a court filing that she didn’t think the restraining order was a lawsuit that she had to disclose on her jury form, nor did she “feel ‘victimized’ the way the law might define that term.”

Massullo will have 90 days after next year’s hearing to decide if Peterson should get a new trial.

Prosecutors say Peterson took his wife’s body from their Modesto home on Christmas Eve 2002 and dumped her from his fishing boat into the San Francisco Bay, where they washed ashore in April 2003.

Defense attorneys say new evidence points to nearby burglars, though investigators say they were ruled out as suspects.

Supreme Court justices said in their August 2020 decision overturning his death sentence that there was considerable circumstantial evidence incriminating Peterson in the first-degree murder of Laci and the second-degree murder of Connor.

It included that the bodies washed ashore near where Peterson admitted he was fishing on the day they disappeared. He had researched ocean currents, bought a boat without telling anyone, and couldn’t explain what type of fish he was trying to catch that day.

Also, in the weeks after Laci disappeared but before the bodies washed ashore, he sold his wife’s car, looked into selling their house, and turned the baby nursery into a storage room.

Peterson was eventually arrested after Amber Frey, a massage therapist living in Fresno, told police that they had begun dating a month before his wife’s death, but that he had told her his wife was dead.

A homeless man from Miami was charged with the murder of 14-year-old Ryan Rogers, who was found stabbed to death in Palm Beach Gardens.

Semmie Lee Williams Jr., 39, was taken into custody in Miami on Wednesday, according to police.

Palm Beach Gardens police charged Williams with first-degree murder with a weapon. His first appearance in court was Thursday morning, where he was told he will be held without bond.

Officials said there is no motive at this time and they believe this was a completely random incident with "an innocent child victim."

"It appears to be an absolute chance encounter between a child on a bike and an animal that probably should not be out on our streets," said Chief Clint Shannon.

The investigation

Rogers was found dead on Nov. 16 just south of the I-95 overpass on Central Boulevard with his bike nearby. He was found two dozen feet from the sidewalk in a wooded area out of plain sight. He had gone missing one day earlier after his mother said he had left his home on his bike and not returned, according to police.

Data from Rogers' phone revealed he was traveling south on the I-95 overpass and stopped at about 7:31 p.m. Williams was seen on surveillance video walking northbound on Central Boulevard at 7:20 p.m. The two would have crossed paths at about 7:31 p.m., according to investigators.

"He has no ties that we can determine to Palm Beach Gardens or Palm Beach County — none whatsoever. It’s a mystery to us why this man was in our community but we have evidence that places him on the scene and makes him responsible for the murder of this child," Chief Clint Shannon said.

The autopsy results showed Rogers was stabbed multiple times in the head and face, police said. His cause of death was ruled a homicide.

Police said headphones were found at the crime scene that did not belong to Rogers. A DNA sample produced a positive match belonging to Williams.

When Williams was located in Miami, a bloodstained bandana was found in his backpack, investigators said. Further analysis showed the two contributors to the bloodstains were Rogers and Williams.

When he was interviewed by law enforcement, Williams denied any interaction with Rogers.

Officials said while he was located in Miami, there is evidence that he traveled to Palm Beach County on Nov. 15 and returned to Miami the following day.

Officials said the investigation was "extremely challenging" from the beginning, and there was a lot of information that couldn't be released to the public without endangering what they were doing. The investigation moved very rapidly, with a lot of local and federal departments helping, according to Palm Beach Gardens police.

Earlier this week, police said parents should remain vigilant and take steps they feel are appropriate with regard to their children's activities in public.

Palm Beach Gardens Police said they increased patrols in the community amid the investigation. The chief said that while people should always be vigilant, the community is safe, they "removed a dangerous monster from the streets," and this incident could have happened in any location.

Shannon said he met with Ryan's parents Thursday morning to offer condolences in this "unimaginable tragedy."

The investigation is ongoing at this time, and police said there are still many details that can't yet be revealed.

Jury deliberations were scheduled to resume for a second day Wednesday in the trial of three white men charged with chasing and killing Ahmaud Arbery after the 25-year-old Black man was spotted running in their coastal Georgia neighborhood.

The disproportionately white jury received the case around midday Tuesday and spent about six hours deliberating before adjourning without a verdict in the trial of father and son Greg and Travis McMichael and their neighbor William “Roddie” Bryan.

Superior Court Judge Timothy Walmsley told jurors to reconvene at 8:30 a.m. on Wednesday.

The McMichaels told police they suspected Arbery was a fleeing burglar when they armed themselves and jumped in a pickup truck to chase him on Feb. 23, 2020. Bryan joined the pursuit when they passed his house and recorded cellphone video of Travis McMichael blasting Arbery at close range with a shotgun as Arbery threw punches and grabbed for the weapon.

Arbery’s killing became part of a larger national reckoning on racial injustice after the graphic video of his death leaked online two months later and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation took over the case, quickly arresting the three men. Each of them is charged with murder and other crimes.

Defense attorneys contend the McMichaels were attempting a legal citizen’s arrest when they set off after Arbery, seeking to detain and question him as a suspected burglar after he was seen running from a nearby home under construction.

Travis McMichael testified that he shot Arbery in self-defense, saying the running man turned and attacked with his fists while running past the idling truck where Travis McMichael stood with his shotgun.

Prosecutors said there was no evidence Arbery had committed crimes in the defendants’ neighborhood. He had enrolled at a technical college and was preparing at the time to study to become an electrician like his uncles.

SPRINGDALE, Ohio —

Springdale police asked for the public's help Tuesday. They're seeking leads in a two-year-old homicide.

Josue Lopez-Ramirez was a Guatemalan immigrant who police said came to the United States with his family for a better life.

His life came to an end when he was just 18 years old.

"When you stand there and see a mother who just watched her son be taken from her, you never forget that," said Springdale police Chief Tom Wells.

Wells was at this scene that night. It was the day before Thanksgiving, 2019.

Lopez-Ramirez had just picked up his mother from work and had returned to their apartment on Chesterdale Road.

"They pulled in to their parking stall in front of their apartment building, and before they were even able to get out of the car, a suspect car pulled in behind them, kind of blocking them in," said Springdale police officer Keenan Riordan.

A group of men got out of the car. Police said they first attempted to rob Lopez-Ramirez's mother and then him.

"And one of the suspect's shot him. He was shot one time, however, multiple shots were fired," Riordan said.

The suspects took off. Police collected evidence and followed several leads, but nothing has led investigators to the suspects.

Tuesday, police urged the public to help them get answers.

"Maybe the suspects spoke about the accident. Maybe they acted suspiciously," Riordan said. "Maybe they'll talk about it at Thanksgiving dinner. Maybe they talked about it at Thanksgiving dinner two years ago, and I'm hoping that will jar a memory or something like that now that the holidays are upon us again."

The hope is to bring closure to a family who is still suffering.

"It is our interest to see justice for people who are victimized in this community, and it's also our experience, people talk about crimes. They just do," Wells said.

Police said they don't know why Lopez-Ramirez and his mother were targeted. They said it was possibly a crime of opportunity. Another theory is that they were followed home.

The only description police have of the suspects is what Lopez-Ramirez's mother gave them. She said it was a group of either three or four black men wearing dark clothes and in a dark-colored car.

Anyone with information is asked to call Springdale police or Crimestoppers at 513-352-3040.

BRUNSWICK, Ga. —

Jurors in the trial of three white men charged in Ahmaud Arbery’s killing saw graphic photos of the shotgun wounds that killed him.

They heard a defendant’s description of having the 25-year-old Black man “trapped like a rat” during the five-minute chase that ended in his death. And they heard the men’s explanation for thinking Arbery was suspicious and possibly armed.

The trial of father and son Greg and Travis McMichael and their neighbor William “Roddie” Bryan wrapped up its first full week of testimony Friday. Each is charged with murder and other crimes in the death of Arbery, who was fatally shot last year after he was spotted running in the defendants' coastal Georgia neighborhood.

Bryan's cellphone video of the shooting dramatically raised the killing's profile, making it part of a larger national outcry over racial injustice.

The trial is expected to continue through at least next week. Here are some key moments so far.

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GRUESOME IMAGES

Several jurors squirmed when a Glynn County police investigator walked them through dozens of crime scene photos of Arbery's body as it lay in the street where he fell dead after being shot three times on a Sunday afternoon in February 2020. They included close-up images of shotgun wounds to his wrist and grievous injuries to his chest and underneath one of his arms.

Arbery's mother remained in the courtroom throughout the presentation, while his father stepped outside before it began.

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SHIFTING SUSPICION

The jury heard from two police officers about Greg McMichael changing his story on the day of the shooting, when asked why he initiated the deadly chase.

Officer Jeff Brandeberry said McMichael told him at the scene that Arbery had been recorded by security cameras “breaking in all these houses out here.” Later that day, McMichael told Detective Parker Marcy that Arbery had been recorded inside a single home — one that was still under construction, with no doors or windows. He noted there had been other break-ins in the neighborhood, and “logic tells you this guy may be the one that’s doing it."

Prosecutors say there's no evidence Arbery took anything from the unfinished home.

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‘INACTIVE’ INVESTIGATION

Prosecutors have called to the witness stand eight officers who took part in the initial investigation by Glynn County police — which ended up making no arrests in the case. Arbery had been dead for more than two months when the McMichaels and Bryan were charged with murder. That happened only after the video of the shooting leaked online and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation took over.

Stephan Lowrey, the lead county investigator in Arbery's killing, testified that he hadn't closed the case before it got handed to the bureau. “It was still open but not getting much traction,” Lowrey testified. He added: “I think ‘inactive’ was a fair summary.”

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‘TRAPPED LIKE A RAT’

Glynn County investigators testified that on the day of the shooting, both Greg McMichael and Bryan described using pickup trucks to prevent Arbery from fleeing the Satilla Shores neighborhood, named for the Little Satilla River that flows past its homes on Brunswick’s edge.

McMichael said he wanted the running man detained until police could arrive and question him. “He was trapped like a rat,” McMichael told police Sgt. Roderic Nohilly.

Bryan said he joined the pursuit without knowing Arbery, the McMichaels or why they were chasing him. Lowrey testified that Bryan several times mentioned maneuvering his truck to edge Arbery off the road, though the investigator said none of the actions Bryan described struck him as a serious crime.

“I didn’t hit him,” Bryan said. “Wish I would have. Might have took him out and not get him shot.”

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A WITNESS, NOT A SUSPECT

Lowrey also told Bryan's attorney, Kevin Gough, from the witness stand that he considered Bryan to be a witness to the shooting. Asked by Gough if he thought Bryan committed aggravated assault or any other felonies with his truck during the chase, the investigator replied: “No, that wasn’t the way I interpreted it at the time.”

Meanwhile, Glynn County police Officer Robert Rash noted that 12 days before Arbery was shot, Travis McMichael reported seeing him trespassing in the neighborhood. McMichael told police Arbery reached toward his pocket as if reaching for a gun. Rash's body camera video showed him searching that night for Arbery with a flashlight and his gun drawn.

“So it’s standard procedure when you’re going into a possibly armed situation to be sure you have your gun ready, for your protection?” Robert Rubin, one of Travis McMichael's attorneys, asked the officer. Rubin added: “Travis McMichael has a right to carry a gun. He has a right to protect himself.”

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OBJECTION OVER SHARPTON

The Rev. Al Sharpton visited the Glynn County courthouse to pray with Arbery's parents outside and then joined them in the courtroom to hear some of the trial testimony.

The civil rights activist's visit upset Bryan's attorney, Gough, who told the judge he believed Sharpton was trying to influence the jury.

“Obviously there’s only so many pastors they can have,” Gough said. “And if their pastor’s Al Sharpton right now that’s fine, but then that’s it. We don’t want any more Black pastors coming in here."

Sharpton shot back that Gough's comments showed "arrogant insensitivity” to Arbery's family.

There was no ruling from the judge, as Gough made no formal motion to exclude pastors from court.

Warning: This article contains graphic details. Discretion is advised.

Jurors were shown graphic, closeup police photos Monday of the gunshot wounds that killed Ahmaud Arbery, the 25-year-old Black man who was slain after being chased by white men in pickup trucks who saw him running in their Georgia neighborhood.

Glynn County police Sgt. Sheila Ramos walked the jury through dozens of crime scene photos she took about an hour after the shooting on Feb. 23, 2020. She said she collected two spent shotgun shells at the scene, and investigators found a third fired shell still inside the bloodstained 12-gauge shotgun.

Arbery's father, Marcus Arbery Sr., left the courtroom before graphic photos of his son's body were shown in open court. Wanda Cooper-Jones, the slain man's mother, stayed and could be heard exhaling quietly as Ramos identified closeup images of a gaping shotgun wound in her son's chest.

Father and son Greg and Travis McMichael armed themselves and used a pickup truck to pursue Arbery after they spotted him running in their neighborhood. A neighbor, William “Roddie” Bryan, joined the chase and took cellphone video of Travis McMichael shooting Arbery in the street at close range.

No arrests were made for more than two months, until the video of the killing leaked online and sparked a national outcry, deepening a national reckoning over racial injustice. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation took over the case from local police. Both McMichaels and Bryan were soon charged with murder and other crimes.

Defense attorneys said the men were justified to chase and attempt to detain Arbery because he had been recorded by security cameras inside a nearby home under construction and they suspected he was a burglar. They say Travis McMichael fired in self-defense when Arbery attacked him with fists and tried to grab his gun.

Several jurors could be seen squirming in their seats as Ramos showed Arbery's body lying in the street under a bloodstained covering. Other images showed the cover pulled back and his shirt raised so she could photograph gunshot wounds to his wrist as well as grievous injuries to his chest and underneath one of his arms.

Ramos said Arbery had nothing in his pockets — no keys, cellphone, wallet or ID. Police identified his body using his fingerprints, she said.

She also photographed a home near the shooting scene where one of the shotgun blasts sent a projectile through a front window and into an inside wall. No one at the home was injured.

The jury seated Friday for the trial is disproportionately white. Prosecutors complained at the end of jury selection last week that several Black potential jurors were excluded because of their race, leaving only one Black juror on the panel of 12.

Superior Court Judge Timothy Walmsley said he found that “intentional discrimination” by defense attorneys appeared to have shaped jury selection. But he said Georgia law limited his authority to intervene.

BRUNSWICK, Ga. —

Opening statements began Friday in the murder trial of three white men charged in the shooting death of Ahmaud Arbery, with a prosecutor telling jurors that faulty assumptions led them to chase down the 25-year-old Black man. Arbery's killing was largely ignored until a leaked cellphone video stirred outrage that deepened a national reckoning over racial injustice.

Greg McMichael and his adult son, Travis McMichael, armed themselves and pursued Arbery in a pickup truck after they spotted him running in their neighborhood just outside the Georgia port city of Brunswick on Feb. 23, 2020. A neighbor, William "Roddie" Bryan, joined the chase and recorded graphic video of Travis McMichael shooting Arbery three times with a shotgun.

The killing has become part of a broader reckoning on racial injustice in the criminal legal system after a string of fatal encounters between police and Black people such as George Floyd in Minnesota and Breonna Taylor in Kentucky.

“All three of these defendants did everything they did based on assumptions — not on facts, not on evidence,” prosecutor Linda Dunikoski told the jury as the trial began Friday morning. “And they made decisions in their driveways based on those assumptions that took a young man’s life.”

Georgia's response to the killing has become part of a broader effort to address racial injustice in the criminal legal system after a string of fatal encounters between police and Black people such as George Floyd in Minnesota and Breonna Taylor in Kentucky.

Superior Court Judge Timothy Walmsley swore in the disproportionately white jury Friday before proceedings began. All three defendants are standing trial together, charged with murder and other felony counts.

Arbery had been dead for more than two months before the McMichaels and Bryan were charged and jailed last year. Greg McMichael, a retired investigator for the local district attorney, told police the men were trying to stop Arbery because they suspected he was a burglar. Security cameras had recorded him entering a nearby house under construction.

Greg McMichael said his son had killed Arbery in self-defense after Arbery attacked with his fists and tried to take Travis McMichael's gun.

Prosecutors say Arbery was merely out jogging, was unarmed and had committed no crimes in the neighborhood. When Bryan's video of the killing leaked online in May 2020, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation took over the case from local police. Its agents arrested the McMichaels the next day, and charged Bryan two weeks later.

The killing of Arbery has dominated news stories and social media feeds in Brunswick and surrounding Glynn County, a coastal community of about 85,000 people.

It took the judge and attorneys 2 1/2 weeks to select a jury. Nearly 200 people summoned to jury duty were questioned extensively about what they knew about the case, how many times they had seen the video and if they had any personal connection to Arbery or the defendants.

Controversy erupted on Wednesday, the final day of jury selection, when prosecutors objected to a final jury consisting of 11 whites and one Black juror. They argued that defense attorneys had cut eight potential jurors from the final panel because they are Black, which the U.S. Supreme Court has declared unconstitutional.

The judge agreed there appeared to be "intentional discrimination," but said Georgia law limited his authority to intervene because defense attorneys stated non-racial reasons for excluding Black panelists from the jury.

One juror, a white woman, was dismissed Thursday for medical reasons. Fifteen total panelists will hear the trial — 12 jurors plus three alternates. The judge has not given the races of the alternate jurors, and they were not asked to state their race in open court.

Court officials have said the trial could last two weeks or more.

If the defendants are acquitted, their legal troubles won't be over. They have also been indicted on federal hate crime charges. A U.S. District Court judge has scheduled that trial to begin Feb. 7.