Father and son accused of killing Ahmaud Arbery ‘are being isolated away from other prisoners for their own safety’
THE father and son accused of murdering Ahmaud Arbery are reportedly being isolated in jail due to concerns for their safety.
Gregory McMichael, 64, and his son Travis, 34, are being housed away from the general population in a separate wing of the Glynn County Detention Center, authorities said on Wednesday.
Glynn County Undersheriff Ron Corbett told TMZ that the alleged killers are in protective custody.
The high-profile nature of the case - and rising tensions within the community in Georgia - has forced corrections staff to put the McMichaels in separate cells, Corbett said.
He added that the cells aren't close enough for father and son to communicate with one another.
Gregory and Travis are only allowed to eat alone and periodically leave their cells under a watchful eye - but only among themselves, law enforcement officials said.
There aren't any televisions in the jail section where the McMichaels are being housed, so they can't follow the case in the news, TMZ reported.
Due to safety reasons, Corbett declined to say whether the men were on suicide watch or if their lives have been threatened by other inmates.
The isolation reports come a day after Arbery's mom, Wanda Cooper Jones, demanded the death penalty for her son's alleged killers.
The grieving mother told TMZ on Tuesday she wants the McMichaels to "die as well" in order for justice to be served.
"What would your family consider as swift justice?" a TMZ reporter asked Cooper-Jones.
"Coming from a mother's point of view, my son died," she said.
"So they should die as well. I would totally agree with [the death penalty]."
Cooper-Jones added that the new district attorney had reached out to update her on the case, saying: "I think there will be justice for Ahmaud."
On Monday, Cooper-Jones said her son's death would have been covered up if footage of the killing hadn't surfaced.
Police said Arbery, who was black, was shot and killed by the white father and son while the 25-year-old was jogging on February 23.
But arrests weren't made until last week following a two-day probe prompted by horrifying footage of Arbery's death leaked on May 5.
The Georgia Bureau of Investigations charged the McMichaels with felony murder and aggravated assault last Thursday.
MOST READ IN NEWS
A black DA was appointed to take over the case on Monday - the third outside prosecutor to enter.
The Department of Justice said the McMichaels could face hate crime charges for the senseless killing if determined "appropriate."
"We will continue to assess all information, and we will take any appropriate action that is warranted by the facts and law," DOJ spokeswoman Kerri Kupec said in a statement on Wednesday.
