Breakdown

Jury selection in the trial of three men accused in the murder of Ahmaud Arbery concluded amid controversy inside and outside the courtroom. Following that, the state and lawyers for Travis McMichael and his father Greg McMichael gave powerful opening statements. Join host Bill Rankin as he explores these developments and looks ahead in the trial. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone....

After about 10 hours of deliberation, the jury hearing the case against the three men charged with the murder of Ahmaud Arbery reached its verdict. The 18th episode of Season 8 of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s Breakdown podcast covers the verdict’s outcome and its aftermath. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It isn’t often a defendant takes the witness stand with his life on the line. But Travis McMichael did just that last week. He might as well have had the life of his father, Greg McMichael, on the line, too. The 18th episode of the Eighth Season of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s “Breakdown” podcast focuses on what happened inside the courtroom and outside of it as the trial for the McMichaels...

Just moments after Travis McMichael killed Ahmaud Arbery with three shotgun blasts, one Glynn County police officer after another arrived at the bloody scene. The seventh episode of Season 8 of the AJC’s “Breakdown” podcast focuses on recently released bodycam footage taken by some of those officers. They are seen securing the scene and, most importantly, interviewing McMichael, his father Greg Mc...

The lawyers for one of the three men accused in the death of Ahmaud Arbery are asking a judge to allow information about Arbery's past run-ins with the law to be entered into evidence. Join host Bill Rankin as he explores what this 404(b) could mean for the trial. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Father and son Gregory and Travis McMichael were denied bond after a two-day hearing in Brunswick, Ga. Join host Bill Rankin as he recounts what happened at the hearing -- and explores what led the judge to deny bond for the two men. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

An attorney for one of the three men accused of chasing and killing Ahmaud Arbery in February says the group's actions are legally justifiable by a law dating back all the way to the 1860s. Meanwhile, Georgia's legislature is considering repealing the law because of the case. Join host Bill Rankin as he examines what Georgia's citizen's arrest law says and how it may impact the Arbery murder case....

A tragic shooting has thrust coastal Georgia onto the national scene. On Feb. 23, Ahmaud Arbery, a 25-year-old African-American man, was shot three times in a neighborhood near Brunswick, where he was confronted by two white men. The video of the shooting has now been seen by millions. In this special episode of Breakdown, hosts Bill Rankin and Greg Bluestein examine what is known about the case,...

Protests in Atlanta attract national attention as a preliminary hearing in Brunswick begins. During the probable cause hearing, there is only one witness: the lead investigator on the case. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the final episode of this season’s “Breakdown” podcast by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, hosts Bill Rankin and Tamar Hallerman examine the recent federal indictment against former President Donald Trump in Washington and look ahead to what is about to happen in Fulton County. Episode 31 notes how much of what the podcast previously reported as to what happened in Georgia after the 2020 presi...

The latest Breakdown episode catches listeners up on developments since former President Donald Trump was indicted in Miami in the classified documents case. A day after that indictment was unsealed, Trump returned to Georgia to address a gathering of the state Republican Party. He used the occasion to insult Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis and repeat his false claims about the 2020 pr...

We finally know when Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis will announce her charging decisions in her investigation of possible criminal meddling with the 2020 election. Even though Willis said in January those decisions were “imminent,” it hasn’t turned out that way. In letters to local law enforcement, Willis said there will be a need for heightened security and preparedness due to this p...

In this special podcast crossover edition, Politically Georgia host Patricia Murphy joins Breakdown hosts Bill Rankin and Tamar Hallerman to discuss the first indictment of a former president and what it means to the Fulton County investigation into alleged criminal meddling with the 2020 election. The group dissects the 34-count felony indictment and recounts the surreal scene surrounding Trump’s...

The latest episode of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s Breakdown podcast recaps exclusive interviews with five of the special purpose grand jurors who investigated possible criminal meddling with the 2020 presidential election. The jurors — three men and two women — shared previously unknown details about the investigation, including witnesses and pieces of evidence that were previously unreport...

In a lengthy interview, Emily Kohrs, forewoman of the Fulton County special purpose grand jury, says the panel has recommended indictments. “It’s not a short list,” Kohrs, 30, said. Kohrs first emerged in an article published by The Associated Press the morning of Feb. 21. Hours later, she sat down for an interview at the offices of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. She would later sit for TV inte...

After mulling it over for three weeks, Fulton County Superior Court Judge Robert McBurney decided to release three sections of the report, concluding "the compelling public interest in these proceedings and the unquestionable value and importance of transparency require their release." The special grand jurors reveal they have included vote tallies on each recommendation included in the report and...

In this special crossover edition of the Politically Georgia and Breakdown podcasts from The Atlanta-Journal Constitution, AJC journalists Patricia Murphy, Bill Rankin, and Tamar Hallerman explain the final report released Thursday from the Fulton County special purpose grand jury investigating former President Donald Trump and his allies in the efforts to overturn the 2020 election results in Geo...

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis has legal, practical and political considerations to consider as she investigates former President Donald Trump and his allies for alleged meddling with the 2020 election. To explore the latter consideration, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution's Breakdown podcast turned to Greg Bluestein, the newspaper's politics reporter who broke many of the stories that...

A court hearing is held as to whether the Fulton County special purpose grand jury’s final report can be made public right now. The most recent episode of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s Breakdown podcast covers the hearing. Episode 23 – “Decisions Are Imminent” – also includes an interview with a former Atlanta prosecutor who explains why he thinks bringing indictments would set a dangerous pr...

As the Fulton County special purpose grand jury investigation winds down, it’s highly likely it is putting together its report and recommendations, formally called a presentment. The most recent episode of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s Breakdown podcast explores prior presentments issued by special grand juries and explains how the process plays out. Fulton’s special grand jury is investigati...

The Fulton County special purpose grand jury investigating former President Donald Trump and his allies has finished its work. In an order signed Jan. 9, Superior Court Judge Robert McBurney said the special grand jury had finished writing its final report – which, if it recommends bringing charges against the former president, could be one of the most consequential legal documents in recent U.S....

When 16 Georgia Republicans met at the state Capitol on Dec. 14, 2020, they cast Electoral College votes for Donald Trump, who had not won the state’s presidential election. The 16th episode of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s Breakdown podcast – “The Trump Grand Jury” — revisits what happened that day and the consequences going forward. The false electors cast their votes the same day 16 Democr...

In an email sent Dec. 31, 2020, attorney John Eastman shared a thought with fellow members of then-President Donald Trump’s legal team. “I have no doubt that an aggressive DA or U.S. Attorney some place will go after both the president and his lawyers once the dust settles on this,” Eastman wrote. Eastman, a former law school dean, was one of the architects behind the fake elector scheme and he au...

Could testimony from the House Select Committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack help Fulton prosecutors prove criminal intent? The 17th episode of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution's podcast "Breakdown — The Trump Grand Jury" looks at the testimony from the House Select Committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack. Could any of the revelations help Fulton County prosecutors prove criminal intent in re...

Fulton County Superior Court Judge Robert McBurney says his oversight of the special purpose grand jury investigating former President Donald Trump and his allies has been "quite a ride." Episode 19 of the ninth season of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution's Breakdown podcast includes an interview with McBurney, who has now been a judge for 10 years. The AJC's metro columnist, Bill Torpy, interviewe...