ATLANTA — One of the most memorable moments in the state murder trial against the three men convicted of killing Ahmaud Arbery was when defense attorney Kevin Gough infamously said, “We don’t want any more Black pastors coming in here.”
Gough, who represented William “Roddie” Bryan, was referring to the occasions prominent Black civil rights icons such as the Revs. Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton sat next to Arbery’s parents in court during the trial. Gough’s comments were swiftly condemned nationwide and led to hundreds of pastors gathering on the courthouse grounds a few days later.
“If we could have slapped a piece of duct tape on Kevin’s mouth at that moment, we would have,” said Bob Rubin, who represented Travis McMichael, the man who killed the unarmed, 25-year-old Arbery with shotgun blasts.
