DA Jackie Johnson: Indictment, Dismissals, and Pending Lawsuit

Jackie Johnson, the former district attorney at the center of the Ahmaud Arbery case, walked out of a Glynn County courtroom in February 2025 without a conviction. A judge dismissed both criminal charges against her during trial: one for lack of evidence, the other because the indictment cited the wrong oath of office. A federal civil rights lawsuit filed by Arbery’s mother, which names Johnson as a defendant, remains active.

Why Johnson Was Charged

Johnson served as district attorney for Georgia’s Brunswick Judicial Circuit from 2010 until January 2021. When Ahmaud Arbery was shot and killed on February 23, 2020, one of the men involved was Gregory McMichael, who had worked as an investigator in Johnson’s office for more than two decades before retiring in 2019.¹ Johnson formally recused herself on February 27, 2020, four days after the killing.²

About an hour after the shooting, Gregory McMichael left a voicemail on Johnson’s cellphone asking her to call him back because he and his son had “been involved in a shooting” and needed advice.³ Investigators later identified 16 calls between phone numbers associated with Johnson and McMichael between February 23 and May 5, 2020. Several ran for minutes. One the day after the shooting lasted over nine minutes; an April 30 call ran more than 21.⁴ On May 5, 2020, the day the cellphone video of the shooting went public, McMichael left a final voicemail thanking Johnson for referring him to someone who was “gonna run interference for me.”

After stepping aside, Johnson contacted George Barnhill, the district attorney for the neighboring Waycross Judicial Circuit, to advise Glynn County police. Barnhill reviewed the evidence and told police the shooting was justified, recommending no arrests.⁵ He himself recused in April 2020 after Arbery’s mother raised a conflict: Barnhill’s son worked as an assistant prosecutor in Johnson’s office.⁶ Prosecutors would later allege Johnson “hand-picked” Barnhill to protect the suspects and failed to disclose his involvement to the attorney general’s office, circumventing state guidelines requiring the case be referred directly to the AG.⁷

Johnson lost her November 2020 reelection bid to independent challenger Keith Higgins by roughly 5,000 votes.⁷

The Indictment

On September 2, 2021, Attorney General Chris Carr announced that a Glynn County grand jury had indicted Johnson on two counts.⁸

Violation of oath of public officer, a felony carrying one to five years in prison. Prosecutors alleged Johnson used her position to shield the McMichaels by hand-picking Barnhill and failing to disclose his involvement to the attorney general.
Obstruction and hindering a law enforcement officer, a misdemeanor carrying up to 12 months. Prosecutors alleged she directed police not to arrest Travis McMichael on the day of the shooting.

Johnson surrendered to the Glynn County Jail on September 8, 2021, and was released on a $10,000 recognizance bond in about 35 minutes.⁹

How the Obstruction Charge Was Dismissed

Johnson’s trial began in late January 2025 in Glynn County before Senior Judge John R. Turner of the Ogeechee Judicial Circuit. Prosecutors from the attorney general’s office presented the state’s case.¹⁰

The obstruction count fell apart during the state’s own case. Glynn County Assistant Police Chief Stephanie Oliver, who had been a sergeant and investigator when Arbery was killed, testified: “I never had any interaction with Ms. Johnson in this case.” She confirmed Johnson had not directed or influenced her actions.¹¹ The prosecution also failed to call a key officer cited in the indictment.

On February 3, 2025, Judge Turner granted a directed verdict of acquittal on the obstruction charge, saying there was “not one scintilla of evidence” that Johnson had interfered with police.¹²

How the Oath of Office Charge Was Dismissed

Johnson took the stand on February 4, 2025. She acknowledged seven phone conversations with Gregory McMichael after the shooting but denied meeting him in person or discussing the investigation. She testified the calls covered local politics, her reelection, and threats being made against the McMichael family online, and that she urged McMichael to stop sitting in his driveway because it was “enticing violence.”¹³ She said she did not view the shooting as murder until Bryan’s video leaked in May 2020, at which point she notified the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. On cross-examination, prosecutor John Fowler pressed her on the calls’ content: “Nobody else heard those calls. Those phone calls between you and Greg McMichael remain between you and Greg McMichael and nobody else.”¹⁴

On February 5, 2025, Judge Turner dismissed the remaining felony. Defense attorney Brian Steel had filed a special demurrer arguing the indictment contained a fatal technical error: it cited the oath Johnson took in August 2010 when she first became DA, rather than the oath she took after her 2016 reelection, which was the oath in force in February 2020. Steel also argued the conduct described in the indictment was not criminal, calling Johnson’s interactions with the attorney general’s office “lawful.”¹⁵

Judge Turner agreed the indictment was deficient. “This is not a decision I wanted to make, but feel like I must,” he said, telling Arbery’s family he would “never understand why these people were never arrested” sooner.¹⁰¹⁶

Reactions

Attorney General Carr’s office said it stood by the prosecution. “We stand by the case we presented, and we regret that the jury won’t get to decide,” Carr said.¹⁵ No appeal, re-indictment, or further criminal action against Johnson has been reported.

Defense attorney Brian Steel said: “Ahmaud Arbery was slaughtered for no reason, and then Attorney General Carr piggybacked on the greatest tragedy … and indicted an innocent woman.” He added: “Jackie was painted as a person who supported racism. That’s just totally false.”¹⁵

Arbery’s mother, Wanda Cooper-Jones, said: “Jackie Johnson knew what happened well before she admitted to,” pledging to continue advocating for her son “until I leave this Earth.”¹⁶ In a joint statement with attorneys Ben Crump and S. Lee Merritt, the family said they were “deeply disappointed” but noted the trial had allowed them to “take the stand, confront Johnson, and expose her abuse of power.”¹⁷

The Federal Civil Lawsuit Still Pending

The criminal dismissal does not end Johnson’s legal exposure. On February 23, 2021, the first anniversary of Arbery’s death, Wanda Cooper-Jones filed a federal civil rights lawsuit in U.S. District Court. It names Travis McMichael, Gregory McMichael, William Bryan, several Glynn County police officials including former Police Chief John Powell, former district attorneys Jackie Johnson and George Barnhill, and Glynn County itself. The complaint alleges police and prosecutors “conspired to hide the circumstances surrounding Ahmaud’s death and to protect the men who murdered him,” and seeks $1 million in damages.¹⁸ After the February 2025 dismissal, the family said the criminal outcome “strengthens our resolve” to pursue the federal case.¹⁷

1
PBS. Law Enforcement Ties, Long Delay Complicate Arbery Case
2
ACLU of Georgia. Timeline of Events in the Wrongful Killing of Mr. Ahmaud Arbery
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NPR. Ahmaud Arbery Greg McMichael DA Calls
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CBS News. Ahmaud Arbery Death: Gregory McMichael, District Attorney Jackie Johnson Spoke 16 Times
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News4Jax. Ware County Prosecutor Saw No Grounds for Arrests Before Passing on Arbery Shooting Death
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The New York Times. George Barnhill Letter to Glynn County Police
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CNN. Georgia Ahmaud Arbery District Attorney
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Georgia Attorney General. Carr Announces Indictment of Former Brunswick DA for Violation of Oath of Public Officer
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WJCL. Ahmaud Arbery Jackie Johnson Georgia Obstruction
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Courthouse News Service. Charges Tossed Against Georgia DA Accused of Hindering Ahmaud Arbery Murder Investigation
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The Current GA. Police Testimony Counters Prosecution’s Case Against Former Brunswick DA Jackie Johnson
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WTOC. State Rests in Jackie Johnson Trial
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Courthouse News Service. Former Georgia Prosecutor Testifies in Own Trial Over Hindering Ahmaud Arbery Murder Investigation
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Court TV. Judge Orders Acquittal on 1 Count in Trial Over Ahmaud Arbery Case
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CNN. Ahmaud Arbery Prosecutor Jackie Johnson
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The Current GA. Former DA Jackie Johnson Cleared of Wrongdoing in Arbery Murder Investigation
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Ben Crump Law. Parents of Ahmaud Arbery and Their Legal Team Respond to Dismissal of Charges Against Jackie Johnson
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WTOC. Arbery’s Mother Files Civil Rights Lawsuit Alleging Cover Up, Delay in Justice