Judge: Arbery’s mental health records can’t be used at trial

By RUSS BYNUM
Associated Press

SAVANNAH, Ga. (AP) — A Georgia judge has ruled that Ahmaud Arbery’s mental health records can’t be used as trial evidence by the men who chased and killed him. The decision Friday by Superior Court Judge Timothy Walmsley further limits defense attorneys’ efforts to portray Arbery as an aggressive young man with a troubled past when the case goes to trial later this month. Prosecutors say the 25-year-old Black man was merely jogging on Feb. 23, 2020, when a white father and son armed themselves and chased Arbery with help from a neighbor. A widely circulated video showed Travis McMichael fatally shooting Arbery as they grappled over a shotgun. The judge ruled that Arbery’s right to medical privacy, even in death, trumps the accused men’s right to a robust defense.