Cobb County's District Attorney Appointed to Handle Prosecution in Ahmaud Arbery Case

May 11, 2020 - Cobb District Attorney Joyette M. Holmes announces that she has accepted Attorney General Chris Carr’s appointment of her office to handle prosecution in the killing of Ahmaud Arbery, and that the call to serve will not be taken lightly.

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation has charged Gregory McMichael and his son, Travis McMichael, with aggravated assault and murder in Arbery’s death.

“Our office will immediately gather all materials related to the investigation thus far and continue to seek additional information to move this case forward,” DA Holmes said. “We appreciate the confidence that Attorney General Carr has in our office’s ability to bring to light the justice that this case deserves.”

Once DA Holmes and her team have received the investigative file from the GBI, all facts and circumstances of the Feb. 23, 2020, death of Ahmaud Arbery will be reviewed and all appropriate charges under Georgia law will be presented to a Glynn County Grand Jury for indictment.

Georgia’s statewide Judicial Emergency will continue through June 12, according to Chief Justice Harold D. Melton, but DA Holmes assures that her team will work as expeditiously as possible to move the case forward.

The Cobb DA’s Office is also committed to ensuring that the family of Mr. Arbery is supported throughout the process of seeking justice in this case.

Joyette M. Holmes was sworn in as District Attorney of the Cobb Judicial Circuit on July 1, 2019. She has been both a prosecutor and a defense attorney in Cobb. Most recently, she served for four years as Chief Magistrate of Cobb County.

Holmes is a native of Valdosta, Ga. She graduated from Valdosta High School and the University of Georgia, where she earned dual bachelor’s degrees in psychology and criminal justice. She earned her law degree at the University of Baltimore School of Law in Maryland.

She and her husband live in West Cobb with their two daughters.