Because of Greg McMichael\u2019s work with her office as an investigator, Johnson recused herself, and Barnhill, of the Waycross Judicial Circuit, stepped in. He later recused himself because Arbery\u2019s family complained that he was too close to the case since his son works in Johnson\u2019s office. Before stepping aside, Barnhill, wrote a letter <\/a>that said the McMichaels shouldn\u2019t be charged and Arbery\u2019s death should be considered a justifiable homicide.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Only after a third district attorney took over after Barnhill\u2019s recusal, and a video of the killing<\/a> went viral May 6, did authorities arrest the McMichaels. Attorney General Chris Carr last week appointed a fourth district attorney, Joyette Holmes of the Cobb Judicial Circuit, to lead the investigation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Protesters at the courthouse Saturday called for the first two prosecutors who declined to bring charges in Arbery\u2019s slaying despite having seen the video evidence to lose their jobs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Marcus Coleman, founder of the Atlanta-based social justice organization Save OurSelves, said the \u201cgood ol\u2019 boy, backwoods\u201d system in Glynn County needs dismantling, and the first move should be removing Johnson as DA.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhen you get a district attorney that not only covers up an arrest or prevents an arrest, when you get a district attorney who puts out a statement saying that this incident was an embarrassing mistake,\u201d Coleman said. \u201cThe death of Ahmaud Arbery to her and her office was an embarrassing mistake. She\u2019s got to go.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Coleman said Barnhill needs to leave office because he mishandled the case, including his letter absolving the McMichaels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Coleman said the key player he described as \u201cthe pistol-cocking videographer\u201d needs to be arrested now. William \u201cRoddie\u201d Bryan recently came forward and \u2060\u2014 while represented by Brunswick defense attorney Kevin Gough \u2060\u2014 admitted he took the video that showed the killing of Arbery.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Coleman said he understands that Gough said Bryan was unarmed, \u201cbut let me ask you a question \u2060\u2014 did you see the video? Did you hear the video? Did you hear the cocking of the gun in the video? That third individual, the videographer, the chilling silence when he was recording the murder, the modern-day lynching of Ahmaud Arbery. Say he got to go.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Rashad Richey, a political commentator and radio talk show host on Atlanta\u2019s WAOK-FM, said that while we\u2019ve been told justice is blind, that\u2019s not true \u2060\u2014 Lady Justice is simply blindfolded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhich means, at any time Lady Justice can peek from under the blindfold, and it\u2019s happened in this case in Brunswick, Ga.,\u201d Richey said. \u201cAnd the one who was peeking from that blindfold was the district attorney, Jackie Johnson. And then that DA decided to hand the case off over to her friend, who wrote a letter in support of those who have been charged in the murder. I echo the words of my dear brother Marcus Coleman, they got to go.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/thegeorgiasun.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Francys-Johnson-Glynn-Courthouse-051620-696x508-1.jpg\")