A Georgia judge has scheduled a trial date for the three white men charged with killing Ahmaud Arbery, a 25-year-old Black man who was shot while jogging last year. Superior Court Judge Timothy Walmsley announced on Friday that the trial will take place on Oct. 18, ABC News reported.

The men involved in the killing are Greg McMichael, his son, Travis McMichael, and their neighbor, William “Roddie” Bryan. Greg and Travis allegedly armed themselves on Feb. 23, 2020 and pursued Arbery in a pickup truck as he was jogging in their neighborhood in Brunswick, Georgia. Bryan then joined the chase and recorded video of Travis shooting the jogger at close range.

Authorities brought charges two months later, after the video became public and sparked national outrage. The men were then arrested and held without bond.

Lawyers for the three accused men insist that the shooting was not a crime. McMichaels’ attorneys said the men pursued Arbery because they suspected that he was a burglar, having seen security cameras which had recorded him entering a home under construction. The lawyers also said McMichael shot Arbery because the white man feared for his life as they grappled over a shotgun.

Prosecutors, however, said the 25-year-old was simply out jogging. Georgia Bureau of Investigation agent Richard Dial revealed another allegation in June, saying Bryan told investigators that Travis uttered a racist slur right as he stood over Arbery after the shooting. 

The father and son, who claimed they were conducting a citizen's arrest, have pleaded not guilty to malice and felony murder charges, as well as counts of aggravated assault, false imprisonment, and criminal attempt to commit false imprisonment, CNN reported. Their neighbor, who is accused of hitting Arbery with his truck after he joined the chase, pleaded not guilty to charges of criminal attempt to commit false imprisonment and felony murder.

Arbery's mother, Wanda Cooper, filed a federal lawsuit in February against the three men, as well as the police department officials who allegedly covered it up, as Blavity previously reported.

"For nearly three months, Glynn County police officers, the chief of police, and two prosecutors conspired to hide the circumstances surrounding Ahmaud's death and to protect the men who murdered him," the lawsuit stated.