FOR THE FIRST TIME ON NETWORK TELEVISION, THE DEFENSE TEAMS REPRESENTING THE THREE WHITE MEN ACCUSED OF KILLING GEORGIA JOGGER AHMAUD ARBERY EXPLAIN WHY THEY SAY THEIR CLIENTS ARE NOT GUILTY

PROSECUTOR JESSE EVANS DOES HIS ONLY INTERVIEW ON "48 HOURS: JUSTICE FOR AHMAUD"

The viral video of Black jogger Ahmaud Arbery being chased and shot dead in Brunswick, Ga., captured the attention of the nation. Now, as three white men - former law enforcement officer Gregory McMichael, his son Travis and neighbor William "Roddie" Bryan - stand accused of killing Arbery, the prosecutor and the defense attorneys sit down for their first in-depth network television interviews on 48 HOURS: "Justice for Ahmaud," to be broadcast Saturday, Oct. 10 (10:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network.

The shooting death of Arbery made international headlines and drew the attention of lawmakers and celebrities. It's a story about a mother's relentless pursuit for the truth of what happened to her son. It's also a case that has raised questions about race and racism, and whether local authorities tried to squash the initial investigation.

"They took my baby boy from me," says Wanda Cooper Jones, Arbery's mother.

"I want justice for Ahmaud ... so Ahmaud can rest in peace," Cooper Jones says.

"Any single shot was too much," prosecutor Jesse Evans tells CBS News correspondent Omar Villafranca. "Merely pointing that shotgun at somebody was too much. Getting in pickup trucks and chasing Ahmaud Arbery down was too much. This whole case is too much."

The prosecutor says Arbery, 25, was jogging on Feb. 23 in the waterfront neighborhood of Satilla Shores when the three white men pursued and cornered him. The McMichaels were in one truck. Bryan was in his pickup. Together they trapped Arbery, says Evans. Bryan was filming the final moments while Arbery fought for his life. But months passed without an arrest. Arbery's mother kept attention on the case.

"I think they woke up a sleeping giant in Wanda Cooper with the murder of her son," says Lee Merritt, a civil rights attorney who represents Arbery's family.

The world took notice when Bryan's graphic video showing the horrifying final moments of Arbery's life as he's shot went viral online. Investigators say it was Travis McMichael who fired the fatal shots.

The McMichaels were arrested in May, and two weeks later Bryan was arrested.

Bryan told police that after firing that fatal shot, Travis McMichael stood over Arbery and used the N-word. Travis McMichael's attorneys insist that never happened and suggest Bryan made it up.

"I think Roddie Bryan is incredibly motivated... to keep himself from becoming a murder defendant in a murder trial," says Travis McMichael's defense attorney Jason Sheffield.

The McMichaels' attorneys insist their clients are good men with long records of public service. Over the years, they say, both Gregory, as a former Naval officer and Travis, formerly in the Coast Guard, rescued people of all races, including Black people. They say their clients are not racist, and what happened on Feb. 23 had nothing to do with the color of Arbery's skin.

"It's not just two white men out there, hunting down, trapping and executing a Black man, as the prosecution characterized it," says Frank Hogue, an attorney for Gregory McMichael. "That is not what happened."

"This is a case about a good man who had to defend himself on Feb. 23 when he was in a terrible situation," says Bob Rubin, an attorney for Travis McMichael.

In the minutes before the shooting, Arbery was seen at a neighbor's house under construction. Even though there's no evidence Arbery took anything from the house, the McMichaels say they suspected him of burglary. They grabbed their guns and got into a truck to try and stop him. But then they say, Arbery charged at Travis.

"He's being attacked and overwhelmed by Ahmaud Arbery's strength. And he has to either fire that gun or lose his life at that point," his lawyer Bob Rubin says.

"Why not let him run away and keep eyes on him from a distance. ... knowing that you've put this fear of God in this person if you think they have committed a crime?" correspondent Omar Villafranca asks.

"I don't know that Travis thought that he'd put the fear of God into this person. This person put the fear of God into Travis, based on the way that he was acting," says defense attorney Jason Sheffield.

"Even though Travis has a gun and a vehicle, and Ahmaud Arbery has two legs?" Villafranca counters.

"You still can be afraid while you have possession of a firearm," Sheffield insists.

But Evans says there's no evidence that Arbery was the aggressor.

"Clearly, the person that started this were Greg and Travis McMichael," says the prosecutor.

And Evans believes Arbery's race did play a role that day. The prosecutor intends to introduce evidence found on the defendants' phones and social media accounts including text messages where Travis McMichael uses the N-word.

48 HOURS has also obtained explosive text messages of racial slurs found on co-defendant Roddie Bryan's phone.

Gregory and Travis McMichael have been charged with both felony murder and aggravated assault. William "Roddie" Bryan has been charged with felony murder and criminal attempt to commit false imprisonment. All three have pleaded not guilty.

Villafranca and 48 HOURS investigate the shooting through interviews with the lead prosecutor, defense attorneys, Arbery's friends and family and more.

48 HOURS: "Justice for Ahmaud" is produced by Josh Yager, Rodney Hawkins, Gayane Keshishyan Mendez, Mead Stone, Deanna Fry, Bonita Sostre, Jessi Mitchell and Chris St. Peter. Richard Barber and Grayce Arlotta-Berner are the editors. Dena Goldstein is the field producer. Chelsea Narvaez is the associate producer. Elisha Brown is the Broadcast Associate. Patti Aronofsky is the senior producer. Nancy Kramer is the executive story editor. Judy Tygard is the executive producer.

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