The three men who were convicted of killing Ahmaud Arbery were all found guilty of federal hate crimes trial on Feb. 22—after the jury spent less than 24 hours deliberating. The verdict comes just a day before the second anniversary of Arbery’s death.
Gregory McMichael, his son Travis McMichael and William Bryan all faced one count each of interfering with Arbery’s civil rights and one count each of attempted kidnapping; the McMichaels each faced an additional firearm charge.
On Feb. 23, 2020, the McMichaels and Bryan pursued 25-year-old Arbery, who had been jogging through a residential neighborhood just outside of Brunswick, Georgia, believing he was responsible for a series of robberies—though they had no evidence to support this. They armed themselves and chased him in two pickup trucks.
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Read more: What Ahmaud Arbery’s Death Has Meant for the Place Where He Lived
After a confrontation, Arbery was fatally shot by Travis McMichael. The shooting was caught on camera by Bryan and months later was posted online, leading to widespread outrage and a national reckoning on racial injustice.
All three defendants had already been sentenced to life in prison for Arbery’s murder at the culmination of their November 2021 state trials, but the federal case—which argued that their actions were racially motivated, and violated Arbery’s civil rights—adds more penalties to their sentences. They had pleaded not guilty to the hate crime charges, after their initial guilty pleas, as part of a plea deal, were rejected by the judge over sentencing concerns.
Outside the courthouse after the verdict, Arbery’s mother Wanda-Cooper-Jones offered both praise and criticism for the Department of Justice (DOJ) in their handling of the case.
“I now want to address the members of the DOJ. I’m very thankful that you guys brought these charges… but back on January 31, you guys accepted a plea deal with these three murderers” Cooper-Jones said. She said she had…
Source : time
