Ahmaud Arbery.
The three menconvictedfor the murder of Ahmaud Arbery, a Black jogger they believed to be a burglar running on a suburban Georgia street, have been sentenced to life in prison. Two of the men have no possibility of parole, while the third can be paroled in the future.
Greg McMichael, 67; his son Travis McMichael, 35; and neighbor William “Roddie” Bryan, 52, were all sentenced on Friday morning in a court in Brunswick, Ga. While their attorneys tried to argue extenuating circumstances, Judge Timothy R. Walmsley denied their motions.
Walmsley sentenced both Greg and Travis McMichael to life in prison without the possibility of parole, plus an extra 20 years. The judge then sentenced Bryan to life in prison with the possibility of parole.
Arbery, 25, was killed on Feb. 23, 2020, after beingchased down the streeton which he was jogging in Brunswick. Prosecutors alleged the three white suspects chased and confronted Arbery with two firearms after they saw him running, and that Travis McMichael fatally shot Arbery during a struggle over Travis' shotgun.
Travis McMichael, at left, and his father Greg McMichael in their booking photos.Glynn County Detention Center/AP/Shutterstock
Each faced nine criminal charges, according tothe indictment. Travis McMichael, who pulled the trigger and shot Arbery three times, was convicted on all of them: one count of malice murder, which alleges intent to kill; four counts of felony murder, which alleges an action that causes a death; two counts of aggravated assault; one count of false imprisonment; and one count of criminal attempt to commit a felony.
His father, Greg McMichael, was cleared of only the malice murder charge, and found guilty of the rest. Bryan was cleared of malice murder and one felony murder charge, as well as one of the aggravated assault charges. But the 12 jurors found him liable for all the other charges.
Lead prosecutor Linda Dunikoski, in herclosing argumentduring trial, said, “All three of these defendants made assumptions about what was going on that day. And they made their decision to attack Ahmaud Arbery in their driveways, because he was a Black man running down the street,” according to theTimes.
But Jason Sheffield, a defense attorney for Travis, said his client believed at the time of the shooting that Arbery had committed burglary and Travis had “the right to perform a citizen’s arrest,” according toCNN.
“You do have the right to have a firearm when you make an arrest,” Sheffield said. “You do have the right to stop a person and hold them and detain them. There is risk with that. There are tragic consequences that can come from that.”
William “Roddie” Bryan in court Nov. 19, 2021, in Brunswick, Ga.Stephen B. Morton-Pool/Getty Images
The three men now convicted of Arbery’s death also still facefederal hate crime chargesin the case — specifically, one count each of interference with rights and one count each of attempted kidnapping, the U.S. Attorney’s Office announcedin a news release.Like the state prosecutors, the federal prosecutors allege that Bryan joined the McMichaels in chasing Arbery and using his truck to cut off Arbery’s path.
In court on Friday, Arbery’s parents both gave victims impact statements.
“The man who killed my son has sat in this courtroom every day and sat next to his father,” Marcus Arbery said. “I’ll never get the chance to sit next to my son again. His killers should spend the rest of their lives thinking about what they did…and they should do it from behind bars.”
He had a smile so bright, he lit up a room," said Wanda Cooper-Jones, Arbery’s mother. “Ahmaud never said a word to them, he never threatened them, he just wanted to be left alone. They were fully committed to their crimes. Let them be fully committed for the consequences.”
Cooper-Jones then addressed her slain son. “I made a promise to you the day I laid you to rest, that some day, somehow I would get you justice. This wasn’t a case of mistaken identity or mistaken fact. They chose to target my son because they didn’t want him in their community.”
After nearly four hours of testimony, Judge Walmsley said that Arbery “went for a run, and ended up running for his life…he was killed because individuals in this courtroom took the law into their own hands.”
“We are all accountable for our own actions,” Walmsley said before handing down the verdict.
source: people.com
