BRUNSWICK, Ga. — A jury found three white men guilty of hate crimes and attempted kidnapping for the 2020 murder of Ahmaud Arbery after determining they targeted him because he was Black.
Father and son Gregory and Travis McMichael and their neighbor William “Roddie” Bryan — all already serving life in prison for Arbery’s murder — could each face an additional life sentence.
A sentencing date has not been set.
The jury found each man guilty of one count of interference with rights and attempted kidnapping. The McMichaels were also convicted of using, carrying and brandishing — and in Travis McMichael’s case, firing — a gun during a crime of violence.
Shortly after the verdict was announced, Arbery’s parents emerged from the courthouse holding hands with attorney Ben Crump. They raised their clasped hands to cheers from supporters.
“Ahmaud will continue to rest in peace. But he will now begin to rest in power,” said Arbery’s mother, Wanda Cooper-Jones.
But, she added, “We as a family will never get victory because Ahmaud is gone forever.”
In a statement, Crump said he and Arbery’s family “hope and demand that the severity of their crimes are reflected in the sentencing, as well.”
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Experts have said the federal convictions are not just a symbolic victory but ensure the defendants will serve prison time even if their state convictions are overturned on appeal. The three men were sentenced in January to life in prison after being convicted on the state murder charges; the McMichaels will not have the possibility for parole.
Hate crimes are rarely prosecuted. In Georgia, just two people were convicted of federal hate crimes from 2005 to 2019, according to the Bureau of Justice Statistics. The state did not have its own hate crime legislation until after Arbery’s death.
The jury deliberated for about four hours Monday before announcing the verdict, just one day before the second anniversary of Arbery’s killing.
The three men were arrested two months after the shooting on Feb. 23, 2020, when Bryan’s cellphone video of the incident became public and spurred nationwide outrage over what several high-profile figures called a lynching. The killing fueled a growing nationwide movement against anti-Black racism.
During the five-day trial, federal prosecutors argued the McMichaels and Bryan violated Arbery’s rights when they willfully interfered with his right to enjoy a public road in the Satilla Shores neighborhood because of Arbery’s race.
More than a dozen witnesses testified about the defendant’s pattern of racial animus and federal prosecutors presented text messages and social media posts from Travis McMichael and Bryan that used racial slurs when referring to Black people. One witness also testified that Gregory McMichael disparaged the late civil rights champion Julian Bond and said he wished all Black people would die.
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Defense attorneys countered that Arbery was fatally shot in self-defense and had acted suspiciously during prior trips to the Satilla Shores neighborhood, mirroring arguments made in the state trial. Defense attorneys, who called one witness during the trial, made no excuses for their clients’ racist language and behavior, but they maintained they did not kill Arbery because of his race.
Judge Lisa Godbey Wood acknowledged that prosecutors had the “difficult task” of proving a racial motivation after the verdict was read Tuesday. Wood also commended the defense attorneys for “zealously” representing their clients.
The trial came after a plea deal for the McMichaels fell apart just days before jury selection began. The McMichaels withdrew their pleas after the judge rejected the initial terms of the deal, which would have seen Travis sentenced to 30 years in federal prison to be served concurrently with his state sentence. Arbery’s family strongly opposed the deal in court.
Cooper-Jones, Arbery’s mother, still has a federal lawsuit pending against the McMichaels and Bryan. The suit also names several Glynn County police officers, the former police chief and former district attorney for Glynn County, and the original prosecutor on the state murder case.
Contributing: The Associated Press
Contact Breaking News Reporter N’dea Yancey-Bragg at nyanceybra@gannett.com or follow her on Twitter @NdeaYanceyBragg
Raisa Habersham is a watchdog and investigative reporter for the Savannah Morning News. Contact her at rhabersham@gannett.com.
