All Three Defendants Convicted of Hate Crimes in Georgia Killing

February 22, 2022 by Dan McCue
All Three Defendants Convicted of Hate Crimes in Georgia Killing
This May 17, 2020, file photo, shows a mural depicting Ahmaud Arbery in Brunswick, Ga. Travis McMichael, the man convicted of murder for shooting Ahmaud Arbery, withdrew his guilty plea on a federal hate crime charge. McMichael announced his decision Friday, Feb. 4, 2022. (AP Photo/Sarah Blake Morgan, File)

BRUNSWICK, Ga. — The three men convicted of the murder in the fatal shooting of Ahmaud Arbery were found guilty Tuesday morning of federal hate crimes and lesser civil rights charges.

In addition the jury also found father and son Greg and Travis McMichael and neighbor William “Roddie” Bryan guilty of attempted kidnapping, while the McMichaels were also found guilty of the use of a firearm in the commission of a crime.

During the trial, prosecutors showed roughly two dozen text messages and social media posts in which Travis McMichael and Bryan used racist slurs and made derogatory comments about Black people.

The FBI wasn’t able to access Greg McMichael’s phone because it was encrypted.

The McMichaels grabbed guns and jumped in a pickup truck to pursue Arbery after seeing him running in their neighborhood outside the Georgia port city of Brunswick in February 2020.

Bryan joined the pursuit in his own pickup and recorded cellphone video of Travis McMichael fatally shooting Arbery.

Defense attorneys contended the three didn’t chase and kill Arbery because of his race but acted in the mistaken belief that Arbery had committed crimes in their neighborhood.

Both Travis and Greg McMichaels along with Bryan had pleaded not guilty to the hate crime charges.

Dan can be reached at [email protected] and at https://twitter.com/DanMcCue.

A+
a-
  • Ahmaud Arbery
  • conviction
  • Greg McMichael
  • Travis McMichael
  • William Bryan
  • In The News

    Health

    Voting

    Criminal Justice

    March 5, 2024
    by Tom Ramstack
    Court’s Ruling Would Reduce Sentences for Some Jan. 6 Capitol Insurrectionists

    WASHINGTON — The Justice Department is trying to decide whether to appeal a federal judge's ruling Friday that would free... Read More

    WASHINGTON — The Justice Department is trying to decide whether to appeal a federal judge's ruling Friday that would free about 100 of the Jan. 6, 2021, rioters at the Capitol earlier than anticipated. They were sentenced to prison with an "enhancement" for interfering with the... Read More

    January 11, 2024
    by Tom Ramstack
    Small Businesses Hurt by Crime Turn to Congress for Assistance

    WASHINGTON — A nationwide outcry against crime that hurts small businesses reached Congress Thursday, where lawmakers and congressional witnesses called... Read More

    WASHINGTON — A nationwide outcry against crime that hurts small businesses reached Congress Thursday, where lawmakers and congressional witnesses called for a law enforcement crackdown. Thefts cost retail stores $112 billion in 2022, according to the National Retail Federation. Preliminary law enforcement reports for 2023 show... Read More

    December 22, 2023
    by Dan McCue
    Biden Commutes Sentences of 11 Held on Nonviolent, Cannabis Charges

    WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden is commuting the sentences of 11 individuals currently serving extraordinarily long prison sentences for nonviolent... Read More

    WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden is commuting the sentences of 11 individuals currently serving extraordinarily long prison sentences for nonviolent drug offenses that are out of sync with today’s more lenient sentencing guidelines. “Due to reforms, each of these clemency recipients would have been eligible for... Read More

    AP Exclusive: America's Black Attorneys General Talk Race, Politics and Justice System

    BOSTON (AP) — The American legal system is facing a crisis of trust in communities around the country, with people... Read More

    BOSTON (AP) — The American legal system is facing a crisis of trust in communities around the country, with people of all races and across the political spectrum. For many, recent protests against police brutality called attention to longstanding discrepancies in the administration of justice. For others, criticism... Read More

    November 28, 2023
    by Dan McCue
    Justices Asked to Parse Accelerated Sentencing Guidelines

    WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court returned to the bench for its December session on Monday, considering a pair of cases... Read More

    WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court returned to the bench for its December session on Monday, considering a pair of cases whose outcome could have sweeping consequences for the sentencing of recidivist offenders charged with federal crimes. The cases, which were consolidated for the sake of oral... Read More

    November 16, 2023
    by Dan McCue
    New York Appellate Court Judge Lifts Trump Gag Order

    NEW YORK — A New York appellate court judge on Thursday temporarily lifted the gag order placed on former President... Read More

    NEW YORK — A New York appellate court judge on Thursday temporarily lifted the gag order placed on former President Donald Trump and his attorneys in his civil fraud trial following an emergency hearing. Associate Justice David Friedman of the First Judicial Department ruled from the... Read More

    News From The Well
    scroll top