The jury of eight White men, three Black men and one Hispanic person found the three men guilty of violating Arbery’s civil rights and targeting Arbery because they were Black. The McMichaels were also convicted for using a firearm in the commission of a crime.
Wanda Cooper-Jones was outside the courthouse and thanked the jury. She said that the convictions gave her family “a small victory but that we will never win as a family because Ahmaud has gone forever.” “
Arbery was killed and shot in Brunswick, Georgia in February 2020. Bryan chased Arbery, recording the shooting from his cellphone.
The incident caused national outrage.
Monday’s closing arguments saw the prosecution tell the jury that Arbery, his accomplice and the other defendants were motivated by “racial assumptions”, racial resentment, and racial anger. Defense lawyers claimed that Arbery’s pursuit was not motivated by racism, but was a result of their conviction that he was involved with criminal activity.
Travis McMichael, who was tried in state court last fall, was convicted on the most serious charge of malice murder. All three McMichaels were sentenced in January to a minimum term of life in prison. Bryan is eligible for parole after 30 years.
Three men were also charged for federal hate crimes. These included using force and threats to force due to Arbery’s race in order to intimidate and restrict Arbery from being able to use a public street.
The McMichaels attempted to negotiate a plea deal before the second trial began. This would have allowed them time in federal prison, rather than state, but the judge refused to accept it after Arbery’s parents opposed the deal. Thus, the McMichaels withdrew their pleas and sent the case to trial.
Their defense attorney stated that they didn’t commit a hate crime during the trial. He said they did so because they believed Arbery was committing crimes in their neighborhood.
A witness from the FBI testified last week in court that records from Travis McMichael and Bryan’s phones showed repeated use of racial slurs, while Bryan exchanging racist messages on Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
Gregory McMichael was able to encrypt his phone, but the witness claimed that he posted a meme in 2016 on Facebook claiming that White Irish slaves are treated worse than any other race in the U.S. But that the Irish don’t need handouts.
Cooper Jones stated to “CBS Mornings” in January that she had rejected the idea for a plea deal, because she wanted the men tried for hate crimes.
Cooper-Jones stated that federal charges were just as important to him as state charges. He believes that they should be tried for them.
Marcus Arbery, his father, stated outside the courthouse that Ahmaud was a child you cannot replace. “
