The white men convicted of killing Ahmaud Arbery were found guilty of federal hate crimes Tuesday, following a trial that focused on race as the main factor in Arbery's death, where prosecutors documented numerous instances of racist behavior from the men.
A demonstrator holds a sign at the courthouse. Sean Rayford poses for a picture.
The father-and-son pair of Gregory and Travis McMichael, along with neighbor William "Roddie" Bryan, were found guilty on one count each of interfering with Arbery's civil rights, which is a hate crime.
The men chased down and killed Arbery because they were driven by racial resentment and racial anger, according to prosecutors at the trial.
They showed text messages and social media posts that showed the men using racist language, as well as testimony that the McMichaels wanted to kill Black people.
The premise of the trial was wrong, as defense attorneys argued that the men chased down Arbery because they thought he was a criminal.
The hate crimes charges carry a life sentence, even though the men were already sentenced to life in prison after being found guilty of murder.
Christopher Perras, a Justice Department attorney, said in his closing argument that there was a big difference between being vigilant and being a vigilante.
The McMichaels were set to plead guilty last month, but a judge rejected the terms of the plea deal due to criticism from Arbery's family. The deal would have allowed the McMichaels to serve their first 30 years in federal prison. Parole is not a possibility.
The November murder trial that saw the three men convicted of murder brought renewed national attention to the case, and the guilty verdicts were hailed as a major victory in the fight to combat racial injustice. The murder trial did not take race into account, instead focusing on the men's claim that Arbery's killing was done in self-defense. The men were acting as aggressors when they chased down and killed Arbery. It took 74 days for authorities to make an arrest after a video of the murder was widely shared. After Arbery's killing, a Minneapolis police officer murdered George Floyd, sparking national outrage, and Arbery was memorialized by many protesters during Black Lives Matter demonstrations in the summer of 2020.
The judge in the hate crime case rejected the plea deal.
The defendants in the Arbery Killing have been found guilty.
Mother says she never thought this day would come.
All Rights Reserved © 2024
