Men Convicted In Murder Of Ahmaud Arbery Found Guilty Of Federal Hate Crimes

February 22, 2022

The three men convicted of murdering Ahmaud Arbery have been found guilty of federal hate crimes for violating Arbery’s civil rights and targeting him because he was Black. The Associated Press reported the jury also found father and son Greg and Travis McMichael and neighbor William “Roddie” Bryan guilty of attempted kidnapping. Both McMichael men were also found guilty of the use of a firearm in the commission of a violent crime.

Tuesday’s (Feb. 22) verdict, comes just one day before the two-year anniversary of Arbery’s violent murder at the hands of the defendants. In November, all three men were convicted of the murder of Arbery and sentenced to life in prison with only Bryant eligible for parole after serving at least 30 years.  The McMichaels and Bryan pleaded not guilty to the hate crime charges.

In Feb. 2020, the McMichaels chased Arbery in their pick-up truck with guns loaded after seeing him jogging through the Georgia neighborhood. Bryan joined them and recorded the ordeal on his cell phone, including the fatal acts. The three men were indicted in June 2020 after the cell phone footage of the murder was leaked causing nationwide outrage and protests.

“We commend the courage and bravery of this jury to say that what happened on Feb. 23, 2020, to Ahmaud Arbery—the hunting and killing of Ahmaud Arbery—it was not only morally wrong but legally wrong, and we are thankful for that,” Latonia Hines, Cobb County Executive Assistant District Attorney, said at the time of the conviction.

During the trial, evidence was introduced that highlighted Travis McMichael and Bryan’s use of racial slurs and comments about Black people, including roughly two dozen text messages and social media posts. Greg McMichal’s phone was unable to be accessed by the FBI due to encryption on the device. Defense attorneys contended the three didn’t chase and kill Arbery because of his race but due to their suspicion he had committed crimes.

Witnesses also testified to hearing the McMichaels use racial slurs first-hand, including a woman who claimed he called her an “N-word lover” while in the Coast Guard after learning of her romantic involvement with a Black man. Another witness shared Greg McMichael expressed, “All those Blacks are nothing but trouble,” after she remarked on the death of Civil Rights activist Julian Bond.

“All three defendants told you loud and clear, in their own words, how they feel about African Americans,” prosecutor Tara Lyons said to the jury before the trial closed.

“Ahmaud will continue to rest in peace. But he will now begin to rest in power,” said Arbery’s mother Wanda Cooper-Jones according to AP.  She added, “We as a family will never get victory because Ahmaud is gone forever.”

“Tomorrow marks two years since Ahmaud Arbery was stalked, trapped, and murdered in cold blood as he jogged through his Brunswick neighborhood. And today, after much sorrow, grief, and pain, Ahmaud’s family can finally put this chapter behind them. For the last 24 months, they’ve dedicated themselves to getting justice for their son. They’ve had to relive his brutal murder, watch and listen as he was demonized in court, and fight to share with the world who Ahmaud Arbery was and who he could have been had his young life not been so violently cut short,” expressed attorney Ben Crump in an emailed statement.

“For many of us, there was never any doubt that Greg McMichael, Travis McMichael, and William Bryan targeted Ahmaud because of his skin color. But because of indisputable video evidence, disgusting messages sent by the defendants, and witness testimony, their hate was revealed to the world and the jury. We hope and demand that the severity of their crimes are reflected in the sentencing, as well. Ahmaud Arbery was denied the opportunity to define his own legacy, but America, we have the power to ensure that it is one that propels our fight for equal justice and dispels hate from this world. That is how we continue to honor Ahmaud and make sure his death was not in vain.”

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