Breaking News
All 3 Defendants found Guilty of Murder in the Ahmaud Arbery Verdict

Published
1 year agoon

A jury Wednesday found Travis McMichael, his father, Gregory McMichael, and their neighbor William Bryan guilty of murdering Ahmaud Arbery outside of Brunswick, Georgia.
Attorney Ben Crump and Al Sharpton arrive outside the courthouse where the jury is deliberating in Ahmaud Arbery case pic.twitter.com/cmQ38Jwfoc
— Fox News (@FoxNews) November 24, 2021
Travis McMichael was found guilty on all nine charges, including malice murder after the jury deliberated for about 11 hours over two days.
His father and Bryan were found guilty on counts of felony murder.
Each of the three men faces a maximum sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Judge Timothy Walmsley ordered that they remain in the custody of the sheriff.
The three men accused of Arbery’s Feb. 23, 2020, killing were initially cleared by the local district attorney.
But after video of the deadly encounter was leaked, a public outcry led to the case being transferred to a different district attorney and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation charged the trio in May.
Each of the men was charged with nine counts: one count of malice murder, four counts of felony murder, two counts of aggravated assault, one count of false imprisonment, and one count of criminal attempt to commit a felony.
Travis McMichael, 35, who was driving in a pickup truck with his father, testified that he made the first contact with Ahmaud Arbery, 25, who was reportedly jogging in the Glynn County neighborhood where the McMichaels lived.
McMichael said he sought out Arbery after his 65-year-old father told him “the guy who has been breaking in down the road” had just run past their home.
McMichael said he had previously encountered a “lurking” Arbery nearly two weeks earlier, outside a nearby home that was under construction and inside of which Arbery had been videotaped on numerous occasions.
McMichael claimed that, during their initial interaction, Arbery reached near his waistband, prompting McMichael to flee.
On Feb. 23, however, both McMichaels armed themselves before pursuing Arbery in their pickup truck.
McMichael said Arbery initially stopped when he pulled up alongside him, but again took off running when McMichael told him police were en route.
That began a sequence in which prosecutors say Arbery was chased and prevented from fleeing by two pickup trucks — the one with the McMichaels inside and another driven by the 52-year-old Bryan, who also videotaped the encounter. At some point, a struggle between Travis McMichael and Arbery ensued, and Travis McMichael admits to fatally shooting Arbery.
“He had my gun,” McMichael testified on Wednesday. “He struck me. It was obvious that he was attacking me, that if he would have gotten the shotgun from me, then this was a life-or-death situation, and I’m going to have to stop him from doing this, so I shot.”
The video of the incident records the crucial moments of the encounter, but much of the struggle is obscured by McMichael’s pickup truck. McMichael fired his shotgun three times, with two of the blasts hitting Arbery at close range, according to the autopsy.
Ahmaud Arbery’s family has claimed the incident was racially motivated and there have been allegations of racist language used by the defendants. Prominent Black civil rights activists such as Rev. Jesse Jackson and Rev. Al Sharpton have made appearances in the courtroom, leading to a brief failed attempt by the defense to have the controversial leaders ejected from the proceedings.
Numerous political leaders have commented on the trial, including President Joe Biden who tweeted on the one-year anniversary of the shooting: “A Black man should be able to go for a jog without fearing for his life. Today, we remember Ahmaud Arbery’s life and we dedicate ourselves to making this country safer for people of color.”
A Black man should be able to go for a jog without fearing for his life. Today, we remember Ahmaud Arbery’s life and we dedicate ourselves to making this country safer for people of color.
— President Biden (@POTUS) February 23, 2021
Up Next:

You may like
SIGN UP FOR BNA NEWSLETTERS

New Poll Shows Trump Leading by Double Digits in Potential South Carolina Republican Race

5 Memphis Police Officers Charged With Second-Degree Murder Over Tyre Nichols’ Death

Texas Issues $224 Million Contract to Build 30-Foot Border Wall in Laredo Sector

GOP House Members Introduce Legislation to Repeal 1934 National Firearms Act

DOJ Files Lawsuit Against Google Over Digital Ads Practices

Coronavirus Worries Among Americans Dropping, Poll Finds

Record Breaking: Biden Admin Records 252,000 Migrant Encounters for December

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo Places State ‘On Pause’ Tells Non-Essential Workers to Stay Home

Prominent BLM Activist Charles Wade Charged with Child Trafficking & Prostitution
Obama Is A Tyrant

COMMENTARY: Trump Has a Secret Weapon, the Democratic Party

US Military Plane Crashes in Afghanistan with 5 Onboard
International Women’s Day: Conservative Women Throughout History
This Refugee Wouldn’t Last Long In America

DeSantis calls Special Session to Ban Private Sector Employee Vaccine Mandates

WATCH: Donald Trump, Melania Trump Cheered at National Championship Game

WATCH: Pompeo Joins ‘Fox & Friends’ After US Airstrike Kills Top Iranian General

WATCH: Kanye West Brings Inmates and Guards to Tears During Surprise Gospel Concert at Texas Jail

WATCH: Trump Receives Standing Ovation at Alabama Football Game

WATCH: Taco Bell Foundation Surprises Worker With Scholarship Money
