3 found guilty of murder in killing of Ahmaud Arbery
Nov. 24—The men responsible for shooting and killing Ahmaud Arbery in Brunswick on Feb. 23, 2020 were all found guilty of murder Wednesday afternoon.
A jury found the shooter, Travis McMichael, guilty of malice murder, four counts of felony murder, two counts of aggravated assault, false imprisonment and criminal attempt to commit a felony.
McMichael was one of three defendants in the case, including his father, Gregory McMichael and their neighbor William "Roddie" Bryan Jr. They were acquitted of malice murder.
Gregory McMichael and Bryan were found guilty of felony murder. They both face a maximum sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole.
The men were charged with chasing and killing 25-year-old Arbery as he jogged through the Satilla Shores neighborhood near Brunswick, Georgia on Feb. 23, 2020.
The jury had resumed deliberations for a second day on Wednesday with a request to review video of the young jogger being felled by shotgun, as well as portions of the 911 call prior to the shooting
They watched, three times in succession, the original cellphone video and one that had been enhanced by investigators to reduce shadows. The clips had been filmed by Bryan, who helped the McMichaels pursue Arbery.
They also listened once to the 911 call that Travis McMichael had made about 30 seconds before he shot Arbery as they grappled with McMichael's gun.
Throughout the 13-day trial, the McMichaels and Bryan have worked to prove that they were trying to make a lawful citizen's arrest and claimed self defense, while the prosecution has held they were chasing the unarmed Black man purely based on the color of his skin.
"You can't claim self-defense if you are the unjustified aggressor," Linda Dunikoski, the lead prosecutor, said Tuesday as she wrapped up the state's case. "Who started this? It wasn't Ahmaud Arbery."
The case centered on whether the three defendants had a legal right to carry out a citizen's arrest and whether Travis McMichael acted in self-defense in shooting when Arbery, in the final moments of his life, suddenly ran toward him and wrestled with his gun.
The killing spurred the state legislature to repeal its citizen's arrest law and pass a new hate crimes law.
Sentencing has not yet been scheduled.
Prosecutors have indicated they will seek the maximum sentences for each case, however a judge will decide whether any sentences will be served consecutively or concurrently.
All three men have also been indicted on federal hate crime charges.
