Photo Courtesy of Washington Post
On Wednesday, justice prevailed in the murder case of Ahmaud Arbery. The three men– Travis McMichael, Gregory McMichael and William “Roddie” Bryan – were found guilty of killing the 25-year-old Georgia man.
CNN reported that the jury of nine white men, two white women and one Black man, found the murderers guilty on multiple counts of homicide and other charges. The widely-publicized case underwent eight days of riveting testimony. The jury deliberated for two days.
Although the men faced the exact nine charges, they were found culpable of different acts.
Arbery’s killer, Travis, was found guilty of all nine charges, including malice murder, four counts of felony murder, false imprisonment, criminal attempt to commit a felony, and two counts of aggravated assault.
The convicted murderer’s father, Gregory, was found guilty of everything but malicious murder. He and Travis actively targeted and pursued Arbery.
William, the men’s neighbor, helped the man chase Arbery and filmed the moments before his death. He was found guilty of three counts of felony homicide, false imprisonment, one count of aggravated assault and criminal attempt to commit a felony.
As the magistrate read the guilty verdict, Arbery’s father, Marcus, let out a celebratory “Woohoo,” in response to the guilty verdict handed down to Travis.
Judge Timothy Walmsley asked that the man be escorted from the court as he continued reading the verdict. Before finishing, the magistrate asked for order in the courtroom.
“I ask that whoever just made an outburst be removed from the court, please,” he said. “If you feel like you need to make a comment regarding the verdict, I ask that you step outside the courtroom now.”
In February 2020, Arbery was shot and killed as he jogged through a Georgia suburb. The three men fained innocence, and even the Georgia district attorney was arrested for being complicit in his murder.
The federal trial has yet to start, and the sentencing for this case is still pending.