BRUNSWICK, Ga. — On Tuesday, the three men convicted of killing Ahmaud Arbery were found guilty of federal hate crimes and violating Arbery’s civil rights.
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William “Roddie” Bryan, Greg McMichael and Travis McMichael have already been convicted in state court of murdering Black jogger Ahmaud Arbery in February 2020.
After a week-long trial full of evidence and testimony presented to the jury – they reached a unanimous verdict in the federal trial.
The found Travis McMichael, Gregory McMichael and William “Roddie” Bryan guilty of targeting Arbery, violating his rights and ultimately killing him, because of the color of his skin.
“The way Ahmaud left here, I knew that we would get victory on the state level, and on the federal level. I knew that from day one,” said Wanda Cooper-Jones, Ahmaud’s mother.
Cooper-Jones and Marcus Arbery, Ahmaud’s father, said winning this battle wouldn’t have been possible without the support of the community and people like Ms. Annie Polite.
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Polite is the 87-year-old woman affectionately referred to as Ms. Co-Council by the Arbery family’s legal team.
That’s because she showed up to support the family, every day of the trial.
“I just needed to be there to support them and let them know that I’m going through this with them, whatever I can do, just let me know. Because we are all in this together,” Polite said.
Polite showed Action News Jax’s Courtney Cole the pins of Ahmaud Arbery and his siblings that she carried on her bags.
Now this trial has others carrying his family’s fight for justice in their hearts.
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Attorney Benjamin Crump, one of the lawyers representing the Arbery family, said they expect the family to get full justice, criminal and civil.
“We’re going to continue to make sure the course is tracked and that everybody who is responsible for the lynching of Ahmaud Arbery and the aftermath, the cover-up, the conspiracy, but they will be held accountable,” attorney Crump said.
Crump said he, along with attorney Lee Merritt, have filed a civil lawsuit against the three men convicted in Ahmaud’s death.
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The lawsuit is also filed against law enforcement officials and local prosecutors accused of being involved a cover-up in the investigation.
The case was filed last February, on the one-year anniversary of Ahmaud’s death.
Travis and Gregory McMichael and William “Roddie” Bryan now face up to life in prison for their federal hate crime convictions, in addition to their state sentences.
Original Story: Father and son Greg and Travis McMichael and their neighbor, William “Roddie” Bryan, face charges including interference with rights and attempted kidnapping in connection with Arbery’s death. In an indictment filed last year in court, a grand jury accused the trio of injuring, intimidating and interfering with Arbery “because of Arbery’s race and color.”
The jury began the second day of deliberations Tuesday at 9 a.m. after two and a half hours of deliberations on Monday.
The judge told the jury on Monday that in order to find the three defendants guilty, by law, the government’s case has to prove:
- that each of the men used force,
- they willfully interfered withArbery,
- they acted because of Arbery’s race or color,
- and that the three men acted because Arbery was enjoying the use of the public street.
Action News Jax will bring live updates outside the federal courthouse as soon as a verdict is read.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates and watch FOX30 and CBS47 for the very latest.
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