All 3 Men Found Guilty of Murder in Death of Ahmaud Arbery

The Epoch Times Header

Understanding the Facts & Law in Ahmaud Arbery

Georgia jury found all three men guilty in the killing of Ahmaud Arbery last year following two days of jury deliberations.

The three menโ€”Greg and Travis McMichael and neighbor William โ€œRoddieโ€ Bryanโ€”faced nine counts each in Arberyโ€™s death. That included malice murder, felony murder, and aggravated assault.

Travis McMichael was found guilty of all nine charges. His father was found guilty of all but one charge, malice murder.

Bryan was found not guilty of one count of felony murder and one count of aggravated assault, but the jury found him guilty of three counts of felony murder and three other charges.

The three men now face maximum sentences of life in prison without the possibility of parole. They were also indicted on separate federal hate crime charges including attempted kidnapping and interference with rights.

Father and son Greg and Travis McMichael grabbed guns and jumped in a pickup truck to pursue the 25-year-old black man after seeing him running in their neighborhood outside the Georgia port city of Brunswick in February 2020. Their neighbor William โ€œRoddieโ€ Bryan joined the pursuit in his own pickup and recorded cellphone video of Travis McMichael fatally shooting Arbery.

The defendants told police they suspected Arbery was a fleeing burglar when they armed themselves and jumped in a pickup truck to chase him on Feb. 23, 2020.

Their lawyers contended the McMichaels were attempting a legal citizenโ€™s arrest when they set off after Arbery, seeking to detain and question him as a suspected burglar after he was seen running from a nearby home under construction.

โ€œThis case is about duty and responsibility,โ€ defense attorney Robert Rubin, who represented Travis McMichael, in his closing arguments. โ€œItโ€™s about Travis McMichaelโ€™s duty and responsibility to himself, to his family, and to his neighborhood.โ€

Jason Sheffield, a fellow defense attorney for Travis McMichael, said that McMichael acted only in self-defense and didnโ€™t wake up intending to kill Arbery. Last week, McMichael waived his Fifth Amendment right and testified that he shot Arbery in self-defense.

โ€œIt was obvious that he was attacking me, that if he wouldโ€™ve got the shotgun from me, then it was a life or death situation,โ€ McMichael said. โ€œAnd Iโ€™m gonna have to stop him from doing this, so I shot.โ€

But prosecutors rejected the self-defense argument.

โ€œThey shot and killed him,โ€ lead prosecutor Linda Dunikoski said during her closing statements on Monday. โ€œNot because he was a threat to them, but because he wouldnโ€™t stop and talk to them.โ€

The prosecutionโ€™s โ€œposition is all three of these defendants made assumptions,โ€ she continued. The three men โ€œmade assumptions about what was going on that day and they made their decision to attack Ahmaud Arbery (while they were) in their driveway because he was a black man running down the street,โ€ Dunikoski said.

And later, Dunikoski asserted that the three defendants had no legal right to pursue Arbery.

โ€œGreg McMichael assumed the worst,โ€ the prosecutor told the jury, adding that statements made by McMichael later to police indicated that he didnโ€™t know for certain whether Arbery broke into a home under construction that day.

Before the trial commenced, Judge Timothy Walmsley ruled that Arberyโ€™s criminal record canโ€™t be cited as evidence by the defense. Defense lawyers in September had asked the judge to allow the jury to know about Arberyโ€™s two prior arrests, including one for shoplifting, and interactions with law enforcement.

By Jack Phillips

Read Full Article on TheEpochTimes.com

The Epoch Times
The Epoch Timeshttps://www.theepochtimes.com/
Tired of biased news? The Epoch Times is truthful, factual news that other media outlets don't report. No spin. No agenda. Just honest journalism like it used to be.

Columns

Big Tech Liberals are Using AI to Censor Conservatives

The Federal Trade Commission is gathering information to expose how technology platforms have violated the law in censoring Americans.

Unveiled: Gynocratsโ€™ Brave and Stunning Strategy to Woo Back Male Voters

Thereโ€™s nothing โ€” nothing โ€” that drives Democrats more bananas than...

Ship of Fools

A rudderless ship drifts with currents. A freighter with no pilot is stuck at the dock. Rudderless and stuck are perfect ways to describe the Democrat party.

Wolves Wreak Havoc on Cattle Herds in California

Descendants of rewilded wolves are taking heavy toll on cattle in Nor. CA and Oregon, killing animals and putting stress on cow-calf operations and pocketbooks.

Visiting Narnia with an Adultโ€™s Perspective

When you hear the word โ€œNarniaโ€ you might recollect a lion, a witch, and a wardrobe that takes kids into a magical land. Hmm . . . barely the gist of it.

News

Fedโ€™s Powell Says Interest Rate Decisions Will Be โ€˜Non-Politicalโ€™ in Meeting With Trump

Fed Res Chair Jerome Powell said decisions on interest rates would remain grounded in economic data and free from political influence.

FBI Director Says โ€˜Definitive Answerโ€™ Coming on Key Jan. 6 Question

FBI Dir Kash Patel said agency will attempt to produce answer on whether there were FBI agents or sources in crowd at U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.

Tariffs Temporarily Reinstated by Appeals Court, Reversing Lower Court Order

A federal appeals court temporarily paused a lower-court ruling that struck down President Donald Trumpโ€™s tariffs on a wide range of countries.

DeSantis Signs Gold Money Legislation Into Law

Gov. DeSantis signed โ€œtransactional goldโ€ legislation to help Floridians use precious metals in commerce and savings, to protect purchasing power from inflation.

Judge Extends Block on Trump Adminโ€™s Bid to Bar Foreign Students at Harvard

Federal judge will maintain a temporary block she placed on DHS revocation ofย Harvardโ€™s certification program allowing it to enroll foreign students.

White House Says Trade Policy Not Affected by Court Ruling, Has Other Tariff Authorities

WH press secretary Karoline Leavitt said a federal court ruling blocking the adminโ€™s global tariffs has not impacted President Trumpโ€™s trade agenda.

16 States File Lawsuit Against National Science Foundation for Ending DEI Support

Sixteen states are suing the National Science Foundation (NSF) over the agencyโ€™s recent actions against diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies.

Overlooked Chemicals in Food May Threaten Your Health

Scientists are alarmed about threat to public health: synthetic chemicals from packaging and processing equipment contaminating the food supply.
spot_img

Related Articles