Wednesday officially marks two years since the murder of Ahmaud Arbery, and the day before the second anniversary, a jury has found his murders Gregory McMichael, Travis McMichael, and William Bryan Jr. guilty on all counts in the hate crime case.
According to ABC News, the jury in the case was made up of eight white people, three Black people, and one Hispanic person, and it took them less than four hours to reach a guilty verdict in the case. The men were convicted of “being motivated by racial hate in interference of Arbery’s civil rights, and attempted kidnapping.”
The McMichaels were convicted of “carrying and brandishing a weapon during the commission of a crime of violence,” and Travis McMichael was also found “guilty of discharging a firearm in relation to a crime of violence.”
Ahmaud’s mother, Wanda Cooper-Jones, spoke out after the jury reached the guilty verdict and said, “Ahmaud will continue to rest in peace but he will now rest in power. It’s another milestone, another challenge that we’ve overcome. Today is Super Tuesday. We got a guilty verdict on all charges for all murderers.”
“They gave us a sense of a small victory. We as a family will never get victory because Ahmaud is gone forever,” she added.
She also addressed the Department of Justice, who reached a plea deal with all three men and said, “I’m very thankful that you guys brought these charges of hate crime, but back on Jan. 31, you guys accepted a plea deal with these three murderers who took my son’s life. I spoke to Kristen Clarke and the lead attorney Tara Lyons, begging them to please not take this plea deal. They ignored my cry. I begged them.”
As previously reported, last month, Gregory McMichael received life +20 years, and his son Travis McMichael received life +20 years, for the murder of Ahmaud. Their neighbor William Bryan Jr. received life with the possibility of parole.
Ahmaud’s family’s next focus is making sure former Judicial Circuit District Attorney Jackie Johnson is convicted. Last September she was arrested for obstruction in the Ahmaud Arbery case.
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TSR STAFF: Jade Ashley @Jade_Ashley94