After a Georgia jury found Travis and Greg McMichael and William "Roddie" Bryan guilty of murdering Ahmaud Arbery on Wednesday, the three men are set to head to federal court in less than three months to stand another trial on federal hate crime charges.
After roughly ten and a half hours of deliberation, jurors in Glynn County found all three men guilty of felony murder. Travis McMichael was convicted on nine charges, Greg McMichael was convicted on eight charges and Bryan was convicted on six charges.
Arbery was fatally shot by Travis McMichael on February 23, 2020 after McMichael, his father Greg McMichael and Bryan chased the 25-year-old Black jogger down with their pickup trucks while conducting what they claimed to be a citizen's arrest in the Satilla Shores neighborhood.
Despite the verdict in the Georgia court, the legal saga will continue in federal court in 10 weeks when the trial is scheduled to begin on February 7, 2022.
Last spring, the Justice Department (DOJ) charged all three men with interfering with Arbery's civil rights and attempted kidnapping of Arbery.
The McMichaels were also charged with using, carrying and brandishing a firearm.
The DOJ is alleging that the three men "used force and threats of force to intimidate and interfere with Arbery's right to use a public street because of his race."
In an eight-page indictment, federal prosecutors also alleged that "the three defendants chased Arbery through the neighborhood, using their trucks—and in the case of the McMichaels, firearms—in an attempt to restrain Arbery, restrict his free movement, corral and detain him against his will, and prevent his escape."
If convicted of these federal charges, the defendants could face up to life in prison.
The suspects were indicted by a grand jury after the state was unable to bring hate crime charges against the defendants at the time of Arbery's death due to Georgia law, which did not have a hate crime statute.
However, Arbery's death led state lawmakers to pass a new hate-crime law months after. The new statute allows for extra penalties for those who commit crimes against others based on race, gender, sexual orientation and other identities.
Under state law, all three men were charged with the same nine counts: one count of malice murder, four counts of felony murder, two counts of aggravated assault, one count of false imprisonment and one count of criminal intent to commit a felony.
The three defendants had each pleaded not guilty to all charges.
The state trial concluded on Tuesday and the jury reached their verdict after less than two days of deliberation on Wednesday.
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Katherine Fung is a Newsweek reporter based in New York City. Her focus is reporting on U.S. and world politics. ... Read more
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