Travis McMichael, one of the men convicted of murdering Ahmaud Arbery, allegedly told a friend on Facebook that Black people "ruin everything," an FBI witness testified Wednesday at his federal hate crime trial.
FBI intelligence analyst Amy Vaughan testified that McMichael repeatedly used racial slurs in text messages and social media posts. He allegedly used the N-word to describe Black people and said multiple times he was glad he wasn't Black, the Associated Press reported.
McMichael is on trial with his father, Greg McMichael, and William "Roddie" Bryan, who were all convicted last year of murdering 25-year-old Arbery, a Black man jogging in their coastal Georgia neighborhood. The three men were sentenced to life in prison. Their second trial for hate crime charges started Monday in U.S. District Court.
Defense attorneys argue that the defendants pursued Arbery because of suspicions that he had committed crimes, while prosecutors say the men violated Arbery's civil rights and targeted him because he was Black.
Vaughan testified on over two dozen conversations that Travis McMichael and Bryan had with others that spanned over years before Arbery's death, the Associated Press reported.She said the FBI was unable to access Greg McMichael's phone because it was encrypted.
There were allegedly several text messages between McMichael and friends using racist slurs and offensive language. The first text message entered into evidence was one dated March 16, 2019, in which McMichael and his friend were talking about McMichael's new job and why he enjoyed not working with Black people, Vaughan said.
"They ruin everything. That's why I love what I do now. Not a n****er in sight," McMichael allegedly said in the text message.
McMichael was also accused of making social media posts that mentioned violence against Black people. He allegedly commented in December 2018 on a Facebook video of a Black man playing a prank of a white person: "I'd kill that f****** n*****."
In June 2017, McMichael shared a TV news story regarding a violent altercation between two white women and two Black customers mad about cold food at a Georgia restaurant, the AP reported. He said he would beat the Black people "to death if they did that to (name redacted by the FBI) or my mother and sister."McMichael allegedly mentioned he would have no more remorse than putting down a rabid animal.
This testimony was given in front of a jury consisting of eight white people, three Black people, and one Hispanic person, according to the AP.
U.S. District Court Judge Lisa Godbey Wood previously said she expects the trial to go on seven to 12 days, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported.
McMichael previously entered a guilty plea to the federal hate crime charge in exchange for a 30-year sentence. However, his plea agreement was rejected, and he withdrew his plea last week.
Update 02/16/22, 4:50 p.m. ET: This story was updated to include background information.
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