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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsJudge Rejects Plea Deal for Man Who Killed Ahmaud Arbery
BRUNSWICK, Ga. (AP) A federal judge rejected a plea agreement Monday that would have averted a hate crimes trial for the man convicted of murdering Ahmaud Arbery.
Arbery's parents denounced the proposed deal for Travis McMichael, with mother Wanda Cooper-Jones and father Marcus Arbery emotionally asking the judge to reject agreements filed for McMichael and his father, Greg McMichael.
In rejecting the deal, U.S. District Judge Lisa Godbey Wood said it would have locked her into specific terms including 30 years in federal prison at sentencing. Wood said that in this case it would only be appropriate to consider the family's wishes at sentencing, which the proposed deal wouldn't allow.
https://nowthisnews.com/news/judge-rejects-plea-deal-for-man-who-killed-ahmaud-arbery
spanone
(135,874 posts)CatWoman
(79,302 posts)at his bail hearing the prosecutors alleged to many, many racist text messages and memes -- several centering around his feeling that only black people steal.
GBI testified that as he stood over a dying Arbery, Travis called him a "fucking nigger".
His defense? He has a "black friend".
spanone
(135,874 posts)Bayard
(22,149 posts)JT45242
(2,293 posts)The average federal jury trial for a felony costs the taxpayers on average $500,000 plus.
They would have pled guilty to hate crimes and would have served the first 30 years of their life terms in federal prison.
I understand that people want to honor what the families want -- but is vengeance by putting them in "lower quality" Georgia prisons for the first 30 years of their terms worth the half a million to a million that it will cost?
Plus this voids a waive of appeals in the agreement . Add to that the chance that someone will hang the jury and then nothing is accomplished except wasting a lot of time and money.
State versus federal prison for people who will literally never see the outside of a prison again. Is that worth the cost?
CatWoman
(79,302 posts)YES