US appeals court upholds hate crime convictions of 3 White men in 2020 killing of Ahmaud Arbery

[MarineCombatEngineer]

A federal appeals court on Friday upheld the hate crime convictions of three White men who chased Ahmaud Arbery through their Georgia subdivision with pickup trucks before one of them killed the running Black man with a shotgun.

A three-judge panel of the 11th US Circuit Court of Appeals took well over a year to rule after attorneys for the defendants urged the judges in March 2024 to overturn the case, arguing the men’s history of racist text messages and social media posts failed to prove they targeted Arbery because of his race.

Federal prosecutors used those posts and messages in 2022 to persuade a jury that Arbery’s killing was motivated by “pent-up racial anger.”

The appellate panel’s opinion, written by Judge Elizabeth L. Branch, said prosecutors at the trial showed “that each of the defendants held longstanding prejudice,” and that evidence was sufficient for “a reasonable juror to find that Arbery’s race was the determinative factor” for the deadly neighborhood chase.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/us-appeals-court-upholds-hate-crime-convictions-of-3-white-men-in-2020-killing-of-ahmaud-arbery/ar-AA1Qwqfj?ocid=hpmsn&cvid=6919c160bdb9413b8ec27ca69b117837&ei=49

Good, these racist POS dirtbags are where they belong.
The lawyers arguments were ridiculous and the 11th Circuit wasn't buying it.

As an added bonus, Been A Dick can't pardon them on the state charges.

[malaise]

1. Good, these racist POS dirtbags are where they belong.

Ditto

Rec

[marble falls]

2. These three felt untoucable and privileged. They were proud of what they were doing, filming it as they ...

... were murdering someone over race. Here's to them not making it out of the joint.

[MarineCombatEngineer]

3. And the local cops weren't going to do anything until the video was leaked online

and the GBI took over.

[marble falls]

4. That was as bad as the murder itself. Dad, an ex-cop had a blue wall and a sympathetic prosecuter stonewalling ...

The prosecutor was brought to court as well as fired.

The son had threatened to kill specific black posters on-line who got him angry.

[Kaleva]

5. It was the local DA that wasn't doing anything about it

[riversedge]

6. ...The trial judge sentenced both McMichaels to life in prison for their hate crime convictions, plus additional time --

3 hateful men off the streets. Yet, so many more 'out there".

The trial judge sentenced both McMichaels to life in prison for their hate crime convictions, plus additional time — 10 years for Travis McMichael and seven years for his father — for brandishing guns while committing violent crimes. Bryan received a lighter hate crime sentence of 35 years in prison, in part because he wasn’t armed and preserved the cellphone video that became crucial evidence.

[MarcoZandrini]

7. Warm up....

….ol’ sparky!

[RandomNumbers]

19. No.

One innocent life taken (there have been many) makes it not worth it.

I am happy for these guys to rot in prison.

[MarineCombatEngineer]

20. Me too.

I want these dirtbags to experience the hatred and fear for the rest of their miserable lives that Ahmaud Arbery felt just before he was shot and killed.

[moniss]

8. Might be the next

pardon by Crumb The 1st.

[MarineCombatEngineer]

9. If your talking about Been A Dick,

he can only pardon on the Fed. charges, not the state charges and those are life sentences without the possibility of parole.

[moniss]

23. Yes indeed but I think he may well pardon on the Fed charges as a

nod to his racist MAGA base.

[Farmer-Rick]

12. I was thinking the same thing

Pedo Trump pardons them in 3 2 1......

Thank the gods the worst charges were from the state and the pedo can't just wave his pixie wand to magically make them go away.

[MarineCombatEngineer]

14. Yep, life w/o parole and no time off for good behavior in a state prison,

not a fed. prison like they wanted..

[RedWhiteBlueIsRacist]

10. Three more assholes plucked from the tree of white supremacy and replanted where they belong--prison.

[58Sunliner]

11. What do you bet these sick bastards try to appeal this decision.

[MarineCombatEngineer]

16. I got a feeling that even if this went to the SC, they wouldn't even take it up.

They are where they belong.

[58Sunliner]

18. Let's hope so.

[democrank]

13. What a heinous crime, what hateful men.

They’re where they belong…..prison.

[LetMyPeopleVote]

22. Each of these men deserves to die in prison and never see another free day in their entire miserable murdering lives.

Link to tweet

[travelingthrulife]

15. Get ready for the pardon from the Chief Bigot.

[MarineCombatEngineer]

17. Only on the Fed. charges,

Been A Dick can't pardon them on state charges, they're in state prison for life w/o parole.

[LetMyPeopleVote]

21. US appeals court upholds hate crime convictions of white men in Ahmaud Arbery killing

A federal appeals court has upheld the hate crime convictions of three white men who chased and killed Ahmaud Arbery in Georgia more than five years ago

Link to tweet

https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/us-appeals-court-upholds-hate-crime-convictions-3-127536193

SAVANNAH, Ga. -- A federal appeals court on Friday upheld the hate crime convictions of three white men who chased Ahmaud Arbery through their Georgia subdivision with pickup trucks before one of them killed the running Black man with a shotgun.

A three-judge panel of the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals took well over a year to rule after attorneys for the defendants urged the judges in March 2024 to overturn the case, arguing the men's history of racist text messages and social media posts failed to prove they targeted Arbery because of his race.

Federal prosecutors used those posts and messages in 2022 to persuade a jury that Arbery's killing was motivated by “pent-up racial anger.”

Even if the appeals judges had thrown out their hate-crime convictions, the trio faced no immediate reprieve from prison. That's because they're also serving life terms for murder after being convicted in a Georgia state court.

Father and son Greg and Travis McMichael armed themselves and used a pickup truck to pursue 25-year-old Arbery after spotting him running in their neighborhood just outside the port city of Brunswick on Feb. 23, 2020. A neighbor, William “Roddie” Bryan, joined the chase and recorded cellphone video of Travis McMichael shooting Arbery at close range.