Killers of Ahmaud Arbery found guilty of federal hate-crimes charges
Source: Washington Post
A federal jury has found three White men guilty of committing a hate crime and other violations when they chased and killed Ahmaud Arbery two years ago, determining they were motivated by racial animus because he was Black.
The trial focused on a history of racist and offensive statements from Gregory McMichael, 66, Travis McMichael, 36, and William Roddie Bryan, 52. Tuesdays conviction, after just a couple of hours of jury deliberation, represents a victory for the U.S. Department of Justice, which has vowed to more aggressively prosecute hate crimes, and for civil rights groups that have demanded greater accountability in racially motivated attacks against Blacks and other minorities.
The killings of Arbery, George Floyd in Minneapolis and Breonna Taylor in Louisville, all of whom were Black, prompted mass demonstrations across the country two years ago. The charges against the McMichaels and Bryan marked the first time prosecutors charged anyone with a hate crime in connection with one of those slayings.
The jury began deliberating Monday afternoon, and adjourned after about two hours. Soon after reconvening Tuesday morning, jurors sent word they had a verdict. The three men were convicted of both hate crimes and kidnapping, while the McMichaels were also found guilty of a weapons violation, which Bryan had not been charged with. All three men already have been convicted of state murder charges and sentenced to life in prison, with Bryan eligible for parole after 30 years. U.S. District Judge Lisa Godbey Wood will determine their federal sentences.
Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2022/02/22/arbery-verdict-hate-crimes/
True Dough
(17,255 posts)Last edited Tue Feb 22, 2022, 02:00 PM - Edit history (1)
Rot, ya bastards. Rot!
Greybnk48
(10,164 posts)Hoyt
(54,770 posts)ificandream
(9,341 posts)secondwind
(16,903 posts)as a hate crime......
Bengus81
(6,928 posts)Not to accept it. That's the ONLY way those POS stood trial for hate crimes. The DOJ agreed to the plea without a WORD to the Arbery family.
Gawd..............
Martin68
(22,768 posts)70sEraVet
(3,474 posts)oldsoftie
(12,492 posts)Thats just a huge bridge too far
pandr32
(11,562 posts)Let's hope this reverberates across the land and all hear. Some will certainly not be pleased.
calimary
(81,127 posts)Those bastards deserve to be locked up for life. Several times over. Glad it worked out!
Roc2020
(1,613 posts)the U.S justice system fell on these three. Good luck surviving under that weight.
bagimin
(1,331 posts)I only wish that there weren't thousands more that think and speak the same.
GB_RN
(2,338 posts)Millions more.
Old Crank
(3,532 posts)In as consecutive to the State sentences.
No light of day.
demigoddess
(6,640 posts)iluvtennis
(19,836 posts)and not have a trial. The familys lawyer appealed the plea bargain and got this trial.
So happy for this win for Ahmaud Arberys family although there will also be a hole in their hearts.
SheltieLover
(57,073 posts)Chili Pepper
(101 posts)... a very disturbing aspect of this whole disgusting incident is that the father is a former police officer.
I truly wonder how his blatant racism affected how he treated blacks while he was a officer.
(OK, I don't "wonder", I'm pretty confidant)
CaptainTruth
(6,576 posts)What they did was horrific.
aeromanKC
(3,322 posts)Local good old boy network was going to let these killers go free. Disgusting!!