Ahmaud Arbery Murder: 3 Georgia Men Get Life in Prison but No Parole for Father and Son

A judge in Georgia sentenced the three white men convicted of murder for chasing and killing Ahmaud Arbery to life in prison on Friday.

Superior Court Judge Timothy Walmsley also denied any chance of parole for the father and son suspects, who armed themselves and initiated the deadly chase of the Black man.

Walmsley said that when he thought about the incident, he thought about it from many different angles, Associated Press reported.

Walmsley noted that he kept coming back "to the terror that must have been in the mind of the young man running through Satilla Shores," the Brunswick neighborhood where Arbery was killed.

3 Suspects Involved in Ahmaud Arbery's Killing in Georgia Convicted

Life without parole was given to Travis McMichael, who fatally shot Arbery, and his father, Gregory McMichael. Their neighbor William "Roddie" Bryan was granted a chance to earn parole after serving at least 30 years in prison.

The three men were convicted of murder and other charges in November by a Glynn County jury in the pursuit and fatal shooting of Arbery.

Arbery was 25 years old when he was killed on February 23, 2020. Walmsley described Arbery's killing as "callous," saying it occurred because "confrontation was being sought," NBC News reported.

Walmsley's sentences were in line with the request of prosecutor Linda Dunikoski, who recommended that the McMichaels be denied the possibility of parole while Bryan gets a chance.

Dunikoski said the McMichaels showed no remorse or empathy for the "trapped and terrified" Arbery. She further noted that Greg was former law enforcement, while Travis had served in the Coast Guard, who should have known better.

Ahmaud Arbery's Murder

Under Georgia law, murder carries a mandatory sentence of life imprisonment unless prosecutors seek the death penalty, which they did not pursue in this case.

During the sentencing hearing, Ahmaud Arbery's family asked the judge to show no leniency in deciding on granting parole.

Arbery's mother, Wanda Cooper-Jones, said she suffered an intense loss worsened by a trial where the suspects' defense was that her son made bad choices that led to his death, The Guardian reported.

Cooper-Jones noted that this was not a case of mistaken identity or mistaken fact.

"They chose to target my son because they didn't want him in their community... And when they couldn't sufficiently scare or intimidate him, they killed him," Cooper-Jones said.

Arbery's father, Marcus Arbery Sr., also spoke and told the court that he sees his son's execution in his mind over and over whenever he closes his eyes.

Marcus said they killed his son while Arbery was doing what he loved more than anything and when he felt "most alive," and "most free."

The incident happened while Arbery was out for a jog in the Brunswick neighborhood. After they spotted him running, the father and son suspects allegedly armed themselves, chased, and shot Arbery, who was suspected of being one of the burglars in a series of local break-ins.

Bryan joined the chase and recorded a cellphone video of Travis shooting Arbery in the street three times at a close range. After the shooting footage leaked online, the three suspects were arrested.

The leaked video sparked national outrage, and Arbery's killing has been considered a modern-day lynching.

Robert Rubin, one of Travis' attorneys, said his client deserved the possibility of parole since this was not a planned murder and was only a fight over a gun. Rubin argued that Travis opened fire only after Ahmaud Arbery "came at him and grabbed the gun."

Meanwhile, Greg's lawyer, Laura Hogue, said her client has health problems and acknowledged that he would not likely get out of prison. But Hogue noted that granting Greg a chance at parole would show that he did not intend Arbery to die as this was an "unintentional act."

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Mary Webber

WATCH: Judge Sentences Gregory and Travis McMichael to Life for Murder of Ahmaud Arbery - From the Independent