Ahmaud Arbery Shooting Trial: Prosecutors Reach Plea Deals With 2 Convicted Killers in Hate Crime
Prosecutors have reached a plea deal with two of the three men convicted for the Ahmaud Arbery shooting in a federal hate crimes trial. This is according to court documents the U.S. attorneys filed late Sunday.
They submitted to the U.S. District Court for the Southern District in Georgia a notice of two plea agreements for Gregory McMichael and his son Travis McMichael, but the specifics of the agreements have yet to be released.
Neighbor William "Roddie" Bryan, the third convicted murderer in the case, was not mentioned.
Calls and emails seeking information regarding the plea deal were not answered by lawyers representing the McMichaels in the murder trial.
The court would have to approve any such agreement, and Arbery's parents would most likely have a say in it, NPR reported.
In early January, a proposed deal for the same two defendants named in Sunday's notices were made. In the said deal, the two would agree to serve 30 years each if they admitted the crime was motivated by hate.
Arbery's parents, Wanda Cooper-Jones and Marcus Arbery, refused to endorse the deal.
Now, in a statement about the latest filings, Arbery's parents addressed it and said they are "vehemently against this deal" since they believe it would allow the McMichaels to serve time for both cases in a "preferred" federal prison.
Per NBC station WTLV, the couple claimed, "This proposed plea is a huge accommodation to the men who hunted down and murdered Ahmaud Arbery."
Arbery's family saw a glimpse of justice in November. The three men were all convicted for murdering the 25-year-old man in February 2020.
On February 7, when jury selection begins, the McMichaels and Bryan will face a hate crime trial in federal court. "Due to his race and color," the McMichaels, who are white, targeted Arbery, a Black man, according to the accusations filed by the Department of Justice.
For the murder, the McMichaels were already sentenced to life without the chance of parole, while Bryan was sentenced to life with the possibility of parole, per BBC.
In the meantime, the McMichaels' pleas have not been accepted by the District Court.
Attorneys representing Wanda Cooper-Jones did not respond to requests for comment.
Ahmaud Arbery's Killing
Arbery, a 25-year-old Brunswick native, was jogging in a largely white neighborhood when the three chased and cornered him in pick-up trucks before shooting him during a fight.
The defendants argued they were acting in self-defense when they attempted to apprehend a suspected burglar, but prosecutors claimed race played a factor.
Several cases regarding race relations, the use of force, and police behavior contributed to nationwide protests.
This article is owned by Latin Post.
Written by: Jess Smith
WATCH: Federal prosecutors reach plea agreement with Greg and Travis McMichael - from WJCL News
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