Ahmaud Arbery Verdict: Hate Crimes Trial Ends With Guilty Verdict for 3 Men [Full Details]
The awaited Ahmaud Arbery verdict for the killing of the 25-year-old Black man from Georgia, Ahmaud Arbery, has been released with the three men found guilty of hate crimes and other charges by a federal jury.
U.S. District Court Judge Lisa Godbey came up with a conclusion after a jury composed of eight white people, three Black people, and one Hispanic finished deliberating, according to an NBC News report.
Father and son Greg and Travis McMichael with their neighbor William "Roddie" Bryan were found guilty of all federal charges that they each faced.
Their charges include hate crimes, attempted kidnapping, as well as the use of a firearm to commit a crime.
President and director-counsel of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, Sherrilyn Ifill, tweeted about the verdict.
Ifill said that Wanda Cooper Jones, Arbery's mother, should be lauded for her "tenacity, courage, and determination." She added that Arbery's mother determined that the prosecution would move forward. American civil rights activist Al Sharpton said that Arbery's case is a precedent-setting verdict.
The guilty verdict of the 3 murderers of Ahmaud Arbery of hate crimes is a precedent setting verdict. Even in the Deep South the Feds will convict you of hate actions. I salute Ahmaud’s parents for forcing the trial.
— Reverend Al Sharpton (@TheRevAl) February 22, 2022
Cooper-Jones said she was thankful for the prosecution. However, she also said that the Justice Department "did not hear" her cry.
The Department of Justice continued to push forward with a plea deal that she did not support. Cooper-Jones said that their family would not have got today if it was not for the fight they did put up.
Attorney General Merrick Garland said that his heart goes to the family, not having the ability to imagine the pain it caused them.
READ NEXT: Ahmaud Arbery's Mother Accuses Prosecutors, Police of 'Vast Cover-up' in New Civil Lawsuit
Ahmaud Arbery Killing
The McMichaels and Bryan chased Arbery through their neighborhood in trucks. The three men spotted Arbery running by their homes in February 2020, cornered him, while Travis fatally shot him with a shotgun.
Twelve days before the shooting, Travis had seen Arbery outside the house and called 911 and claimed that he saw Arbery reach toward his waistband.
Travis said that it made it seem like he could have been reaching for a gun, according to The New York Times report.
Travis' lawyer, Amy Lee Copeland, said that his client had been shocked rather than "gleeful" after the shooting.
J. Pete Theodocion, a lawyer for Bryan, noted that his client did not know anything about Arbery's history with the McMichaels.
Arbery's killing prompted state legislators to weaken a citizen's arrest law that one local prosecutor cited soon after the shooting, arguing that the three men should not be arrested.
In addition, state legislators were also inclined to pass a state hate-crime law.
Ahmaud Arbery Verdict
Arbery's father, Marcus Arbery, said that they got justice for his son in the federal and the state.
Cooper-Jones said that his son will continue to rest in peace but now "he will rest in power," according to an ABC News Go report.
Cooper-Jones said she spoke to the assistant attorney general for the civil rights division of the DOJ, asking her not to accept a plea deal with defendants.
Meanwhile, Arbery's family noted that they will now focus on ensuring former Brunswick Judicial Circuit District Attorney Jackie Johnson is convicted of allegedly using her position in an effort to protect the McMichaels from prosecution.
READ MORE: Ahmaud Arbery Killing: Arbery's Father 'Mad as Hell' Over Now-Rejected Plea Deal
This article is owned by Latin Post.
Written by: Mary Webber
WATCH: Ahmaud Arbery's murderers found guilty in hate crimes trial I ABCNL - from ABC News
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