The white father and son who were found guilty of murder in the shooting and death of Ahmaud Arbery, 25, after pursuing him through a Georgia neighborhood, were given a life sentence on Monday for perpetrating a federal hate crime.
The sentences were given to Travis McMichael, 36, and his father, Greg McMichael, 66, by U.S. District Court Judge Lisa Godbey Wood, who emphasized the seriousness of the killing in February 2020 that rocked their Brunswick community and contributed to a larger national conversation about racial injustice. 52-year-old William “Roddie” Bryan, who captured the murder on camera using his cellphone, received a 35-year prison term.
The McMichaels, who had previously been given a life sentence without the possibility of parole for the murder of Arbery, had sought the judge to have their sentences transferred to a federal facility because they were concerned for their safety in the state prison system. Wood turned down their appeal.
A federal jury found the McMichaels and Bryan guilty of violating Arbery’s civil rights in February and found that they had chosen to target him because of his color. The McMichaels were found guilty of using firearms to commit a violent crime, and all three of them were also found guilty of attempting to kidnap someone.
