Ahmaud Arbery case: What is next for Greg and Travis McMichael, William Bryan
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By Natalie Dreier, Cox Media Group National Content Desk
BRUNSWICK, Ga. — A jury in Georgia has found Greg McMichael, his son Travis McMichael and neighbor William “Roddie” Bryan guilty in the death of Ahmaud Arbery.
Arbery was shot and killed on Feb. 23, 2020, while he was jogging. Prosecutors said Arbery’s death was racially motivated, while the defense said the three men suspected Arbery of burglarizing a home and were trying to hold him in a citizen’s arrest. They said Arbery was shot in self-defense in a struggle over Travis McMichael’s gun, WSB reported.
Travis McMichael was found guilty on all charges, including malice murder, four counts of felony murder and false imprisonment.
His father, Greg McMichael was found not guilty on one count of malice murder but was convicted of all other charges he faced, including four counts of felony murder.
McMichaels’ neighbor, William “Roddie” Bryan, also was found not guilty of malice murder, one count of felony murder and one count of aggravated assault, but was found guilty of three counts of felony murder and other charges.
Sentencing
Now that the verdict has been read, the next phase of the trial is sentencing for the three men.
When they are sentenced, they face a minimum penalty of life in prison on the murder convictions, The Associated Press reported. It could be with or without parole. If the sentence is life with parole, they must serve 30 years before they become eligible for release.
They also face a term of at least one year but no more than 20 years for the aggravated assault convictions, while false imprisonment can have a sentence of one to 10 years in prison, the AP reported.
Appeals
Appeals are expected in the case. A potential basis could be the exclusion of evidence, including the defense’s plan to introduce Arbery’s criminal record and the fact that he was on probation when he was killed. The judge ruled against the defense, the AP reported.
A federal grand jury indicted the three men in April. Their federal trial is currently scheduled to start Feb. 7.
They are each charged with interference with civil rights and attempted kidnapping.
The McMichaels also face charges of using, carrying and brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence.
Federal authorities said the trio targeted Arbery because he was Black, the AP reported.
Guilty verdict This photo combo shows, from left, Travis McMichael, William "Roddie" Bryan, and Gregory McMichael during their trial at at the Glynn County Courthouse in Brunswick, Ga. Jurors on Wednesday, Nov. 24, 2021 convicted the three white men charged in the death of Ahmaud Arbery, the Black man who was chased and fatally shot while running through their neighborhood in an attack that became part of the larger national reckoning on racial injustice. (Pool, file) (AP)
Guilty verdict William "Roddie" Bryan stands next to his attorney Kevin Gough after the jury handed down their verdict in the Glynn County Courthouse, Wednesday, Nov. 24, 2021, in Brunswick, Ga. Greg McMichael and his son, Travis McMichael, and Bryan, charged in the death of Ahmaud Arbery were convicted of murder Wednesday in the fatal shooting that became part of a larger national reckoning on racial injustice.(AP Photo/Stephen B. Morton, Pool) (Stephen B. Morton/AP)
Guilty verdict Prosecutor Linda Dunikoski, far right, plays a video the jury asked to see as part of their deliberation during the trial of Greg McMichael, his son Travis McMichael, and neighbor, William "Roddie" Bryan, Wednesday, Nov. 24, 2021, in the Glynn County Courthouse in Brunswick, Ga. The three are charged with the February 2020 slaying of 25-year-old Ahmaud Arbery. (AP Photo/Stephen B. Morton, Pool) (Stephen B. Morton/AP)
Guilty verdict Prosecutor Linda Dunikoski plays a video the jury asked to see as part of their deliberation during the trial of Greg McMichael, his son Travis McMichael, and neighbor, William "Roddie" Bryan, Wednesday, Nov. 24, 2021, in the Glynn County Courthouse in Brunswick, Ga. The three are charged with the February 2020 slaying of 25-year-old Ahmaud Arbery. (AP Photo/Stephen B. Morton, Pool) (Stephen B. Morton/AP)
Guilty verdict Defense attorney Laura Hogue, center, touches the hand of her client Greg McMichael, right, while they wait for the jury to come into to the courtroom during the trial of McMichel and his son, Travis McMichael, and a neighbor, William "Roddie" Bryan in the Glynn County Courthouse, Wednesday, Nov. 24, 2021, in Brunswick, Ga. The three are charged with the February 2020 slaying of 25-year-old Ahmaud Arbery. (AP Photo/Stephen B. Morton, Pool) (Stephen B. Morton/AP)
Guilty verdict Defense attorney Franklin Hogue, center, watches a video clip the jury asked to see as part of their deliberation during the trial of Greg McMichael, his son Travis McMichael, and neighbor, William "Roddie" Bryan, Wednesday, Nov. 24, 2021, in the Glynn County Courthouse in Brunswick, Ga. The three are charged with the February 2020 slaying of 25-year-old Ahmaud Arbery. (AP Photo/Stephen B. Morton, Pool) (Stephen B. Morton/AP)
Guilty verdict Greg McMichael, center, and his son, Travis McMichael, left,, look at family members seated in the gallery when they walk into the courtroom for the reading of the jury's verdict in the Glynn County Courthouse, Wednesday, Nov. 24, 2021, in Brunswick, Ga. McMichael and his son, Travis McMichael, and a neighbor, William "Roddie" Bryan, charged in the death of Ahmaud Arbery were convicted of murder Wednesday in the fatal shooting that became part of a larger national reckoning on racial injustice.(AP Photo/Stephen B. Morton, Pool) (Stephen B. Morton/AP)
Guilty verdict Ahmaud Arbery's father Marcus Arbery, center, his hugged by his attorney Benjamin Crump after the jury convicted Travis McMichael in the Glynn County Courthouse, Wednesday, Nov. 24, 2021, in Brunswick, Ga. (AP Photo/Stephen B. Morton, Pool) (Stephen B. Morton/AP)
Guilty verdict Defendant Travis McMichael watches a video clip the jury asked to see as part of their deliberation during the trial of McMichael, his father Greg McMichael, and neighbor, William "Roddie" Bryan, Wednesday, Nov. 24, 2021, in the Glynn County Courthouse in Brunswick, Ga. The three are charged with the February 2020 slaying of 25-year-old Ahmaud Arbery. (AP Photo/Stephen B. Morton, Pool) (Stephen B. Morton/AP)
Guilty verdict Ahmaud Arbery's mother, Wanda Cooper-Jones breaks down after the jury convicted Travis McMichael in the Glynn County Courthouse, Wednesday, Nov. 24, 2021, in Brunswick, Ga. (AP Photo/Stephen B. Morton, Pool) (Stephen B. Morton/AP)
Guilty verdict Travis McMichael looks back at his mother and sister in the courtroom after the jury convicted him for the murder of Ahmaud Arbery in the Glynn County Courthouse, Wednesday, Nov. 24, 2021, in Brunswick, Ga. Greg McMichael and his son, Travis and a neighbor, William "Roddie" Bryan, charged in the death of Ahmaud Arbery were convicted of murder Wednesday in the fatal shooting that became part of a larger national reckoning on racial injustice.(AP Photo/Stephen B. Morton, Pool) (Stephen B. Morton/AP)
Guilty verdict Superior Court Judge Timothy Walmsley clarifies a jury request to view a short video clip as part of their deliberation during the trial of Greg McMichael, his son Travis McMichael, and neighbor, William "Roddie" Bryan, Wednesday, Nov. 24, 2021, in the Glynn County Courthouse in Brunswick, Ga. The three are charged with the February 2020 slaying of 25-year-old Ahmaud Arbery. (AP Photo/Stephen B. Morton, Pool) (Stephen B. Morton/AP)
Guilty verdict Ahmaud Arbery's father Marcus Arbery, center, his hugged by his attorney Benjamin Crump after the jury convicted Travis McMichael in the Glynn County Courthouse, Wednesday, Nov. 24, 2021, in Brunswick, Ga. Greg McMichael and his son, Travis McMichael, and a neighbor, William "Roddie" Bryan were convicted of murder Wednesday in the fatal shooting that became part of a larger national reckoning on racial injustice.(AP Photo/Stephen B. Morton, Pool) (Stephen B. Morton/AP)
Guilty verdict Tears streak down the cheek of Ahmaud Arbery's mother Wanda Cooper-Jones after the jury convicted Travis McMichael in the Glynn County Courthouse, Wednesday, Nov. 24, 2021, in Brunswick, Ga. (AP Photo/Stephen B. Morton, Pool) (Stephen B. Morton/AP)
Guilty verdict Defense attorney Laura Hogue, center, speaks to her client Greg McMichael, right, while they wait for the jury to come into to the courtroom during the trial of McMichel and his son, Travis McMichael, and a neighbor, William "Roddie" Bryan in the Glynn County Courthouse, Wednesday, Nov. 24, 2021, in Brunswick, Ga. The three are charged with the February 2020 slaying of 25-year-old Ahmaud Arbery. (AP Photo/Stephen B. Morton, Pool) (Stephen B. Morton/AP)