In a recent ruling, a U.S. federal appeals court affirmed the hate crime convictions of three Caucasian individuals who pursued Ahmaud Arbery in their Georgia community using pickup trucks, ultimately resulting in the fatal shooting of the Black victim. The 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals’ three-judge panel deliberated for over a year before upholding the convictions, despite defense arguments in March 2024 aiming to overturn the case by discrediting the prosecution’s evidence linking the defendants’ racist communications to Arbery’s race-based targeting.
The court’s written opinion, authored by Judge Elizabeth L. Branch, emphasized that the prosecutors successfully demonstrated the defendants’ deep-seated prejudice, leading a rational juror to conclude that Arbery’s race significantly influenced the deadly pursuit. Even if the hate crime convictions were overturned, the trio would still serve life sentences for murder as handed down by a Georgia state court.
The incident, which sparked national outrage, involved father and son Greg and Travis McMichael, alongside neighbor William (Roddie) Bryan, chasing and fatally shooting Arbery in February 2020. The pursuit, captured on Bryan’s cellphone video, remained unresolved for months until public outcry and the leaked recording prompted legal action by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, resulting in charges against the three men.
Following their murder convictions in 2021, the trio faced a second trial in early 2022, where a federal jury found them guilty of hate crimes and attempted kidnapping. Despite ongoing legal proceedings, the attorneys for Greg McMichael, Travis McMichael, and Bryan refrained from immediate comments on the appellate ruling.
Criticism was directed at the prosecution’s utilization of the defendants’ racist social media posts and text messages during the federal appeals, with defense lawyers arguing that the content unfairly swayed the jury’s perception without proving a direct racist intent toward Arbery. The judges dismissed these claims, highlighting the absence of evidence linking Arbery to any criminal activities at the time of the incident.
In her defense of Travis McMichael, lawyer Amy Lee Copeland did not contest the racial motivation behind her client’s actions but focused on legal technicalities, challenging the indictment’s characterization of the neighborhood roads as public. However, this argument was rejected by the 11th Circuit. The sentencing for the McMichaels included life imprisonment for the hate crimes, with additional years for firearm-related charges, while Bryan received a 35-year prison term for his role in the incident, given his unarmed status and the critical video evidence he provided.