All Three Men Found Guilty of Murdering Ahmaud Arbery
A Georgia jury has convicted all 3 of Ahmaud Arbery's killers of felony murder, placing the top charge of malice murder on Travis McMichael.
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A portrait of Ahmaud Arbery at a vigil to mark the one year anniversary of his death (Reuters)
While jogging in Georgia last year, three White men chased down Ahmaud Arbery, eventually shooting him till death.
Today, Wednesday, a jury in Brunswick, Georgia has convicted the three men of felony murder; however, the man who murdered Arbery was charged with malice murder - a top charge - whose name is Travis McMichael.
The three defendants included Travis McMichael, his father, Gregory McMichael, and their neighbor, Willian "Roddie Bryan," who were all convicted of multiple counts of murder, aggravated assault, and false imprisonment.
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Travis McMichael (left); his father, Gregory McMichael (center), and William "Roddie" Bryan (right).
A Georgia criminal defense attorney, Page Pate, commented to CNN on the matter, that the jury's decision was only logical: "In Georgia, malice murder, you have an intent to kill someone. Felony murder is you don't necessarily want to kill someone but you're committing a felony offense and someone dies as a result of it."
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The 'malice' - Travis McMichael.
Travis McMichael, who is 35-years-old, was found guilty on a total of 9 charges, including malice murder, felony murder, false imprisonment, and aggravated assault.
McMichael's lawyer, Jason Sheffield, contended that he is planning to appeal the court's decision.
Sheffield defended the murder of Arbery, saying that Travis and his father's actions were the "right" thing to do: "These are two men who honestly believed that what they were doing was the right thing to do. However, a Glynn County jury has spoken. They have found them guilty. They will be sentenced."
No pain like those of the parents
On Wednesday in the courtroom, the weeps of Wanda Cooper-Jones, Ahmaud's mother, were audible. As the first guilty verdict was announced, she sobbed loudly, crying "Oh!"
His father, Marcus, commented on the matter: “It’s been a long time coming." He was seen crying and embracing those in soldiarity outside the courtroom. He said, "He didn't do nothing... but run and dream."
