▲ William Roddie Bryan (left), Greg and Travis McMichael, who are father and son, hoped that despite being convicted of the murder of Ahmaud Arbery on the night of February 23, 2020, the judge would grant them parole Afp photo
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La Jornada newspaper of Saturday January 8, 2022, p. 19
Brunswick. Three white men who had been convicted of murder for prosecuting and killing Ahmaud Arbery were sentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole yesterday, among those sentenced are a father and son, who murdered Arbery, a black man 25-year-old who practiced in his neighborhood, but the attackers assumed he was a thief. The three armed themselves, then chased Arbery in their cars and committed suicide.
Murder carries a mandatory life sentence under Georgian law, unless prosecutors request the death penalty, which was not done in this case.
For Superior Court Judge Timothy Walmsley, the main decision was to grant Greg and Travis McMichael and their neighbor, William Roddie Bryan, an opportunity for parole.
They make a sentence more flexible
The judge ordered the McMichaels to serve life in prison without parole. Bryan, 52, was granted the option of early release after serving 30 years in prison.
Walmsley said that on February 23, 2020, Arbery left his home to jog and ended up running for his life for five minutes as gunmen chased him in vans.
Prior to sentencing, Walmsley ordered a minute of silence to help gauge what that five minute chase against Arbery must have been.
Jasmine Arbery, the victim’s sister, told the judge her brother had dark skin that glistened in the sun, thick curly hair and an athletic build, factors that made him a target for his hunters.
Wanda Cooper Jones recalled how defense attorneys for the killers accused her son of making bad decisions that led to his death.
It was not a case of identity confusion… They chose to attack my son because they did not want him in their community. They decided to treat him differently from other people who frequently visited their community. When they couldn’t scare him, they killed him.
The judge’s sentences coincided with the recommendation of prosecutor Linda Dunikosk.
Robert Rubin, one of Travis McMichael’s defense attorneys, argued his client, 35, deserved the possibility of parole. He said Travis only opened fire after Mr. Arbery approached him and picked up the gun. But Rubin also admitted that his client’s decisions to arm and prosecute Arbery were reckless. but they are not proof of a soul so blackened that it deserves to spend the rest of its life in prison.
Greg McMichael’s attorney, Laura Hogue, said his client had no intention of putting Arbery to death and that she had never drawn her gun until her son had fired his rifle. hunt.
Bryan’s attorney said Bryan showed remorse and cooperated with the police, putting video of the shooting on his cell phone to help them uncover the truth.