Photos: YouTube\Screenshot
On Tuesday, the three white murderers of Ahmaud Arbery were convicted of all counts in a federal hate crimes trial–one day before the second anniversary of the murder, which occured on Feb. 23rd 2020.
Travis McMichael, 36, his father Gregory McMichael, 66, and William “Roddy” Bryant, 52, were found guilty of all the federal charges after four hours of deliberations. The three vigilante killers were convicted in criminal court for murdering Arbery in November and were given life sentences, without the possibility of parole–except for Bryant, who will be eligible after 30 years.
Arbery, a frequent jogger, was chased down by the McMichaels and Bryant, before being shot by Travis McMichael. While Arbery lay bleeding, but still alive, Travis McMichael said, “fucking nigger.”
During the trial, much evidence regarding the racism of the defendants was introduced.
Prosecutors say Travis McMichael often referred to Black people as “animals,” “criminals,” “monkeys,” and “subhuman savages.”
In one text message Travis McMichael discussed how happy he was with his new government contractor job, after leaving the Coast Guard, saying: “Love it, zero niggers work with me.”
His father, Gregory McMichael, was shown to have posted a social media statement, in 2016, saying “White Irish slaves were treated worse than any other race in the U.S.”
The elder McMichael also made this disparaging statement regarding civil rights icon Julian Bond: “should have been put in the ground years ago. He was nothing but trouble. Those Blacks are nothing but trouble.”
William Bryant’s racism was displayed in relation to how he reacted by his daughter dating a Black man. He reportedly repeatedly referred to his daughter’s boyfriend as a nigger.
During the case, the defendants’ lawyers never disputed their repeated use of racist slurs but said their racism had no bearing on their actions which led to Ahmaud Arbery’s death.
