Murder of Ahmaud Arbery

"Gregory McMichael" redirects here. For the athlete, see Greg McMichael.

Murder of Ahmaud Arbery
Pre-2013 photo of Ahmaud Arbery
LocationSatilla Shores
unincorporated Glynn County, Georgia, U.S.
Coordinates31°07′27″N 81°33′22″W / 31.12417°N 81.55611°W / 31.12417; -81.55611
DateFebruary 23, 2020 (2020-02-23)
c. 1:15 p.m.
Attack type
Murder, shooting, hate crime
VictimAhmaud Marquez Arbery
Perpetrators
  • Travis James McMichael
  • Gregory Johns McMichael
  • William Roderick Bryan, Jr.
MotiveAnti-black racism[1][2][3][4][5]
VerdictAll perpetrators guilty on all counts in federal trial
State trial:
Travis McMichael
Guilty on all charges
Gregory McMichael
Not guilty of malice murder
Guilty on remaining charges
William Bryan
Guilty of felony murder (3 counts), aggravated assault, false imprisonment, and criminal attempt to commit false imprisonment (1 count each)
ChargesState charges:

District Attorney Jackie Johnson:

  • Violating the oath of a public officer
  • Obstruction of justice
    Federal charges:
  • Interference with rights (a hate crime) (1 count each)
  • Attempted kidnapping (1 count each)
  • Using firearm during a crime of violence (1 count each for McMichaels)[7]
Sentence
Travis McMichael
Life imprisonment without the possibility of parole plus 10 years[8] (federal); plus 20 years (state)
Gregory McMichael
Life imprisonment without the possibility of parole plus 7 years[8] (federal); plus 20 years (state)
William Bryan
35 years imprisonment (federal)
Life imprisonment with the possibility of parole after 30 years[a] (state)

On February 23, 2020, Ahmaud Arbery, a 25-year-old Black man, was murdered during a racially motivated hate crime[b] while jogging in Satilla Shores, a neighborhood near Brunswick in Glynn County, Georgia.[1][2][3][4][5][9] Three white men, who later claimed to police that they assumed he was a burglar,[10][2][1][11] pursued Arbery in their trucks for several minutes, using the vehicles to block his path as he tried to run away.[12] Two of the men, Travis McMichael and his father, Gregory McMichael, were armed in one vehicle. Their neighbor, William "Roddie" Bryan, was in another vehicle. After overtaking Arbery, Travis exited his truck, pointing his weapon at Arbery. Arbery approached Travis and a physical altercation ensued, resulting in Travis fatally shooting Arbery.[3][4] Bryan recorded this confrontation and Arbery's murder on his cell phone.

Members of the Glynn County Police Department (GCPD) arrived on the scene soon after the shooting; due to Gregory McMichael's background in civil service, the responding officer referred to him on a first-name basis and no questions as to the legality of the shooting nor the validity of self-defense claims were made. Arbery was still alive at the time officers arrived on the scene.[13] No arrests were made for more than two months. The GCPD said the Brunswick District Attorney's Office first advised them to make no arrests,[14] then Waycross District Attorney George Barnhill twice advised the GCPD to make no arrests, once before he was officially assigned to the case,[15][16] and once while announcing his intention to recuse himself due to a conflict of interest.[16][17][18] At the behest of Gregory McMichael,[19] a local attorney provided Bryan's video to local radio station WGIG, which published the video on May 5.[20] The video went viral[21] on YouTube and Twitter.[22][23] The Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) arrested the McMichaels on May 7 and Bryan on May 21, charging them with felony murder and other crimes.[24][25][26]

The case was ultimately transferred to the Cobb County District Attorney's Office.[27][28][29] On June 24, 2020, a grand jury indicted each of the three men on charges of malice murder, felony murder, and other crimes.[6] Their trial began in November 2021 in the Glynn County Superior Court;[30][31] all three were convicted on November 24 of felony murder, aggravated assault, false imprisonment, and criminal attempt to commit false imprisonment.[32][33] Travis McMichael was further convicted of malice murder.[34] On January 7, 2022, the McMichaels were sentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole plus 20 years, while Bryan was sentenced to life imprisonment with the possibility of parole after 30 years.[35][36] On February 22, 2022, the three men were found guilty in a federal court of attempted kidnapping and the hate crime of interference with rights, while the McMichaels were also convicted of one count of using firearms during a crime of violence.[37][7]

The local authorities' handling of the case resulted in nationwide criticism and debates on racial profiling in the United States.[38][39] Many religious leaders, politicians, athletes, and other celebrities condemned the incident.[40] Georgia Attorney General Christopher M. Carr formally requested the intervention of the Federal Bureau of Investigation in the case on May 10, 2020, which was granted the following day.[41][42][43] Former Brunswick District Attorney Jackie Johnson was indicted in September 2021 for "showing favor and affection" to Gregory McMichael (her former subordinate) during the investigation, and for obstructing law enforcement by directing that Travis McMichael not be arrested.[44][45] In the aftermath of the murder, Georgia enacted hate crimes legislation in June 2020,[46] then repealed and replaced its citizen's arrest law in May 2021.[47]

  1. ^ a b c 'Rest in power:' Arbery's killers guilty on all federal hate-crimes charges Archived February 28, 2022, at the Wayback Machine. Reuters, Feb. 22, 2022
  2. ^ a b c Cop told hate crime defendants no evidence of Arbery stealing Archived February 28, 2022, at the Wayback Machine. PBS NewsHour, Feb. 22, 2022
  3. ^ a b c Cite error: The named reference FaussetMay10 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ a b c Mckay, Rich (October 27, 2021). "Factbox: Why a viral video is key evidence in trial of men accused of killing Ahmaud Arbery". Reuters. Archived from the original on November 22, 2021. Retrieved November 22, 2021.
  5. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference allcharges was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference FaussetIndict was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference auto2 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference FederalTrialAddition was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  9. ^ Bynum, Russ (November 25, 2021). "3 men charged in Ahmaud Arbery's death convicted of murder". Associated Press. Archived from the original on November 25, 2021. Retrieved November 25, 2021.
  10. ^ "Ahmaud Arbery: Police told McMichaels Black jogger wasn't a burglar days before shooting, prosecutor says". Independent.co.uk. November 5, 2021. Archived from the original on January 4, 2022. Retrieved March 6, 2022.
  11. ^ "Ahmaud Arbery Killers Found Guilty in Hate Crimes Case". Time. Archived from the original on March 1, 2022. Retrieved March 1, 2022.
  12. ^ Mike Hayes, Aditi Sangal and Meg Wagner (February 22, 2022). "Live updates: Ahmaud Arbery's killers found guilty on all counts in federal hate crime trial". CNN. Archived from the original on February 28, 2022. Retrieved March 1, 2022.
  13. ^ "Video Emerges, Grand Jury to Convene". May 5, 2020. Retrieved July 21, 2023.
  14. ^ Wiley, Kelly; Parker, Marilyn (May 9, 2020). "District attorney advised not to make arrests on day of Ahmaud Arbery shooting, Glynn spokesperson says". WJXT. Archived from the original on May 17, 2021. Retrieved May 18, 2021.
  15. ^ Cite error: The named reference KingMay8 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  16. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference MayesMay11 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  17. ^ Cite error: The named reference GlaweMay6 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  18. ^ Cite error: The named reference HaneyMay8 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  19. ^ Winne, Mark (May 15, 2020). "Man charged in Ahmaud Arbery murder leaked original video of the shooting". WSB-TV. Archived from the original on February 10, 2021. Retrieved May 16, 2020.
  20. ^ Cite error: The named reference WGIG was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  21. ^ Cite error: The named reference CollinsMay6 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  22. ^ Cite error: The named reference BooneMay5 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  23. ^ Cite error: The named reference BalkMay5 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  24. ^ Winsor, Morgan (May 7, 2020). "Father and son charged with murder of unarmed black man Ahmaud Arbery in Georgia". ABC News. Archived from the original on May 8, 2020. Retrieved December 1, 2021.
  25. ^ Stelloh, Tim (May 21, 2020). "Man who recorded Ahmaud Arbery's shooting death on video arrested, charged with murder". NBC News. Archived from the original on February 10, 2021. Retrieved December 1, 2021.
  26. ^ Bynum, Russ (May 21, 2020). "Man who filmed Arbery shooting video charged in his slaying". Associated Press. Archived from the original on May 31, 2020. Retrieved August 7, 2020.
  27. ^ Cite error: The named reference 4thDA was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  28. ^ Bynum, Russ (June 4, 2020). "Prosecutors describe use of racist slur as Ahmaud Arbery lay dying". Associated Press. Archived from the original on February 10, 2021. Retrieved November 30, 2021.
  29. ^ Layne, Nathan (June 4, 2020). "White defendant used racial slur after shooting Ahmaud Arbery, investigator testifies". Reuters. Archived from the original on November 1, 2021. Retrieved November 25, 2021. 'Mr. Bryan said that after the shooting took place before police arrival, while Mr. Arbery was on the ground, that he heard Travis McMichael make the statement: fucking nigger,' Dial said in testimony.
  30. ^ Cite error: The named reference restcase was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  31. ^ "Trio found guilty of Ahmaud Arbery's murder". Georgia Public Broadcasting. November 24, 2021. Archived from the original on November 25, 2021. Retrieved November 24, 2021.
  32. ^ Cite error: The named reference Bragg-Hauck was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  33. ^ Cite error: The named reference Tarik was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  34. ^ Ortiz, Erik (November 24, 2021). "Why only one defendant in Ahmaud Arbery killing was guilty of malice murder". NBC News. Archived from the original on November 26, 2021. Retrieved November 24, 2021.
  35. ^ "The sentencing of the defendants of Ahmaud Arbery's murder". CNN News. January 7, 2022. Archived from the original on January 7, 2022. Retrieved January 7, 2022.
  36. ^ Griffith, Janelle (January 7, 2022). "Three men convicted of murdering Ahmaud Arbery sentenced to life in prison". NBC News. NBC. NBC. Archived from the original on January 7, 2022. Retrieved January 7, 2022.
  37. ^ Baker, Liz (February 22, 2022). "A jury finds Ahmaud Arbery's 3 killers guilty of federal hate crimes". NPR. Archived from the original on February 24, 2022. Retrieved February 22, 2022.
  38. ^ Ellis, Nicquel Terry (May 7, 2020). "Why it took more than 2 months for murder charges and arrests in the death of Ahmaud Arbery". USA Today. Archived from the original on May 9, 2020. Retrieved May 13, 2020. The original decision not to arrest the McMichaels or Bryan, and the more than two months that passed before charges were filed, fueled outcry across the nation with attorneys for Arbery's family saying he was racially profiled.
  39. ^ Wootson, Cleve R. Jr; Brice-Saddler, Michael (May 9, 2020). "It took 74 days for suspects to be charged in the death of a black jogger. Many people are asking why it took so long". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on May 9, 2020. Retrieved May 9, 2020.
  40. ^ Cite error: The named reference Klett2020 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  41. ^ Amy, Jeff (May 10, 2020). "Georgia AG requests federal probe in handling of Arbery case". Associated Press. Archived from the original on February 10, 2021. Retrieved May 13, 2020.
  42. ^ Cite error: The named reference WileyMay8 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  43. ^ Cite error: The named reference Gazaway0506 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  44. ^ Cite error: The named reference Muller was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  45. ^ Cite error: The named reference Mangan was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  46. ^ Cite error: The named reference Donaghue was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  47. ^ Cite error: The named reference Hurt was invoked but never defined (see the help page).


Cite error: There are <ref group=lower-alpha> tags or {{efn}} templates on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=lower-alpha}} template or {{notelist}} template (see the help page).