A judge in Georgia sentenced Travis McMichael, Gregory McMichael and William “Roddie” Bryan to life in prison on Friday for the murder of Ahmaud Arbery, a Black man who was running through their mostly white neighborhood in February 2020 when they chased him down and killed him.

Under Georgia law, murder carries a mandatory life sentence unless prosecutors seek the death penalty. For the judge, Timothy Walmsley, the main decision was whether to grant father and son Greg McMichael, 66, and Travis McMichael, 35, and their neighbor, Bryan, 52, a chance to earn parole.

Arbery’s family had made powerful statements, asking Walmsley to show no leniency.
Before sentencing, Walmsley said: “Ahmaud Arbery was hunted down and shot, and he was killed because individuals here in the courtroom took the law into their own hands.”

Walmsley said Arbery left his home for a jog and ended up running for his life for five minutes as the men chased him in pickup trucks then cornered him. The judge paused for a minute, to help drive home a sense of what that time must have been like for Arbery.

“When I thought about this,” he said, “I thought from a lot of different angles. I kept coming back to the terror that must have been in the mind of the young man running through Satilla Shores.”

The McMichaels will spend the rest of their lives in prison. Walmsley ruled that Bryan could seek parole after 30 years, the minimum sentence allowed.

Arbery’s mother said she suffered an intense loss made worse by a trial where the men’s defense was that Arbery made bad choices.

“This wasn’t a case of mistaken identity or mistaken fact,” Wanda Cooper-Jones said
They chose to target my son because they didn’t want him in their community. They chose to treat him differently than other people who frequently visited their community. And when they couldn’t sufficiently scare or intimidate him, they killed him.”

Marcus Arbery Sr, Ahmaud’s father, also addressed the court. He said: “When I close my eyes, I see his execution in my mind, over and over. I will see that for the rest of my life.

“Not only did they lynch my son in broad daylight, they killed him while he was doing what he loved more than anything: running. That’s when he felt most alive, most free, and they took all that from him.”

Arbery’s sister, Jasmine Arbery, described her brother as a positive thinker with a big personality. Weeping, she told the judge her brother had dark skin “that glistened in the sunlight” and “thick, curly hair and an athletic build”.

“These are the qualities that made these men assume that Ahmaud was a dangerous criminal and chase him with guns drawn,” she said. “To me, those qualities reflect a young man full of life and energy who looked like me and the people I love

Prosecutor Linda Dunikoski asked the judge for life without parole for the McMichaels and the possibility of parole for Bryan. But she said all deserved that mandatory life sentence.

The McMichaels grabbed guns and jumped in a truck to chase Arbery, 25, after spotting him running on 23 February 2020. Bryan joined the pursuit and recorded video of Travis McMichael firing close-range shotgun blasts.

The killing went largely unnoticed until two months later, when video was leaked, touching off a national outcry. The Georgia bureau of investigation arrested all three men.

I remember watching that horrific and heartbreaking video.
Too many black men have been killed in America including George Floyd.

Racism is the reason i fear USA and other Asian countries, as a black man you can be killed simply because of your skin color

a Black man who was running through their mostly white neighborhood in February 2020 when they chased him down and killed him.

Racism mediated killing

Verdict -- Good judgement

Truthisunique2:
a Black man who was running through their mostly white neighborhood in February 2020 when they chased him down and killed him.

Racism mediated killing

Verdict -- Good judgement

It's comeuppance, they should all rot in prison

Na wa oo

This gave me goosebumps.



How an old man ,his son and neighbour used truck and gun to track down and kill this

harmless boy just jogging to keep fit while filming it is horrifying for me.


His last moments must've been blood chilling and full of horror .

I saw the video and I almost cried

The white guys were driving when they saw the black guy running , so they chased him , the first guy shot him he fell and was struggling till the second guy shot him to death.

That's one benefit of living in a sane country where things works.

PrinceOfLagos:
I saw the video and I almost cried

The white guys where driving when they saw the black guy running , so they chased him , the first guy shot him he fell and was struggling till the second guy shot him to death.

I almost shed tears that day after watching the video as well.

Brexxit:
That's one benefit of living in a sane country where things works.

this is a very rare case under the current democratic administration, thank God both George Floyd and Ahmad arbery got justice.

This wouldn't have happened under Donald trump since he's a white supremacist who condone such devilish act, sadly so many Nigerians worship him

My god. which crime did he commit?
Even if he committed a crime is this how to end a man's life

-its moments like this I wish capital punishment in form of the death penalty was still active-

Hanging to be specific.

Aidejay:

My god. which crime did he commit?
Even if he committed a crime is this how to end a man's life

-its moments like this I wish capital punishment in form of the death penalty was still active-

Hanging to be specific.

he didn't do anything, he was brutally killed because of his skin colour

Justice has been serve case close.

Those 3 white american men deserved that jail sentence. Imagine killing another human being not because he did anything wrong but because of the color of his skin. Racism will never end in America same way tribalism will never end in Nigeria. The spirit of hate is indeed a demon.

They should be killed asap.

Brexxit:
That's one benefit of living in a sane country where things works.

There is nothing "sane" about America. In SANE countries, people don't get murdered due to the color of their skin. What you need to understand is that what really got this 3 white men convicted was the video evidence. White americans have been killing innocent black men and women for centuries and getting away with it. But then came the Internet and tech devices like android phones and Iphones that allows you to record stuff and take pictures. That became a blessing for Black people because now, when Black people get needlessly attacked or killed by white racists, it gets caught on camera and posted on social media which then makes it difficult for the racist judicial system in america to exonerate these white racists who murder Black people for no other reason but due to the color of their skin. Today, Black people in America record any incidence that happens to them because they know white people can lie like their father lucifer / satan when in actuality, whites are the aggressors and they then turn around and blame an innocent Black person.

doggedfighter:
This gave me goosebumps.



How an old man ,his son and neighbour used truck and gun to track down and kill this

harmless boy just jogging to keep fit while filming it is horrifying for me.


His last moments must've been hair raising and full of horror.

very bloodcurdling, those sanguinary folks deserve this punishment.

dasparrow:
Those 3 white american men deserved that jail sentence. Imagine killing another human being not because he did anything wrong but because of the color of his skin. Racism will never end in America same way tribalism will never end in Nigeria. The spirit of hate is indeed a demon.

I don't know why people hate their fellow human beings, why taking a life you cannot create

chatinent:
They should be killed asap.

I concur bro

May the soul of the black guy RIP