Ahmaud Arbery murderers found guilty of federal hate crimes

A jury on Tuesday found the three white men sentenced to life for the murder of Ahmaud Arbery guilty of federal hate crimes and attempted kidnapping.

Driving the news: Father and son, Gregory and Travis McMichael, and their former neighbor William Bryan, chased Arbery, a 25-year-old Black man, and killed him while he was running in a neighborhood just out Brunswick, Ga., nearly two years ago.

Prosecutors argued that “pent-up racial anger” motivated the men to chase down and shoot Arbery.

• They presented nearly two dozen racist messages and social media posts, including Travis McMichael’s regular reference to Black people as “savages” and “monkeys”
• Defense attorneys argued the three men did not chase and kill Arbery because of his race.

The men on Monday were found guilty of all counts, including interference with rights and and attempted kidnapping.

• The McMichaels were also found guilty of firearm charges.
• The jury in the hate crimes trial included eight white people, three Black people and one Hispanic person.

What they’re saying: Speaking to reporters after trial testimony last week, Arbery’s father, Marcus, said “I ain’t really in shock,” according to the AJC.

• “I knew all that hate was in those men. … It’s hard, but I’m just glad the world can see this.”

The big picture: The three men were convicted last November for Arbery’s Feb. 23, 2020, murder on a street in the Satilla Shores neighborhood in Glynn County, Ga.

• The McMichaels were sentenced to life in state prison without parole, while Bryan was sentenced to life with the possibility of parole.
• Prosecutors only pursued the case after a video of the killing went viral in May 2020, sparking national anger.

Editor’s note: This story has been updated with additional details throughout.