
Guilty
Three racists sentenced to life for the murder of black jogger Ahmaud Arbery
Three white men convicted last year of murdering black jogger Ahmaud Arbery in the US state of Georgia have been found guilty of federal hate crimes.
Travis McMichael, his father Gregory McMichael, and their neighbor William “Roddie” Bryan were convicted on the additional charges on Tuesday after pleading not guilty to targeting Arbery because of his race. The 25-year-old, who was out jogging in Brunswick, Georgia, was followed by the three men in their vehicles before they confronted and shot him.
“They were motivated by racial assumption, racial resentment and racial anger,” Justice Department special litigator Christopher Perras said on Monday during his closing arguments, claiming “they saw a black man in their neighborhood and they thought the worst of him.”
However, Amy Lee Copeland, attorney for Travis McMichael, countered that the three men would have killed Arbery even if he had been white, arguing it was his behavior, not his race, that drew their attention. The three men recognized Arbery from previous videos a neighbor had shot of a person “lurking” around a vacant house under construction in the area, their lawyers said, insisting they were merely trying to protect the neighborhood.
The prosecution pointed out that Travis’ social media included multiple posts in which he called black people “monkeys” and “subhuman savages,” while his father’s included “a racist rant about black people.” Bryan, too, deployed a racial slur online when he discovered his daughter was dating a black man.
While the men had initially agreed to plead guilty to the hate crimes charges, the judge rejected the deal – though not before Travis McMichael admitted in court that he had singled out Arbery due to his “race and color.” Last month, all three men were convicted on multiple counts of murder, along with attempted kidnapping charges, receiving sentences of life in prison. The two McMichaels were sentenced to life without parole.
Source AP/RT
About Post Author
felastory
Share this:
- Click to print (Opens in new window)
- Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
- Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)
- Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window)
- Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
- Click to share on Pocket (Opens in new window)
- Click to share on Telegram (Opens in new window)
- Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window)
- Click to share on Skype (Opens in new window)
- Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window)
More Stories
Illegitimate Election
United States confirms widespread violence and voter suppression during the gubernatorial elections in the Nigerian states of Lagos and Kano...
Obstacle to Peace
White House rejects any form of ceasefire in the West's proxy war in Ukraine insisting on fighting Russia till the...
Stormy America
Former US President Donald Trump calls for protests after hinting he would be arrested on Tuesday over payments to porn...
America Braces for Violent Protests
US federal, state and local security agencies go on full alert following a possible arrest of former President Donald Trump...
Cocaine Production High
United Nations Office for Drugs and Crime says cocaine production is back and higher than pre-pandemic levels Production of coca,...
US Opposes Chinese Bases in Africa
Head of the US Africa Command tells senate panel that Chinese bases in Africa will be a threat to the...
Average Rating