USA: Life imprisonment for three white men convicted of the murder of Ahmad Arbari in Georgia
Travis McMichael and his father Gregory, who attacked Arbury, a 25-year-old black man, were sentenced to spend the rest of their lives in prison.
In contrast, their neighbor, who filmed the murder, will be able to apply for pardon after 30 years in prison.
In February, the three are also expected to stand trial in federal court, where they will be charged with hate crime.
News agencies
08/01/2022
Saturday, 08 January 2022, 01:20 Updated: 04:47
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Documentation of shooting of a young man in Georgia (Photo: Reuters)
A court in Georgia in the United States sentenced last night (Friday) to life in prison for three people who were involved in the murder of Ahmad Arbari, a 25-year-old black man, about two years ago.
Two of them, Travis McMichael and his father Gregory McMichael, were sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of receiving a pardon, while the third, their neighbor William Bryan, was given a lighter sentence with the possibility of receiving a pardon after 30 years.
The three men, Travis McMichael, 35, his father Gregory McMichael, 66, and their neighbor, William Bryan, 52, were convicted of a range of offenses, including murder, aggravated assault, false imprisonment and criminal intent to commit a crime.
The main question before Judge Timothy Wolmsley was whether to allow each of them to be pardoned after 30 years in prison - which is the earliest opportunity to receive it as part of their sentence under Georgia law.
Chief Prosecutor Linda Donikowski demanded that the judge rule out the possibility of pardoning the sentence of son and father McMichael, arguing that the two showed intent and remorse for the murder, as well as problematic behavior of taking the law into their own hands.
"There was no remorse and certainly no empathy on any of them," she noted.
As for their neighbor Brian said he should be allowed to be pardoned after 30 years because he collaborated with investigators.
More on Walla!
USA: Three whites who shot a young black man while running were convicted of murder
To the full article
Life imprisonment for the three defendants.
From right to left: Travis and Gregory McMichael and William Brian (Photo: Reuters)
The three were arrested about two years ago, after the case provoked great public outrage with the publication of his documentation, which was filmed by Brian.
The documentation shows Arberry running on a running track on the side of the road and then passing a truck carrying two people, who started attacking him, and later shooting him, until he collapsed.
According to the three, they acted in self-defense because they suspected that Barbary was a burglar.
In contrast, the prosecution argued that their motive was racist.
The jury, made up mostly of white people, debated for about ten hours before making its ruling last November.
Finally, the trio was found guilty of murder, aggravated assault, false imprisonment and criminal intent to commit a crime.
Documentation of Arbury's murder (Photo: Official website, screenshot)
"They were fully responsible for their crimes. That they would also be held accountable for the consequences of the crimes," Wanda Cooper-Jones, Ahmad Arbari's mother, said after the verdict.
In February the three men will face another trial in a federal hate crime case, alleging they attacked Arbury because he is black.
The selection of the jury in this trial will begin in about a month.
"I will be there every day," Cooper-Jones promised, "they have to explain all the charges against them."
She noted that in recent days the federal prosecutors have made a difficult case with her, asking her if she would feel comfortable signing a plea deal.
In response she replied that she would rather go to trial.
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