McMichaels Handed Second Life Sentences for Federal Hate Crime Convictions in Arbery Killing

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - US District Court Judge Lisa Godbey Wood sentenced the three men convicted of murdering Ahmaud Arbery for additional hate crime charges, giving defendants Travis and Greg McMichael another life sentence each for the federal violations in addition to life sentences they received for murder by a state court.

The court on Monday also sentenced William "Roddie" Bryan to 447 months with 27 months' time served on top of his life sentence for the role he played in the incident.

Bryan and the McMichaels were convicted in November on charges of murder, aggravated assault and false imprisonment for shooting and killing Arbery, a Black man, while he was out jogging in a Georgia neighborhood in February 2020.

The incident of the three men chasing Arbery in their trucks and shooting him dead gained widespread attention after footage of the murder went viral in May 2020.

The McMichaels received life sentences without the possibility of parole for the initial criminal conviction, while Bryan received a life sentence with the possibility of parole.

This combination of handout photos created on June 24, 2020 using booking photos released by the Glynn County Sheriff's Office in Georgia shows (from L) William Roderick Bryan, Gregory McMichael and his son, Travis McMichael.

© AFP 2023 / Glynn County Sheriff's Office / AFP

In February, a jury also found the men guilty on federal hate crime charges for using force or threats of force to intimidate and interfere with Arbery’s right to use a public street on account of his race.

The court also denied attempts by defense attorneys to allow the McMichaels to begin their sentences in federal prison to allow for their safety while tensions surrounding their case subside. Godbey Wood sided with prosecutors, who cited case law showing that the state court’s sentence has primary jurisdiction as the place of first conviction.