One of the three men found guilty of murdering Ahmaud Arbery needs financial assistance with his appeal fund.
The Savannah Morning News reported that William “Roddie” Bryan’s fiancée, Amy Elrod, started a GoFundMe campaign to help raise money for legal bills linked with his appeal.
Bryan’s GofundMe page had a goal of $300,000 but had only raised about $700 before it was removed, along with three other fundraisers that were discovered on his page.
According to GoFundMe, they ban all pages that raise funds for the legal defense of a violent crime.
Bryan’s lawyer, Kevin Gough, also shared one of Bryant’s GoFundMe on Facebook, but clarified that the donations were not for him.
He wrote, “Shame on GoFundMe for cancelling Roddie’s fundraiser for his appeal. Friends and family of Roddie Bryan have set up a new account online, at Spotfund, to fund what are likely to be considerable legal costs associated with his appeal. The money is NOT for me. Not a penny. Please be generous.”
Bryan’s finance set up the new account on Spotfund which reads: “I am the fiancé of William “Roddie” Bryan, the man that was found guilty of the murder of Ahmaud Arbery along with the McMichaels in Glynn County, Brunswick, Ga. Roddie was not armed and videoed the shooting which he turned over on the scene to the 1st officer. We need your help to appeal his case. Anything you can share is greatly appreciated. Thank you for your help and prayers. If you have negative comments please find a different page as they will be deleted.”
Bryan and the McMichaels are still awaiting their sentence. When jury selection for that trial begins on Feb. 7, 2022, they will also face federal hate crimes charges.
