The white men who brutally ran down and murdered Ahmaud Arbery have received lengthy sentences for hate crimes stemming from his death.
On Monday, Greg McMichael and his son Travis McMichael were given an additional life sentence for their federal hate crime charges. Their neighbor William “Roddie” Bryan, who accompanied them in chasing Arbery that fateful February 2020 day, was sentenced to 35 years for the hate crime charges against him. He did not receive the same amount of time as his neighbors because he did not bring a weapon to chase Arbery.
In November, the men were convicted of murder in the state trial. In February, all three men were found guilty of violating Arbery’s civil rights and targeting him solely because he was a Black man. The 25-year-old was jogging in a Brunswick, Georgia, neighborhood when the men followed him. The McMichaels rode in their vehicle while Bryan followed closely behind, filming the encounter. Once the McMichaels caught up to Arbery, they violently confronted him, with Travis ultimately shooting him. Arbery was unarmed and posed no threat to the men.
Travis asked to serve his time in federal prison, citing potential threats of violence in state prison. Greg requested the same due to more favorable conditions. U.S. District Court Judge Lisa Godbey Wood denied the requests.
Greg expressed remorse at his sentencing, maintaining that he nor Travis ever sought to kill Arbery.
“The loss you’ve endured is beyond description. There’s no words for it,” he said.
