The attorneys who defended Travis McMichael and William “Roddie” Bryan Jr. say they plan to appeal their clients’ murder convictions.
On Thursday, McMichael, Bryan, and Gregory McMichael were found guilty for the murder of Ahmaud Arbery.
Jason Sheffield and Bob Rubin—attorneys for Travis-told CNN that they are already discussing what courtroom they plan to appeal his conviction.
“I can tell you honestly, these men are sorry for what happened to Ahmaud Arbery,” Sheffield said. “They are sorry that he is dead, they are sorry for the tragedy that happened because of the choices that they made to go out there and try to stop him.”
“We believe the appellate courts will reverse this conviction,” Bryan’s attorney, Kevin Gough, added.
Attorney Gough was criticized for requesting that high-profile Black pastors not be allowed in the courtroom during the trial. The lawyer said, “We don’t want any more Black pastors coming in here” after Rev. Al Sharpton sat with Arbery’s family in the public gallery, ReVolt reported.
Social media users blasted the attorney’s comments, saying they were insensitive and racist, which prompted Gough to apologize.
But apparently, he wasn’t too sorry because he brought up the issue again when Rev. Jesse Jackson attended the trial.
“There is no reason for these prominent icons in the civil rights movement to be here,” he said. “With all due respect, I would suggest, whether intended or not, that inevitably a juror is going to be influenced by their presence in the courtroom.”
Superior Court Judge Timothy Walmsley disagreed and denied the request. He said he was not going to “single out any particular individual… as not being allowed into this courtroom.“
Prosecutor Linda Dunikoski said Gough’s comments about Black pastors were all a part of his plan and a sign that he was already planning for an appeal.
“Mr. Gough is a very, very good attorney and he purposefully and intentionally and strategically, I believe, did what he did in an effort to attempt to insert potentially some error into the case in case he lost the case and it went up on appeal,” she told the outlet.
With the three defendants’ justified conviction, the McMichaels and Bryan face a maximum sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole.
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