Ahmaud Arbery's killers are convicted of hate crime charges two years after his murder

3 Men Convicted Of Hate Crime Charges In Murder Of Ahmaud Arbery

Three men were convicted of hate crime charges in the murder of Ahmaud Arbery after a federal trial in which the government argued that they were motivated by racism when they fatally shot Arbery in February 2020.

Gregory McMichael, Travis McMichael and William “Roddie” Bryan were also convicted of attempted kidnapping charges stemming from the murder.

The jury of eight white people, three Black people and one Hispanic person came to an unanimous decision on Tuesday in the U.S. District Court in Brunswick, Georgia. Jurors began deliberating on Monday after prosecutors and the defense gave their closing arguments.

Prosecutors ended Monday’s closing statements arguing the three men, who are all white, associated Arbery’s “Black skin with criminality” when he was killed in broad daylight.

“They didn’t just make racial assumptions, they made racial decisions,” Christopher Perras, a special litigation counsel for the Department of Justice’s civil rights division, said.

Throughout the trial, prosecutors presented evidence of racist statements made by Travis McMichael, the man who fatally shot Arbery, in the years and months before Arbery was murdered. Amy Vaughn, an FBI intelligence analyst, testified about text messages where Travis McMichael made several racist comments toward Black people, as well as comments he made to friends on social media.

The racist messages and statements made by the men were key evidence throughout the trial, a stark contrast compared to the state murder trial that focused on whether or not the men committed murder when they killed Arbery.

The jury’s verdict comes just a day before the two-year anniversary of Arbery’s murder on Feb. 23, 2020. Prominent civil rights attorney Benjamin Crump released a statement on unanimous decision made by jurors on Tuesday.

“Tomorrow marks two years since Ahmaud Arbery was stalked, trapped, and murdered in cold blood as he jogged through his Brunswick neighborhood. And today, after much sorrow, grief, and pain, Ahmaud’s family can finally put this chapter behind them. For the last 24 months, they’ve dedicated themselves to getting justice for their son,” Crump said in a statement.

Crump went on to add that there was never any “doubt” that the McMichaels and Bryan chased and killed Arbery because he was Black. He said the prosecution “revealed to the world” what their views were through text messages, testimony and video evidence.

“Ahmaud Arbery was denied the opportunity to define his own legacy, but America, we have the power to ensure that it is one that propels our fight for equal justice and dispels hate from this world. That is how we continue to honor Ahmaud and make sure his death was not in vain.”

The U.S. is imposing sanctions on Russia and redeploying troops within Europe to respond to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s decision to call for the breakup of Ukraine and send troops into that country, President Joe Biden said Tuesday. “Who in the Lord’s name does Putin think gives him the right to declare new so-called countries on territories that belong to his neighbors?” Biden asked. The president said the sanctions would hit two major Russian banks and make it harder for Moscow to raise money by selling its sovereign debt. Meanwhile, the U.S. will send U.S. soldiers from elsewhere in Europe to Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania — countries that were formerly part of the Soviet Union but have since become democracies and U.S. allies as part of the NATO military alliance.

Federal officials have come up with a list of potential replacement names for hundreds of geographic features in three dozen states that include the word “squaw,” kicking off a public comment period that will run through late April. U.S. Interior Secretary Deb Haaland in November formally declared the term derogatory and initiated a process to remove the word from use by the federal government and to replace other existing derogatory place names. Haaland said in a statement Tuesday that words matter, particularly as the agency works to make the nation’s public lands and waters accessible and welcoming to people of all backgrounds. “Consideration of these replacements is a big step forward in our efforts to remove derogatory terms whose expiration dates are long overdue,” she said. “Throughout this process, broad engagement with tribes, stakeholders and the general public will help us advance our goals of equity and inclusion.”

The suspect in a mass shooting that left a woman dead and several others injured in Portland, Oregon, often railed against anti-racism protesters and the homeless, according to his roommate, OregonLive reported. The Portland Police Bureau identified Ben Smith, 43, as the shooter on Tuesday. On Sunday night, Smith got into a confrontation with anti-racism protesters who were showing their support for Amir Locke, a Black gun owner killed by Minneapolis police earlier this month.

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