Three men found guilty of murdering black jogger in Georgia
Three white men who chased and shot a black man in Georgia last February have been convicted of his murder.
Ahmaud Arbery, 25, was pursued and cornered by Travis McMichael, 35, his father Gregory McMichael, 65, and their neighbour William ‘Roddie’ Bryan, 52, on 23 February 2020 in Satilla Shores just outside the city of Brunswick.
Mr Arbery was then shot by Travis McMichael.
A woman raises a fist as she reacts outside the courthouse in Georgia
All three defendants had pleaded not guilty to nine charges each including murder, aggravated assault and false imprisonment for the killing of Mr Arbery who was out running.
As the first of the verdicts was read out in court, one of Mr Arbery’s family members screamed with relief.
He was removed from the court before the remaining verdicts were read out by the judge one by one for each of the three men.
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Moment all three Arbery defendants found guilty
Mr Arbery’s murder was caught on video which had been filmed by the third defendant, Mr Bryan.
He was seen being chased by the three men in two vehicles. After being pursued for about five minutes, Mr Arbery was cornered by the vehicles. He was then shot with a 12 bore shotgun held by Travis McMichael.
Defendant Travis McMichael shot Mr Arbery, after he, his father and a neighbour had followed him
The jury had been presented with two different accounts of what had happened. The defence lawyers had argued that their clients had pursued Mr Arbery because they’d seen him entering a house under construction without permission.
It had been argued that he was not a jogger but a burglar. The three defendants had claimed that they had tried to carry out a citizen’s arrest and that Travis McMichael had only opened fire in self-defence after Mr Arbery violently resisted.
“Ahmaud Arbery was not an innocent victim,” the defence attorney had argued.
But the prosecution rejected this account, saying that the men had “penned him in like a rat” and that they had no cause to chase him when he was running through their neighbourhood.
It was argued successfully that citizens arrests require immediate knowledge of a crime. Trespass is a misdemeanour, not a felony and no evidence was ever presented to show that Mr Arbery had stolen anything.
Mr Arbery’s family lawyers said that the three men who chased and killed him were a “posse who performed a modern lynching in the middle of the day”.
At the time of the murder, then-President Donald Trump had commented on the case saying: “My heart goes out to the parents and the loved ones of the young man.”
President Joe Biden had said that “the video is clear: Ahmaud Arbery was killed in cold blood.”
At the time, the police did not arrest the three men and no charges were brought. They were only arrested months later.
Defense attorney Laura Hogue speaks to her client Greg McMichael
All three men faced 27 charges including malice murder (intentional murder), felony murder, aggravated assault, false imprisonment and a criminal attempt to commit a felony.
Travis McMichael, who fired the weapon, was found guilty of all charges – one count ‘malice murder’, four counts of felony murder, two counts of aggravated assault, one count of false imprisonment and one count of a criminal attempt to commit a felony.
His father, Gregory McMichael was found not guilty of the malice murder charge but guilty of all the other charges.
Their neighbour, William ‘Roddie’ Bryan, who was in a separate car in pursuit of Mr Arbury, was found not guilty of the malice murder charge, not guilty of one of the felony murder charges and not guilty of one of the aggravated assault charges but guilty of all remaining charges.
William ‘Roddie’ Bryan was a neighbour who joined the chase. Pic: AP
Outside court, referring to the jury, civil rights activist, Rev Al Sharpton said: “A jury of eleven whites in court said that black lives DO matter… All whites are not racist and all blacks are not worthless.”
Following the guilty verdicts, Mr Biden said: “Ahmaud Arbery’s killing – witnessed by the world on video – is a devastating reminder of how far we have to go in the fight for racial justice in this country.
“Mr Arbery should be here today, celebrating the holidays with his mother, Wanda Cooper Jones, and his father, Marcus Arbery.
Wanda Cooper-Jones, mother of Ahmaud Arbery, arrives to the Glynn County Courthouse
“Nothing can bring Mr Arbery back to his family and to his community, but the verdict ensures that those who committed this horrible crime will be punished.
“While the guilty verdicts reflect our justice system doing its job, that alone is not enough. Instead, we must recommit ourselves to building a future of unity and shared strength, where no one fears violence because of the colour of their skin.
“My administration will continue to do the hard work to ensure that equal justice under law is not just a phrase emblazoned in stone above the Supreme Court, but a reality for all Americans.
US
Donald Trump on day one: Pace of change ‘like nothing you’ve seen in history’, warns campaign official
Within hours of taking office, president-elect Donald Trump plans to begin rolling out policies including large-scale deportations, according to his transition team.
Sky News partner network NBC News has spoken with more than half a dozen people familiar with the executive orders that his team plans to enact.
One campaign official said changes are expected at a pace that is “like nothing you’ve seen in history”, to signal a dramatic break from President Joe Biden’s administration.
Mr Trump is preparing on day one to overturn specific policies put in place by Mr Biden. Among the measures, reported by sources close to the transition team, are:
• The speedy and large-scale deportations of illegal immigrants
• Ending travel reimbursement for military members seeking abortion care
• Restricting transgender service members’ access to gender-affirming care
But much of the first day is likely to focus on stopping illegal immigration – the centrepiece of Trump’s candidacy. He is expected to sign up to five executive orders aimed at dealing with that issue alone after he is sworn in on 20 January.
“There will without question be a lot of movement quickly, likely day one, on the immigration front,” a top Trump ally said.
“There will be a push to make a huge early show and assert himself to show his campaign promises were not hollow.”
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Donald Trump ally Matt Gaetz has withdrawn his name from consideration to be the next US attorney general.
But Mr Trump’s campaign pledges also could be difficult to implement.
Deporting people on the scale he wants will be a logistical challenge that could take years. Questions also remain about promised tax cuts.
Meanwhile, his pledge to end the war between Russia and Ukraine in just 24 hours would be near impossible.
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Even so, advisers based at Mr Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort or at nearby offices in West Palm Beach, Florida, are reportedly strategising about ending the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East.
Following his decisive victory on 5 November, the president-elect has moved swiftly to build a cabinet and senior White House team.
As of Thursday, he had selected more than 30 people for senior positions in his administration, compared with just three at a similar point in his 2016 transition.
Stephen Moore, a senior economic adviser in Mr Trump’s campaign, told NBC News: “The thing to realise is Trump is no dummy.
“He knows he’s got two to three years at most to get anything done. And then he becomes a lame duck and we start talking about [the presidential election in] 2028.”
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