Oh good - now I can shorten this up a bit!
Thursday, October 24th:
*Motions Hearing (@ am ET) - GA –
Ahmaud Marquez Arbery (25) (Feb. 23, 2020, shot while jogging in Satilla Shores neighborhood, Brunswick) -
*Gregory Johns McMichael (64/now 66) arrested (5/7/20) & charged (5/8/20) with felony murder & aggravated assault. Indicted (6/24/20),
charged & arraigned (7/17/20) with 1 count of malice murder, 4 counts of felony murder, 2 counts of aggravated assault, 1 count of false imprisonment & 1 count of criminal attempt to commit a felony. Plead not guilty. Held without bond. Bond denied (11/13/20). Glynn County
*Travis James McMichael (34/now 35) arrested (5/7/20) & charged (5/8/20) with felony murder & aggravated assault. Indicted (6/24/20),
charged & arraigned (7/17/20) with 1 count of malice murder, 4 counts of felony murder, 2 counts of aggravated assault (count 7: aggravated assault
with trucks-
added 11/19/21), 1 count of false imprisonment & 1 count of criminal attempt to commit a felony. Plead not guilty. Held without bond. Bond denied (11/13/20). Glynn County
*William “Roddie” Roderick Bryan, Jr. (50/now 51) arrested & charged (5/21/20) with felony murder & criminal attempt to commit false imprisonment. Indicted (6/24/20),
charged & arraigned (7/17/20) with 1 count of malice murder, 4 counts of felony murder, 2 counts of aggravated assault (count 7: aggravated assault
with trucks-
added 11/19/21), 1 count of false imprisonment & 1 count of criminal attempt to commit a felony. Plead not guilty. Held without bond. Glynn County
Trial began on 10/18/21 with jury selection & ended on 11/3/21. Trial began on 11/5/21 & ended 11/24/21. Jurors: 5 men & 11 women with 4 alternates. 15 white/1 black jurors. Total deliberations: ~10 hours & 50 minutes.
Court info from 5/8/20 thru 10/17/21 & Jury selection (Day 1-12) 10/18/21-11/3/21 & Trial (Day 1-14) 11/5/21 to 11/24/21(State rested their case on 11/16/21 & defenses rested on 11/18/21) reference post #235 here:
https://www.websleuths.com/forums/t...n-brunswick-feb-2020-arrests-6.602591/page-12
Verdicts: Travis: Count 1: Malice Murder - Guilty; Count 2: Felony Murder - Guilty; Count 3: Felony Murder - Guilty; Count 4: Felony Murder - Guilty; Count 5: Felony Murder - Guilty; Count 6: Aggravated Assault - Guilty; Count 7: Aggravated Assault - Guilty; Count 8: False Imprisonment - Guilty; Count 9: Criminal Attempt to commit false imprisonment - Guilty.
Greg: Count 1: Malice Murder - Not guilty; Count 2: Felony murder - Guilty; Count 3: Felony Murder - Guilty; Count 4: Felony Murder - Guilty; Count 5: Felony Murder - Guilty; Count 6: Aggravated Assault - Guilty; Count 7: Aggravated Assault - Guilty; Count 8: False Imprisonment - Guilty; Count 9: Criminal Attempt to commit false imprisonment - Guilty.
Bryan: Count 1: Malice Murder - Not guilty; Count 2: Felony murder - Not guilty; Count 3: Felony murder - Guilty; Count 4: Felony murder - Guilty; Count 5: Felony murder - Guilty; Count 6: Aggravated assault - Not guilty; Count 7: Aggravated assault - Guilty; Count 8: False imprisonment - Guilty; County 9: Criminal attempt to commit false imprisonment - Guilty.
Sentencing hearing on 1/7/22 @ 10am.
1/7/22 Update: Victim impact statements by Marcus Arbery, father & his mother Wander Cooper-Jones. All of the attorneys are present & a few minutes ago, a bailiff alerted them that the judge wanted to see them all in chambers. Superior Court Judge Timothy Walmsley takes the bench & started with a motion from Roddie’s lawyer Kevin Gough that it would be "unconstitutionally cruel" to give Bryan the mandatory life sentence & he feels confident the judge will give him the "individualized sentence he deserves. State requested life without of parole for the Greg McMichael & the same for Travis. Linda Dunikoski gave her arguments. Regarding Bryan, State is asking for life with the possibility of parole & then 15 years of probation. Travis' attorney Jason Sheffield did his arguments for at least redemption on his sentence & asking for life with possibility of parole. Defense attorney Hogue for Greg is bringing up case law which she says addresses the "piling on" of felonies against McMichael. Some of these counts should be vacated in sentencing, she says. Defense attorney Kevin Gough for Bryan up. He agrees with State with the sentence of life with the possibility of parole. Arguing that Bryan was not convicted of the murder itself per jury’s not guilty on Counts 1, 2 & 6. And Bryan has admitted remorse & did not know "what" was going on with the "chase". And fully cooperated with LE. State back up to dispute defense attorneys’ arguments. Gough's argument that Counts 8 & 9 should be combined (false imprisonment). The Judge sat silently for one minute, which he said represented “a fraction of the time” that Arbery spent fleeing the men as they chased him through Satilla Shores on that Sunday afternoon. Judge's sentencing:
Travis: Count 1: LWOP; 2-5 Vacated; Count 6: Merged with count 1; Count 7: 20 Years consecutive; Count 8: Merged with count 1; Count 9: 5 Years concurrent. (Life plus 20)
Greg: Count 2: LWOP; 2-5 Vacated; Count 6: Merged with count 2; Count 7: 20 years consecutive; Count 8: 5 years concurrent; Count 9: 5 Years Concurrent (Life Plus 20)
Bryan: Life with Parole on Count 3; Count 7: 10 years; Count 8: 5 Years concurrent; other counts were vacated. (Life with Parole after 30 years)
1/10/22: State's Motion for additional condition of sentence; preventing the defendants from receiving any financial gain or remuneration, in any form, from any source, due to or from their crimes. Prosecutors told the judge at sentencing they want to ensure that any money generated from future book or movie deals goes directly to Ahmaud Arbery’s family. The motion formalizes that request. At sentencing, Bryan's attorney Kevin Gough indicated he would oppose any such motion, saying it would interfere with his client's ability to raise money for his legal defense. No response has been filed to either motion & no hearing date is set.
1/10/22: The motion filed this week by attorneys for Travis McMichael offers four broad reasons a new trial is warranted. Georgia law requires such motions be filed within 30 days of a verdict, but they can be amended & revised at any time.
3/3/23 Update: Federal Case: All 3 defendants are asking an appeals court to throw out their federal hate crime convictions, with two of them arguing their histories of making racist comments don’t prove they targeted Arbery because he was Black. They all filed legal briefs in their federal appeals 3/3/23 with the 11th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals in Atlanta. Attorneys for Bryan and Greg McMichael say their hate crime convictions should be overturned because the evidence shows they pursued Arbery thinking he was a criminal, not because of his race. “Every crime committed against an African American by a man who has used racist language in the past is not a hate crime,” defense attorney Pete Theodocion said in an appellate brief written on behalf of defendant William “Roddie” Bryan. Travis McMichael’s appeal makes no effort to challenge whether racism motivated Arbery’s killing. Instead, his attorney argues a technicality, saying prosecutors failed to prove that Arbery was chased & killed on public streets — as stated in the indictment used to charge the three men. The U.S. Justice Dep,. which prosecuted the hate crimes case, has 30 days to file legal briefs in response to the hate crime appeals. The 11th Circuit has not set a date to hear oral arguments in the hate crime appeals. Both McMichaels received life prison sentences in the federal case, while Bryan was sentenced to 35 years in prison. Also pending are appeals by all three men of their murder convictions in Glynn County Superior Court.
1/26/24 Update: The 11th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals has scheduled oral arguments hearing in the case for 3/27/24 for all 3 men in Atlanta.
10/24/24 Update: Judge has set aside two days for motions hearing to get a new trial for all of them on 10/24/24 & 10/25/24.
*Federal charges: *Travis James McMichael (34/now 35) & *Gregory Johns McMichael & *William “Roddie” Roderick Bryan, Jr. 2/22/22 Update: All found guilty. Sentencing hearing on 8/8/22: Travis & Greg sentenced to life in prison to be served in State prison & Bryan to 35 years, but he is serving a life sentence with possibility of parole in his State case. Appeals filed 3/3/23. Had Oral Arguments re appeal on 3/27/24 no decision to date has been made.