Men Who Lynched Ahmaud Arbery Sentenced To Die In Prison As Arbery Family Rejects Plea Agreement In Federal Case


     On November 24th, 2021, Americans got something to be thankful for on Thanksgiving. Just over a week after privileged little white supremacist Kyle Rittenhouse was cleared of a mass shooting when the Kenosha judge presiding over the case acted as his defense attorney, Travis McMichael, his father Greg, and neighbor William "Roddie" Bryan were convicted of a combined total of 23 felony counts, with Travis McMichael being convicted of malice murder eight other charges, Gregory McMichael convicted of felony murder and seven other charges, and Bryan being convicted of felony murder and five other counts. 

     Today, Americans got further proof that, even when issues like race and racism are at the center of these high-profile cases, though the courts may not be able to provide answers to these questions, they can provide accountability. America's criminal justice system can work. Judge Walmsley made it clear that it was the attitudes of the McMichaels that earned them the maximum sentence. They had previously confronted a homeless man under a nearby bridge with weapons because he had his belongings stored in a cart. They compared themselves to a neighborhood watch, but instead of being vigilant reporters to law enforcement, they took the law into their own hands. Because of their military and law enforcement backgrounds and a history of preferential treatment by now indicted and former DA Jackie Johnson, they thought they were above the law. They claimed they wanted to protect their neighbors but took the term only to mean those white people who lived next door instead of their fellow human beings in a general sense. After they killed him, they turned their backs to him, called him racial slurs, and placed the blame on him both initially and all the way through their criminal trial. Roddie Bryan's case was a little different, but the result was still the same: were it not for him, Ahmaud Arbery might be alive today. All three defendants talked about how they have suffered: how Travis's toddler will grow up without a father, how prison has been rough and isolating, how their reputations have suffered, etc. Never did they consider the young man lynched in broad daylight. Never did they consider the family that would never get to see him again, not even from a jail cell.

     Ahmaud's father and sister both gave powerful victim impact statements in asking for life with no chance of parole, but the most powerful statement came from his mother, Wanda Cooper Jones. She pointed out that Ahmaud was born on Mother's Day 1994. The gift of a lifetime was taken away from her, and that void could never be filled, not even with the maximum sentence. That's why Judge Walmsley did not mince words when he gave his sentences:
  1. Travis McMichael: life in prison with no possibility of parole
  2. Gregory McMichael: life in prison with no possibility of parole
  3. William "Roddie" Bryan: life in prison with the possibility of parole
     So, what happens next? The men have until February 6th to appeal, which they likely will, although I doubt their appeals will be successful. Just today, it was revealed that the Arbery family turned down a plea agreement in the federal hate crimes case against the McMichaels, which means they will still face a high-profile lynching trial alongside William Roddie Bryan that is set to begin the day after this deadline, February 7th. This criminal case is over, but the path to seeking accountability and justice is just beginning.

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