Appeals Court Confirms Hate Crime Convictions of Arbery’s Killers

A federal appeals court upheld the hate crime convictions of Greg and Travis McMichael and William “Roddie” Bryan for the 2020 killing of Ahmaud Arbery, a Black man pursued and shot while jogging in their Georgia neighborhood. Despite defense arguments that racial motivation was not proven, the court ruled in favor of the prosecution’s evidence of racial animus. The trio is already serving life sentences for murder following their state court convictions. Arbery’s death led to the enactment of a new hate crime law in Georgia.