Judge Rejects Plea Deals for Travis and Gregory McMichael After Objections from Arbery’s Family
Photo by Stephen B. Morton-Pool/Getty Images.
Monday afternoon, a federal judge rejected a plea deal reached by prosecutors and Travis McMichael and his father Gregory McMichael for the hate crime charges they were facing related to the killing of Ahmaud Arbery.
Arbery was out jogging in February 2020 when he was chased down and confronted by the McMichaels in their truck, with Travis McMichael eventually shooting Arbery. A third defendant, William “Roddie” Bryan, was following the McMichaels in his vehicle and recorded the incident on his cell phone.
Last November, the jury reached a verdict, finding Travis McMichael guilty of malice murder (intentional killing) and 8 other counts against him, Gregory McMichael not guilty of malice murder but guilty on the other 8 counts against him, and Bryan guilty of seven out of the nine charges against him.
At their sentencing hearing earlier this month, the McMichaels were both sentenced to life in prison without parole and Bryan was also sentenced to life, but with the possibility of parole.
The defendants were scheduled to stand trial for federal hate crimes charges next month, but news broke that the McMichaels had reached a plea deal with prosecutors.
The plea deal would have had the McMichaels plead guilty to the federal charges and agree to serve 30 years, and then be transferred immediately to a federal prison, according to CNN.
S. Lee Merritt, an attorney for Arbery’s mother, Wanda Cooper-Jones, wrote several Instagram and Twitter posts denouncing the plea deal as having “devastated” the family, with their complaints centering around the expectation that serving their sentences in federal prison would be easier and more confortable.
“Federal prison is a country club when compared to state prison,” tweeted Merritt.
“By admitting they were motivated by hate when they hunted & murdered Ahmaud Arbery these men get to transfer to safer, less crowded & more orderly federal detention facilities,” he added. “In essence they get to publicly brag about their hatred & then be rewarded by the federal government.”
By admitting they were motivated by hate when they hunted & murdered Ahmaud Arbery these men get to transfer to safer, less crowded & more orderly federal detention facilities.
In essence they get to publicly brag about their hatred & then be rewarded by the federal government.
— Lee Merritt (@MerrittForTexas) January 31, 2022
He also posted a statement from the family stating that their wishes had been “completely ignored” and therefore “they do not consent” to this plea deal.
— Lee Merritt (@MerrittForTexas) January 31, 2022
“The DOJ has gone behind my back to offer the men who murdered my son a deal to make their time in prison easier to serve,” said Cooper-Jones in the statement. “I have made it clear at every possible moment that I do not agree to offer these men a plea deal of any kind. I have been completely betrayed by the DOJ lawyers.”
According to a report by CNN, Cooper-Jones attended the sentencing hearing in federal court Monday morning, and stated her objections for the court. She called the deal “disrespectful” and reiterated her wish for the McMichaels to serve their life sentences in state prison.
Shortly before 4:00 pm ET, news broke that U.S. District Court Judge Lisa G. Wood had rejected the plea deals for the McMichaels.
“Having considered all that was said today, and looking at the law that governs these agreements, it is my decision to reject the plea agreement in this case,” said Wood. “I am not comfortable with accepting the terms of the plea agreement.”
This is a breaking news story and may be updated.
