Ahmaud Arbery Killers Get Additional Sentences For Federal Hate Crimes (UPDATES)

The men behind the death of Ahmaud Arbery were sentenced to life in prison on Monday on federal hate crime charges, while a third man was sentenced to more than three decades behind bars.

Travis McMichael was given an additional decade behind bars. There is no parole in the federal justice system. McMichael will serve his sentence in state, not federal, prison. McMichael’s attorney wanted him to serve his time behind federal bars, arguing that McMichael is less likely to face violence there as opposed to state prison. Georgia’s state prisons are under federal investigation for their conditions.

McMichael’s father, Gregory McMichael, was also sentenced to life in prison. He received an additional seven years behind bars. He will also serve his sentence in state prison.

A plea agreement that would’ve seen the McMichaels serving 30 years in federal prison met with objections from Arbery’s family and was rejected by U.S. District Judge Lisa Godbey Wood.

The McMichaels and their former neighbor William “Roddie” Bryan were convicted in February on federal charges stemming from the shooting death of Arbery, who was killed in early 2020 when he was jogging through a Georgia neighborhood. The McMichaels claimed they believed Arbery was stealing, so they got into their pickup truck and went after him. Bryan joined the chase and recorded the incident on his cell phone — footage that would be handed over to the police and lead to the state indictments of the three perpetrators.

In November, the McMichaels and Bryan were convicted of murder. In January, the McMichaels were sentenced to life without parole while Bryan was sentenced to life with the possibility of parole after at least 30 years in prison.

In his federal case, Bryan received a 35-year sentence. He got credit for 27 months time served.

“But let no one think that 420 months is a light sentence, because you don’t deserve a light sentence,” said Wood.

Watch above, via CNN.