{"id":20465,"date":"2021-11-24T18:04:41","date_gmt":"2021-11-24T23:04:41","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/?p=20465"},"modified":"2021-11-24T18:04:41","modified_gmt":"2021-11-24T23:04:41","slug":"ahmaud-arbery-three-us-men-guilty-of-murdering-black-jogger","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/2021\/11\/24\/ahmaud-arbery-three-us-men-guilty-of-murdering-black-jogger\/","title":{"rendered":"Ahmaud Arbery: Three US men guilty of murdering black jogger"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Three white men accused of killing a black jogger, Ahmaud Arbery, last year have been found guilty of murder in a trial that has gripped the US.<\/b><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Arbery, 25, was shot on 23 February 2020 in a confrontation with Travis and Gregory McMichael and their neighbour, William Bryan.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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The defendants said they acted in self-defence during a citizen’s arrest; prosecutors said race was a factor.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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The men now face minimum sentences of life in prison.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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A mainly white jury of 12 deliberated for about 10 hours before returning their verdict at around midday on Wednesday.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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The trio were found guilty of murder, aggravated assault, false imprisonment and criminal intent to commit a felony.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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In February the three men will face another trial in a federal hate crimes case, alleging that they targeted Arbery because he was black.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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How did Ahmaud Arbery die?<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n
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Arbery was out jogging in the afternoon on the outskirts of the coastal city of Brunswick in Georgia.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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The elder McMichael, a neighbourhood resident, told police he believed Arbery resembled the suspect in a series of burglaries in the suburban community of Satilla Shores.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Police have said no reports were filed regarding these alleged break-ins, and no stolen property was found in Arbery’s possession.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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The McMichaels armed themselves with a pistol and a shotgun and pursued Arbery, who was unarmed, in a pickup truck through the neighbourhood. Bryan later joined the pursuit.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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\"Ahmaud<\/span><\/div>
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Ahmaud Arbery<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n
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The jury heard a 911 call in which the elder McMichael told an operator: “I’m out here in Satilla Shores. There’s a black male running down the street.”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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The younger McMichael testified during the trial that he tried to talk to Arbery while the two were still in their truck and Arbery never responded.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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He got out of the truck and fired his shotgun at Arbery during a struggle. Travis McMichael claimed self-defence, saying Arbery grabbed at his gun.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Three shots were fired.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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A post-mortem examination showed Arbery had two gunshot wounds in his chest, and a gunshot graze wound on the inside of one of his wrists.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Gregory McMichael, 65, his son Travis, 35, and their neighbour William “Roddie” Bryan, 52, were arrested in May 2020.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Prosecutors alleged that Travis McMichael used a racial epithet and an expletive directed at Arbery as he lay on the ground. The men deny racism.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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‘We conquered the lynch mob’<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n
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Outside court on Wednesday, dozens of people cheered as the verdicts were read.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Arbery’s father, Marcus Arbery, was seen crying and hugging supporters.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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“He didn’t do nothing,” the father said, “but run and dream.”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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He also told reporters: “We conquered the lynch mob.”<\/p>\n

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Arbery’s mother, Wanda Cooper-Jones, thanked the crowd and said she did not think she would see this day.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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“It’s been a long fight. It’s been a hard fight. But God is good,” she said. Of her son, she said: “He will now rest in peace.”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Arbery was enrolled at a technical college to study become an electrician at the time of his death.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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The Rev Al Sharpton, a civil rights figure and cable TV host, said outside court: “Let the word go forth all over the world, that a jury of 11 whites and one black in the Deep South stood up in a courtroom and said that black lives do matter.”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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After learning his fate, Travis McMichael turned as he stood to leave court and mouthed to his mother: “Love you.”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Prosecutor Linda Dunikoski said: “The jury system works in this country, and when you present the truth to people and they see it, they will do the right thing.”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Bryan’s attorney, Kevin Gough, said his team was “disappointed with the verdict, but we respect it”.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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US President Joe Biden said the convictions showed that America’s criminal justice system is “doing its job”.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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But he added that the killing was “a devastating reminder of how far we have to go in the fight for racial justice in this country”.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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What was the key footage?<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n
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Video was central to this case.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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The first key piece of footage was a 36-second mobile phone clip showing Arbery’s death.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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That was filmed by William Bryan, who was in a vehicle following Arbery, and it surfaced publicly on 5 May 2020.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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The clip shows Arbery trying to bypass a pickup truck ahead of him on the road and then struggling with Travis McMichael. There is muffled shouting and three gunshots are heard.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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The elder McMichael is seen standing in the bed of the pickup as the pair struggle.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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The clip sparked a nationwide outcry and was swiftly followed by criminal charges.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Five days later footage from a surveillance camera emerged, showing a black man in a white T-shirt – believed to be Arbery – at a home construction site shortly before the shooting.<\/p>\n

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He is seen walking on to the site and looking around for a few minutes before jogging down the street.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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During the trial, the site’s owner, Larry English Jr, testified that the man in question had not disturbed or damaged his property during the visit.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Mr English said cameras had spotted other people – including children and a white couple – trespassing on his property, but he never authorised the McMichaels to enter his property or confront anyone.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Jurors were also shown police bodycam footage from the aftermath of the shooting.<\/p>\n

Source: bbc.co.uk<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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