UPDATED 8/9 4:29 p.m. ET: William “Roddie” Bryan was sentenced to 35 years on hate crime charges and will serve the time alongside his state sentence (life imprisonment with the possibility of parole), the Department of Justice announced.
UPDATED 8/8 2:01 p.m. ET: Per the Associated Press, Greg McMichael—Travis’ father—has also received a life sentence on federal hate crime charges in the murder of Ahmaud Arbery.
See original story below.
Travis McMichael, who fatally shot Ahmaud Arbery in Georgia in 2020, has been sentenced to life at the federal level.
Per the Associated Press, McMichael—who previously received a life sentence at the state level—was handed down the sentence by a Brunswick judge on Monday. He was previously convicted on federal hate crime charges in February, as were fellow defendants Greg McMichael and William Bryan.
“Today’s verdict makes clear that the Justice Department will continue to use every resource at its disposal to confront unlawful acts of hate, and to hold accountable those who perpetrate them,” Attorney General Merrick Garland said in February upon the announcement of a federal jury having found the McMichaels and Bryan guilty of hate crimes. “Although we welcome the jury’s verdict, the only acceptable outcome in this matter would have been Mr. Arbery returning safely to his loved ones two years ago.”
All three men had been convicted of using force and threats of force to intimidate and interfere with Arbery’s right to use a public street because of his race, as well as attempted kidnapping. At the time of being followed and ultimately killed, Arbery was out for a jog in the Satilla Shores neighborhood in Glynn County.
Travis was also individually convicted at the federal level of having carried and discharged a shotgun while carrying out the hate crime. During the federal trial, the FBI revealed it had discovered texts and social media activity from Travis and Williams in which both men were seen using racist slurs.
Greg McMichael and William Bryan are also set to receive their federal sentences on Monday.
