GA Men Convicted In Ahmaud Arbery Killing Request New Trial: Reports

BRUNSWICK, GA — The three white men convicted of murder after they chased and fatally shot a Black man in a Georgia community are asking a judge for a new trial Thursday, according to media reports.

Father and son Greg and Travis McMichael and former neighbor William "Roddie" Bryan were convicted in the February 2020 killing of 25-year-old Ahmaud Arbery in a Brunswick neighborhood.

The defendants cited a tainted jury and ineffective counsel for Bryan, the Associated Press reported.

Superior Court Judge Timothy Walmsley on the Eastern Judicial Circuit, the original trial judge who sentenced the trio, was hearing oral arguments Thursday. The hearing is being live-streamed by 11Alive.

The McMichaels were sentenced to life in prison without parole on the murder charges, while Bryan was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole. The McMichaels each received a second life prison sentence on federal hate crime charges, and Bryan was sentenced to 35 years in prison in the federal case.

Prosecutors said the McMichaels, armed with guns, used a pickup truck to chase Arbery in a Satilla Shores community after he ran past their home, the Associated Press reported. Bryan was accused of then joining in on the chase and video recording Travis McMichael shooting and killing Arbery at close range with a shotgun.

Georgia prison records on Thursday showed Travis McMichael was also convicted of murder, aggravated assault and criminal attempt to commit a felony.

His father, Greg McMichael, was convicted on the same charges, along with false imprisonment, prison records showed.

Bryan was convicted of murder, criminal attempt to commit a felony and false imprisonment, prison records showed.

Attorney Pete Donaldson, representing Travis McMichael, said he would show the jury was tainted due to "outside influences," the Associated Press reported.

Meanwhile, attorney Rodney Zell, who is representing Bryan, said his client had ineffective counsel during the initial trial and that Bryan was not prepared when speaking with the Georgia Bureau of Investigation during its probe.

Oral arguments regarding the motion for a new trial are expected to take up to two days.