Crime & Safety
Travis McMichael Withdrew Guilty Plea; Will Face Hate Crime Charges In Federal Court
After their plea deals are rejected, Gregory McMichael then Travis McMichael withdraw their guilty pleas in their federal hate crime trial.
BRUNSWICK, GA – Travis McMichael will stand trial Monday in a federal court alongside his father Gregory McMichael for the February 2020 shooting death of Ahmaud Arbery.
On Friday, court records show that the younger McMichael changed his guilty plea – a day after his father withdrew his failed plea agreement – and proceed along with the elder McMichael and William “Roddie” Bryan Jr. to face federal hate crime charges.
Both McMichaels struck plea agreements last weekend with federal prosecutors that would have allowed them to serve federal terms at the same time as they served out their state-mandated life without parole sentences.
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But Wanda Cooper-Jones and Marcus Arbery, parents of the 25-year-old Black man gunned down as he went for a run through the Satilla Shore neighborhood outside Brunswick, balked when they heard about the plea agreement. Cooper-Jones and Arbery called for the court to reject the arrangement, which U.S. District Judge Lisa Godbey Woods did.
The McMichaels and Bryan will stand trial Monday on allegations they interfered with Ahmaud Arbery's rights, attempted to kidnap him and threatened violence by brandishing a handgun and shotgun in violation of federal law when they chased him through their neighborhood on Feb. 23, 2020.
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The Sunday Ahmaud Arbery was killed he was spotted by the three as he was running, chased by two pickup trucks carrying the McMichaels in one truck armed with weapons the Bryan in another truck filming with his cell phone and cornered. Travis McMichael fired three shotgun rounds from close range at Arbery, killing him and claiming self-defense. They later told police they intended to make a citizen’s arrest.
A Glynn County jury found all three men guilty of murder and other charges, including aggravated assault, in November.
Bryan, who was convicted of the fewest offenses in the state murder trial, will have a chance for parole once he serves his 30-year “life” sentence.
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