The sentencing hearing for the three men convicted of killing Ahmaud Arbery concluded Friday with life imprisonment for all. The judge deemed the actions of Travis McMichael, his father Greg McMichael and their neighbor William “Roddie” Bryan all worthy of the maximum sentence. Bryan was given life with the possibility of parole, the McMichaels were not.
While the sentencing hearing was about voicing the impact the murder had on the lives of the victim's loved ones, it was also an opportunity for the defense attorneys to appeal to the judge for lesser sentencing.
The father, sister and mother of Ahmaud Arbery spoke about their memories with him and the time they could not reclaim, humanizing his existence in the Brunswick, GA courtroom.
Today was the first time we heard for Jasmine Arbery, Ahmaud's sister. When addressing the court, she painted a physical picture of her brother and said it was the reason he got killed pointing to race as a primary factor in his death. “Ahmaud had dark skin that glistened in the sunlight like gold. He had thick, coily hair and he would often like to twist it.” she said. “He was tall with an athletic build. He enjoyed running and had an appreciation for being outdoors. These are the qualities that made these men think Ahmaud was a dangerous criminal.”
With her face washed with tears, Ahmaud's mother also talked about his ways, using the moment to strike back at Defense Attorney Laura Hogue for commenting on the condition of his feet when they killed him.
“He was messy. He sometimes refused to wear socks,” she said as tears streamed down her face. “I wish he would have cut and cleaned his toenails before he went out that day. I guess he would have if he knew he would have been murdered.”
Marcus Arbery, the deceased's father, spoke of the holidays and other times he will never have with his son. Prior to entering the courtroom he told the press he would like to see the the killer "in a box."
A defense attorney seemingly elevated the value of the lives of the perpetrators. They spoke of the burden jail time will have on taxpayers and the inability of their clients to raise their families -- minute in comparison to the eternal loss the Arbery family has to face after bearing witness in court via video footage to how their loved one was killed. Before the sentencing, Wanda Cook-Jones, mother of the late jogger said on CNN, "They each showed no remorse and do not deserve leniency. . ." She recalled her son was born on Mother's Day of 1994 and said raising him was the honor of her life in a deeply emotional appeal to the judge to apply the max sentence. The father and son got 20 years more than life in prison, a show of the judge's contempt for their actions, which many of Arbery's supporters say was a modern-day lynching.
Judge Timothy Walmsley said before handing down the sentence, “As we understand it, he left his home, apparently to go for a run, and ended up running for his life.”
Then he offered a one-minute moment of silencing saying the pause represented “a fraction of the time” that Arbery spent fleeing the three white men as they chased him through Satilla.
Travis McMichael is 35, his father is 66 and Bryan is 52. They hunted down and killed Ahmaud Arbery when he was 25.
The Citizens arrest law in Georgia and hate crime laws have changed in Georgia as a result of Ahmaud Arbery's death.