‘We got justice for Ahmaud.’ Men who killed Ahmaud Arbery found guilty in hate crimes trial

BRUNSWICK, Ga. — The three men who killed Ahmaud Arbery have been found guilty of all counts in a federal hate crimes trial.

Travis and Greg McMichael and Roddie Bryan were found guilty of interference with rights and attempted kidnapping.

Following the verdict, Arbery’s family told Channel 2′s Tony Thomas that they are calling the day Super Tuesday -- a milestone in their fight for justice.

The verdicts came two years almost to the day that Arbery was killed.

[DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]

“I, as a mom, will never heal,” Arbery’s mother Wanda Cooper Jones said. “It’s been a very long stressful fight.”

Two years ago Wednesday, Arbery went out for a jog in a neighborhood outside Brunswick.

Three men, Greg and Travis McMichael and Roddie Bryan, chased after him, cornered him and killed him.

A federal jury Tuesday found the men killed Arbery at least partially because he was a Black man.

“We got justice for Ahmaud in the federal and the state,” Arbery’s father, Marcus Arbery Sr., said.

Despite the guilty verdicts, Cooper Jones couldn’t contain her anger at the Department of Justice, which tried to settle the case with the McMichaels on the eve of trial.

The judge stepped in and rejected plea deals.

RELATED STORIES

• Ahmaud Arbery: Guilty verdicts for 3 men charged in murder trial
• Jury deliberating fate of men accused of hate crimes in Ahmaud Arbery’s death
• Men convicted of killing Ahmaud Arbery sentenced to life in prison; 2 without parole

“I told the DOJ, that yes, they were prosecutors but one thing they didn’t have, they didn’t have a son that was lying in a cold grave. And they still ignored my cry,” Cooper Jones said.

U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland commented on the case Tuesday from Washington, DC.

“I cannot imagine the pain that a mother feels to have her son run down and then gunned down while taking a jog on a public street. My heart goes out to her and to the family. That’s really all I can say about this,” Garland said. “No one should fear if they go out for a run they will be targeted and killed for the color of their skin.”

Gov. Brian Kemp released a statement Tuesday following the guilty verdicts, saying:

“Today was another necessary step toward justice in a case that shocked many across our state and nation, my family included. We continue to pray for Ahmaud’s family.”

Cooper Jones left the courthouse in Brunswick with a warning to anyone who still thinks like her son’s killers.

“If they make the driveway decisions that the McMichaels made, they will be going to the same place the McMichaels are going,” Cooper Jones said.

The family said Tuesday was a big win for getting justice for Arbery, but their fight is not over.

“There are still other challenges that we have to overcome. We still have the DA that we have to deal with,” Cooper Jones said.

Cooper Jones told Channel 2′s Audrey Washington that she wants former Glynn County District Attorney Jackie Johnson also held responsible for her son’s murder.

Johnson, who was DA at the time of Arbery’s killing, is accused of mishandling the case. A grand jury indicted Johnson on counts of obstruction and violations of oath by a public officer.

“Were going to continue to make sure that everybody who was responsible for the lynching of Ahmaud Arbery and the cover up and the conspiracy that they will be held accountable,” family attorney Benjamin Crump said.

On the eve of the two-year anniversary of Arbery’s death, his family and friends said they plan to hold events in Brunswick and Atlanta to honor Arbery’s life.

Sentencing for the three men will come in the next few weeks, where they face life sentences. Whatever the sentence that is handed down, those will be in addition to the life sentences already handed down by the state.

RELATED NEWS:

Family of Ahmaud Arbery holds hands walking out of courtroom after jury finds son's killers guilty

US AG Merrick Garland delivers remarks after guilty verdict in Arbery death hate crimes trial US AG Merrick Garland delivers remarks after guilty verdict in Arbery death hate crimes trial

Jury gets virtual tour of scene where Ahmaud Arbery was shot, killed in day 1 of hate crimes trial Prosecutors showed the jury through videos and testimony what exactly happened to Arbery in the last few minutes of his life.

[SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]

©2022 Cox Media Group