JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The video above is from previous, related story.
Three Glynn County men who were convicted of murdering Ahmaud Arbery and of committing hate crimes are appealing their federal convictions, according to court documents filed on March 3.
Gregory McMichael, Travis McMichael and William Bryan all filed appeals arguing that race did not play a role in their decision to chase Arbery.
“Every crime committed against an African American is not a hate crime,” as written in William Bryan's appeal. “Every crime committed against an African American by a man who has used racist language in the past is not a hate crime. If the term 'because of Arbery’s race and color' is to mean anything, it has to require evidence – not mere speculation or conjecture – that the charged conduct occurred, in fact, because of race and color."
In Aug. 2022, U.S. District Judge Lisa Godbey Wood sentenced Travis McMichael, the shooter, to life in prison plus 10 years. Wood sentenced his father, Gregory McMichael, to life in prison plus seven years. William Roddie Bryan, the man who filmed the shooting, was sentenced to 35 years.
The McMichaels were sentenced in the state case earlier this year to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Bryan was sentenced to life with the possibility of parole.
Several of Arbery's family members gave victim impact statements during the hate crime sentencing, including Arbery's parents. Marcus Arbery Sr., Arbery's father, asked Travis, "how can you ask for mercy when you didn't give my Quez no mercy?"
He went on to say, "you killed him because he was Black and you hate Black people...go to state prison. Stay there and rot," he said looking at Travis.
Wanda Cooper-Jones, Arbery's mother, told the court "I feel every shot that was fired that day every day."
Arbery was shot and killed on Feb. 23, 2020. He was 25-years-old at the time of his murder.