BRUNSWICK, Ga. – The lawyers for the father, son and neighbor who are serving a life sentence for chasing down and killing 25-year-old Ahmaud Arbery in Brunswick, Georgia, will be back in court Thursday as they push to get a new trial.
Gregory McMichael, his son Travis McMichael, and William “Roddie” Bryan were found guilty of murdering Arbery in February 2020.
The McMichaels were sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole, and Bryan could seek parole after serving 30 years in prison. They were also found guilty of federal hate crimes for the act, which is what the three men are trying to appeal to the 11th circuit in Atlanta.
Arbery was jogging through a Satilla Shore neighborhood in Brunswick when he was confronted by Gregory and Travis, who began to chase him while Bryan followed and filmed with his cell phone.
Video shows the final moments when the McMichaels caught up with Arbery and attempted to capture him. He resisted and escaped, leading up to Travis shooting and killing Arbery
All three men convicted in Arbery’s murder are seeking new trials.
The defense for the McMichaels has amended arguments that it will present to a judge on Thursday morning,
They range from a jury pool who they say could hear protestors outside the courthouse during jury selection to the true definition of a citizen’s arrest, and how they say the law governing the action had changed.
The defense even accuses prosecutors of using facial expressions throughout the trial to sway the jury.
It’s unclear whether the men convicted will physically be in court Thursday.