The judge on Friday sentenced Travis McMichael and Gregory McMichael to life in prison without the possibility of parole and Bryan to life in prison with the possibility of parole. Bryan will be eligible for parole under Georgia law only after he has served 30 years in prison because he was convicted of serious violent felonies.
The federal agreement would have put the men in federal prison for 30 years, attorney S. Lee Merritt said, in addition to the time the judge handed down.
“She rejected that offer because we believe that today the state will move forward with life sentences without the possibility of parole, and we think that’s the appropriate sentence,” Merritt told CNN earlier Friday, standing beside Wanda Cooper-Jones.
Cooper-Jones delivered a victim impact statement before the sentences were announced, asking the judge to impose the maximum sentence. She cried, as did Arbery’s father, as the sentences were rendered.
The men’s federal trial is scheduled to begin February 7, one month after their sentencing.
The defendants have maintained their innocence on hate crime charges, including interference with rights and attempted kidnapping. The McMichaels were also charged with using, carrying and brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence; and Travis McMichael was charged with discharging a firearm.
Federal prosecutors say the defendants “used force and threats of force to intimidate and interfere with Arbery’s right to use a public street because of his race.”
“We are deeply disappointed that the Justice Department bought the false narrative that the media and state prosecutors have promulgated,” Travis McMichael’s defense team said.
Because the men have remained at Glynn County Detention Center since their arrest, there’s been no federal bond hearing. If convicted on the weapons charges or interference with rights counts, they face additional penalties of up to life in prison with possible six-figure fines.
CNN’s Brianna Keilar contributed to this report.
Source : Nbcnewyork
