The Ahmaud Arbery case ended with three men convicted of murder in Georgia state court and of federal hate crimes for the February 2020 shooting of a 25-year-old Black man who was jogging near Brunswick. Travis McMichael, Gregory McMichael, and William “Roddie” Bryan received life sentences in state court, additional federal sentences that run at the same time as the state terms, and, on November 14, 2025, an Eleventh Circuit ruling affirming their federal hate crimes convictions.1United States Courts. United States of America v. William Bryan, Gregory McMichael, Travis McMichael – Appeal From the United States District Court for the Southern District of Georgia
The Shooting on February 23, 2020
Arbery was jogging through the Satilla Shores neighborhood outside Brunswick, Georgia, when Gregory and Travis McMichael, a father and son, pursued him in a pickup truck. Their neighbor, William Bryan, followed in a separate vehicle. The McMichaels were armed with a shotgun and a revolver and later said they believed Arbery was responsible for recent burglaries in the area.2Georgia Bureau of Investigation. Ahmaud Arbery Murder Investigation
The three men used their trucks to cut off Arbery’s path. Bryan recorded the final moments on his cellphone, capturing Travis McMichael confronting Arbery with a shotgun. A physical struggle followed. Travis McMichael fired three times, killing Arbery. That video became the central piece of evidence in every proceeding that followed.
Why Arrests Took More Than Two Months
No one was arrested for 73 days. Brunswick Judicial Circuit District Attorney Jackie Johnson recused herself on February 27, 2020, because Gregory McMichael had previously worked as an investigator in her office. Waycross Judicial Circuit District Attorney George Barnhill took over the same day and then recused himself on April 7. Atlantic Judicial Circuit District Attorney Tom Durden assumed the case on April 13.
The investigation stalled until Bryan’s cellphone video surfaced online in early May 2020, prompting national outrage. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation took over on May 6. The McMichaels were arrested the next day. Bryan was arrested on May 21, 88 days after Arbery’s death.2Georgia Bureau of Investigation. Ahmaud Arbery Murder Investigation
State Murder Trial and Sentences
A Glynn County grand jury charged all three men with malice murder, four counts of felony murder, aggravated assault, false imprisonment, and criminal attempt to commit false imprisonment. Only Travis McMichael faced the malice murder count, which requires proof of intent to kill. Gregory McMichael and Bryan were charged under Georgia’s felony murder rule, which applies when a death occurs during another felony.3Justia. Georgia Code Title 16-5-1 – Murder; Felony Murder
Prosecutors argued Arbery was an innocent jogger killed without justification. Defense attorneys said their clients were attempting a lawful citizen’s arrest under a Georgia statute, and that Travis McMichael acted in self-defense. Chatham County Superior Court Judge Timothy Walmsley ruled that Arbery’s past encounters with law enforcement could not be introduced, since the defendants had no knowledge of them at the time of the chase.
In November 2021, the jury convicted Travis McMichael on all nine counts, including malice murder. Gregory McMichael was acquitted of malice murder but convicted on the remaining eight counts, including felony murder. Bryan was convicted of three counts of felony murder, aggravated assault, false imprisonment, and criminal attempt to commit false imprisonment.
Judge Walmsley sentenced both McMichaels to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Bryan received life with the possibility of parole and must serve at least 30 years before he can apply.4United States Department of Justice. Federal Judge Sentences Three Men Convicted of Racially Motivated Hate Crimes in Connection With the Killing of Ahmaud Arbery in Georgia
Federal Hate Crimes Trial and Sentences
The U.S. Department of Justice brought separate federal charges focused on race. All three men were charged with interfering with Arbery’s civil rights because of his race and with attempted kidnapping. The McMichaels each faced an additional count for using firearms during a crime of violence.5United States Department of Justice. Three Georgia Men Charged With Federal Hate Crimes and Attempted Kidnapping in Connection With the Death of Ahmaud Arbery
Before trial, the McMichaels reached a proposed plea agreement with prosecutors that would have included 30 years in federal prison and let them serve their time in the federal system rather than Georgia state prison. Arbery’s mother, Wanda Cooper-Jones, called the Justice Department’s decision to offer the deal “disrespectful.” The federal judge rejected the agreement, ruling it would not allow the court to consider the family’s wishes at sentencing.
At the February 2022 trial, prosecutors introduced testimony and digital evidence showing a pattern of racist statements and slurs by the defendants, arguing that race was a “but-for cause” of their actions. The jury found all three guilty on every count. Travis McMichael was additionally convicted of discharging a shotgun during the crime, and Gregory McMichael of brandishing a revolver.6U.S. Department of Justice. Federal Jury Finds Three Men Guilty of Hate Crimes in Connection With the Pursuit and Killing of Ahmaud Arbery
In August 2022, the court sentenced Travis McMichael to life plus 10 years, Gregory McMichael to life plus seven years, and Bryan to 35 years in federal prison. All three federal sentences run concurrently with the state sentences, meaning the defendants serve them at the same time rather than one after the other.4United States Department of Justice. Federal Judge Sentences Three Men Convicted of Racially Motivated Hate Crimes in Connection With the Killing of Ahmaud Arbery in Georgia
The 2025 Eleventh Circuit Ruling
All three defendants appealed their federal convictions to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit. On November 14, 2025, the appellate court affirmed the convictions, finding that prosecutors had presented sufficient evidence for a reasonable juror to conclude Arbery’s race was the driving factor behind the pursuit.1United States Courts. United States of America v. William Bryan, Gregory McMichael, Travis McMichael – Appeal From the United States District Court for the Southern District of Georgia
Georgia Laws Changed After the Case
In June 2020, Governor Brian Kemp signed House Bill 426, giving Georgia its first hate crime law in 16 years. The law creates enhanced penalties for offenses motivated by a victim’s race, religion, sexual orientation, or other protected characteristics, and it requires a state database tracking hate crimes.
In May 2021, Georgia repealed the citizen’s arrest statute the defendants had invoked as their defense. House Bill 479 eliminated the broad power of private citizens to arrest someone they suspected of a felony. The legislature replaced it with a much narrower provision allowing only certain people to detain someone, including retail store owners who reasonably believe a person committed shoplifting, food service owners confronting suspected theft of services, weight inspectors, and certain licensed professionals. The new law also prohibits using force likely to cause serious injury or death during such a detention.7Justia. Georgia Code Title 17-4-60 Through 17-4-62 – Reserved8Georgia General Assembly. Substitute to HB 479 – 2021-2022 Session
Dismissed Charges Against the Former DA and the Civil Suit
Jackie Johnson, the former Brunswick Judicial Circuit district attorney who recused herself, was later indicted on charges of misconduct for allegedly shielding the McMichaels from arrest. In February 2025, a judge dismissed all charges. The court tossed a misdemeanor obstruction count after finding no evidence she instructed police not to make arrests, then dismissed the remaining felony charge for violating her oath of office on the grounds that the specific oath cited in the indictment was not in effect at the time of the killing.
Wanda Cooper-Jones filed a federal wrongful death lawsuit in February 2021 against the three convicted killers, Johnson, Barnhill, former Glynn County Police Chief John Powell, and several Glynn County police officers. The suit alleges Johnson and Barnhill each delayed the investigation because of personal relationships with Gregory McMichael. Bryan has since been dismissed from the civil case, though the terms have not been publicly disclosed. The lawsuit remains active against the remaining defendants.