A jury in Brunswick, Ga., found defendants Travis McMichael, Greg McMichael and William "Roddie" Bryan guilty of hate crimes in the 2020 shooting death of Ahmaud Arbery.
The former Minnesota officer was convicted of manslaughter after she apparently mistook her gun for her Taser when she fatally shot the 20-year-old Black man. She will serve 16 months in prison.
The defense attorneys insisted the three men's pursuit of the 25-year-old was prompted by "honest, though erroneous, suspicion that he committed crimes" and not because of his race.
Travis McMichael, who pulled the trigger, and his father, Greg, have no chance for parole. A federal hate crimes trial remains in a case widely seen as racially motivated.
Family members says they're happy about the guilty verdict for the former police officer, who fatally shot Wright in April. But they say it's not true justice.
The former Minnesota officer on trial in the shooting death of Daunte Wright said she believed he was trying to flee an arrest. Defense lawyers say that fleeing would have endangered a fellow officer.
Defense lawyers argued that Potter's use of a weapon was justified, even as they acknowledged she meant to draw her Taser, not her handgun. "She's a human being," said attorney Paul Engh.
Potter, a white former police officer, says she drew her gun by mistake when she fatally shot Wright, a Black motorist. Of the first 12 jurors seated, one identifies as Black and two as Asian.
Jason Meade, the white Ohio sheriff's deputy fatally shot Goodson, who was Black, in an encounter that led to racial justice protests. Goodson's family has filed a federal civil rights suit.
Potter's lawyers say she mistook her handgun for her Taser this year when she fatally shot Wright, a 20-year-old Black man. Her manslaughter trial will begin next week.
Travis McMichael; his father, Greg; and their neighbor William "Roddie" Bryan all faced nine criminal counts in Georgia state court, including felony murder, aggravated assault and false imprisonment.
Leila Fadel talks with law professor Paul Butler about trials in Wisconsin, Georgia and Virginia that have become lightning rods in the national debates over race and justice.
Several legal experts say putting Rittenhouse on the stand was effective for the defense and agree that prosecutors have struggled at times to make their case. Closing arguments are expected Monday.
