Ahmaud Arbery news – latest: Travis and Gregory McMichael sentenced to life without parole

In his comments during sentencing, judge Timothy Walmsley referred to a statement made by Arbery’s mother at court on Friday.

“They chose to target my son because they didn’t want him in their community,” Wanda Cooper-Jones, Arbery‘s mother, had said earlier. “When they couldn’t sufficiently scare him or intimidate him, they killed him.”

In his sentencing, the judge quoted the mother’s remarks, saying they struck him as “very true”.

“At minimum, Ahmaud Arbery should force us to consider expanding our definition of what a neighbour may be and how we treat them,” the judge said.

Read more about Ms Cooper-Jones’ victim’s statement here:

Ahead of Friday’s sentencing, it was revealed Arbery’s family rejected a plea deal that would have seen his killers spend 30 years in prison for federal hate crime charges.

The Department of Justice approached Arbery’s mother, Wanda Cooper-Jones, earlier this week about the deal, under which Travis McMichael, Gregory McMichael and William “Roddie” Bryan Jr would be sentenced to three decades in prison if they admitted they were motivated by hate when they shot dead the Black jogger.

Ms Cooper-Jones told CBS News she rejected the deal because she wants the men to face those charges in court.

The Independent’s Rachel Sharp has more:

Arbery’s mother Wanda Cooper-Jones said her son would have cut his toenails “if he knew he would be murdered that day” as she delivered an emotional victim impact statement at the sentencing of his three murderers.

Ms Cooper-Jones referenced comments made by one of the defence attorneys at trial where they described her son’s “long, dirty toenails”, sparking outcry over the attempt to paint Mr Arbery as a criminal and not as the victim.

“Turning Ahmaud Arbery into a victim after the choices that he made does not reflect the reality of what brought Ahmaud Arbery to Satilla Shores in his khaki shorts with no socks to cover his long, dirty toenails,” Gregory McMichael’s lawyer Laura Hogue said in closing arguments.

Ms Cooper-Jones, who was wearing a badge with a photo of her son, choked back tears as she referenced the derogatory comments about her son.

The Independent’s Rachel Sharp has more:

Before delivering his sentencing decision, Judge Timothy Walmsley asked the court to sit in silence for one minute, saying it was a “fraction of the time that Ahmaud Arbery was running in Satilla Shores”.

“The chase in Satilla Shores went on over around a five minute period,” he said, saying he has been thinking of “the terror that must have been in the mind” of Mr Arbery during that time. As we all now know based upon the verdict in November, Ahmaud Arbery was murdered,” he said.

“It’s a tragedy, a tragedy on many, many levels. As we understand it, he left his home going for a run and ended up running for his life.”

The judge said he reached his decision to grant a lower sentence for Bryan because he believes he “stands in very different shoes” to the McMichaels.

He said he believes Bryan has shown remorse following the murder in his actions in the aftermath.

“He took steps early on in this process that demonstrated he had grave concerns that what occurred should not have occurred,” he said. “It does make Mr Bryan sit differently.”

However, he said that the verdict reached by the jury could not be disputed based on the evidence and that the outcome of the day could have ended differently if he hadn’t joined in the chase in his pickup truck.

By contrast, Judge Walmsley said that “very early on Gregory McMichael tried to establish a narrative” about the murder.

He quoted some of the 66-year-old’s statements in the aftermath including: “If I could have got a shot at the guy I would have shot him.”

He also pointed to Travis McMichael’s comments that it was the “worst day of my life”, pointing out the impact on so many other lives for the murder.

The footage of Travis McMichael “lifting the shotgun to fire at Ahmaud Arbery” showed a “truly disturbing scene” of a man who was “hunted down and shot”.

“And he was killed because individuals here in this courtroom took the law into their own hands,” he said. “When Ahmaud Arbery fell the McMichaels turned their backs.”

Travis McMichael, 35, was sentenced to life without the possibility of parole plus 20 years on nine charges including malice murder after he shot Mr Arbery twice at close range with a shotgun.

Gregory McMichael was handed life without the possibility of parole plus 20 years on eight charges including felony murder. The 66-year-old armed himself with a firearm and jumped in his truck with his son that day, chasing him “like a rat” and threatening “stop or I’ll blow your f***ing head off!”

Bryan, 52, was sentenced to life with the possibility of parole after being found guilty on six charges including felony murder after jurors heard how he spotted his neighbours chasing Mr Arbery and jumped in his own truck to join in. He then used his vehicle as a “5,000-pound lethal weapon” to corner and attempt to strike the unarmed Black man.

All three were effectively handed life sentences as, under state law, life with the possibility of parole means parole can only be considered after 30 years in prison.

The Independent’s Rachel Sharp has more:

Wanda Cooper-Jones told CNN that her family was “very thankful” after the three men who killed her son were sentenced to life in prison.

“They got what they truly deserved today. I think we finally got justice for Ahmaud,” she told the news network.

A string of images captured Ahmaud Arbery’s family’s reaction to Friday’s sentencing.

After the sentences were handed down, prosecutor Linda Dunikoski asked the judge to bar the defendants from making any money off of their convictions or trial – including from book or movie deals.

She said such a ruling would ensure the men “do not reap any sort of benefit from their actions”.

Ms Dunikoski added that should the defendants make any money off of this ordeal, the profits would be directed to the Arbery family.

Bryan Jr’s attorney responded by saying: “When the court does that, my only concern is how that would impact Mr Bryan’s ability to raise money for his defense, for his appeal. I wouldn’t want to be in a situation where he couldn’t do that inadvertently because of a sentencing condition.”

Almost two years after Ahmaud Arbery was chased through a neighbourhood by three men in pickup trucks and shot dead in the street, his killers were told today they would spend the rest of their lives behind bars.

Travis McMichael, 35, and his father Gregory McMichael, 66, were both sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

Their neighbour William “Roddie” Bryan Jr was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole.

However, the sentencing of the three murderers does not mark the end of the case.

All three men are expected to file appeals against their convictions. Meanwhile, they are also due to stand trial on federal hate crime charges in February.

The first district attorney to handle the case is also facing criminal charges over her handling of the initial investigation.

Arbery’s mother Wanda Cooper-Jones is also pursuing a civil lawsuit against police and prosecutors over their handling of the case.

Beyond this, many also feel the case could have far-reaching implications on so-called vigilante justice across America.

The Independent’s Rachel Sharp explains what to expect over the coming months:

The family of Ahmaud Arbery, whose killers were sentenced to life in prison without parole, thanked the outpouring of community support and commitment of civil rights advocates who have sought justice for his murder.

“I sat in that courtroom for five weeks straight,” his mother Wanda Cooper-Jones told reporters outside Glynn County Courthouse in Brunswick, Georgia on 7 January.

“But I knew we could come out with a victory,” she said. “I never doubted it. I knew today would come.”

She said the city of Brunswick “thought I would have to fight this fight alone, so they chose to ignore me.”

“They didn’t know I had you guys standing with me,” she added. “Thank you for standing with my family.”

The Independent’s Alex Woodward has more: