Federal hate crimes charges put men accused in Arbery killing in bind

A federal hate crimes case against the three white men accused of killing a 25-year-old Black man in Glynn County is a significant blow to the defendants’ chances to avoid punishment in the highly publicized case, legal experts said.

The U.S. Department of Justice announced Wednesday that a federal grand jury indicted Travis McMichael, 35, his father Gregory McMichael and William “Roddie” Bryan on attempted kidnapping charges and committing racially motivated hate crimes related to Ahmaud Arbery’s death.

The federal case now runs parallel to the state proceedings as the defendants await a trial date on state charges of murder, aggravated assault, false imprisonment, and criminal attempt to commit a felony.

Georgia State University law professor Russell Covey said the likely principal motivation for the federal hate crime charges is because Georgia did not have a similar law on the books when the shooting occurred on Feb. 23, 2020.

Read more: https://georgiarecorder.com/2021/04/29/federal-hate-crimes-charges-put-men-accused-in-arbery-killing-in-tough-bind/