One of Ahmaud Arbery’s killers withdrew a pledge to plead guilty to federal hate crimes Thursday after a judge rejected a proposed deal.
The deal would have circumvented a trial and sentenced Gregory McMichael to an additional 30 years in prison for hate crimes and attempted kidnapping. With Thursday’s withdrawal of the promise to plead guilty and reaffirmation of his earlier not guilty plea, McMichael’s trail will go forward.
“The prior plea agreement is null and void. Counsel respectfully announce ready for trial on February 7, 2022,” McMichael’s lawyers wrote.
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McMichael, age 66, his son Travis, 36, and their neighbor William Bryan, 52, were convicted in November of murdering 25-year-old Ahmaud Arbery. The Black man had been out for a jog in February of 2020 when the three white men accosted him. Video of their interactions and Arbery’s murder remained hidden for months, and the local district attorney initially declined to charge the trio. After a sustained outcry, they were finally arrested, tried in state court, and sentenced to life in prison for the killing. All three men were also charged with federal hate crimes and attempted kidnapping.
Both McMichaels had reached agreements with the Justice Department to plead guilty to the charges and be sentenced to 30 years in federal prison, widely seen as less dangerous than Georgia prison, instead of facing additional life sentences.
Judge Lisa Godbey Wood, however, rejected the proposals Monday. Arbery’s family had objected to the deals in court when they became public, calling them “half-justice.”
Jury selection in the trial is slated to begin Monday. No plea agreement with Bryan has been announced.
