Supporters of Ahmaud Arbery cheered and wept outside a Georgia courthouse after the three people who chased him down and shot him last year were convicted of his murder.
The emotional scene saw crowds of people hugging one another and lifting their arms in the air after prosecutors won a conviction at the trial for the trio of killers. Other people were seen wiping away tears.
Among those in the crowd was Arbery’s mother, Wanda Cooper-Jones, who stood with Rev. Al Sharpton and said her son “will now rest in peace” after the verdict was read.
“I never saw this date back in 2020. I’ve never thought this day would come. But God is good. Everybody, thank you,” Cooper-Jones said outside the Glynn County Courthouse.
The trio of killers, Greg McMichael, his son Travis McMichael and their neighbor William “Roddie” Bryan all face life in prison after being convicted of murder and other charges for the killing of Arbery in February 2020.
They all face life in prison. A judge will decide if their sentence comes with the possibility of parole.
Travis McMichael fatally shot Arbery on Feb. 23, 2020, after he, his father and Bryan chased after him in their cars near Brunswick, Ga.
Arbery, 25, a former high school football player, had been jogging in the neighborhood when the trio spotted him and started to pursue him.
They claimed they believe Arbery looked like someone suspected of burglaries in the neighborhood, but police have said no break-ins were reported.
Arbery was unarmed when he was murdered.
