Travis McMichael and Gregory McMichael, two men previously convicted of killing #AhmaudArbery, are appearing in federal court right now to plead guilty to hate crimes charges brought by DOJ. Arbery's family has come out publicly against the plea deal, calling it a betrayal.
Travis McMichael is pleading to count 1 from indictment, interference with rights -- prosecutor says parties have agreed court should impose a 30 year prison sentence + 5 year term of supervised release, to be served concurrent w/ life sentence out of state murder case.
As part of the plea deal, U.S. will request McMichael is transferred to Bureau of Prisons custody to serve his federal sentence before being transferred back to state custody. (This is what Arbery's family has objected to -- they call it a "huge accommodation" to the McMichaels.)
Prosecutor: "Travis McMichael did not belong to any hate group and did not set out on Feb. 23, 2020 to carry out an act of violence against an African American person. But he made assumptions about Mr. Arbery that he would not have made if Ahmaud Arbery had been white."
NOW: Arbery's mother Wanda Cooper Jones is now speaking in court. She's pleading with Judge Lisa Wood to reject DOJ's plea deal with the McMichaels.
"It is not fair to take away the victory that I prayed and I fought for... Granting these men what they prefer in their conditions of confinement will defeat me. It gives them one more chance to spit in my face after murdering my son."
So far, Ahmaud Arbery's mother, father, sister and aunt have all addressed the court asking Judge Wood to reject the plea agreement DOJ reached with the McMichaels.
DOJ prosecutor now speaking in defense of the deal -- says DOJ, US Atty's office believe the resolution "powerfully advances the larger interests of justice... the defendants will accept responsibility for the full nature of their crime."
"Even if the government were to choose to move forward at trial on the hate crime charges," prosecutor says, "the defendants after a successful conviction could persist in their denial of the hate crime aspects of this case."
"As one of the Arbery family members just recognized, having to sit through a trial even in the best of circumstances is immensely difficult for a victim's family, for witnesses and for the community."
Prosecutor says DOJ previously turned down an offer by the McMichaels to plead guilty after taking the family's wishes into account. Says prior to the signing of these plea agreements, the attorneys for Arbery's family had told DOJ that they would not oppose the deal.
DOJ prosecutor says they only learned yesterday that Arbery's family opposed the plea deal with the McMichaels -- after it had already been signed.
"I personally understand every expression of anger and distrust that the Arbery family feels with law enforcement and the justice system. I have no doubt if my son were chased down and shot like an animal because of the color of his skin, I would feel the same."
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