May 11, 2021 - Politics & Policy

Ahmaud Arbery murder suspects plead not guilty to hate crimes

Ivana Saric

People hold portraits of George Floyd and Ahmaud Arbery during a demonstration. Photo: Stephen Maturen/Getty Images

The three white men charged in the death of 25-year-old Ahmaud Arbery last year pled not guilty to federal hate crime charges at a court proceeding in Georgia Tuesday, Reuters reports.

Why it matters: Arbery's case is one of several that propelled nationwide Black Lives Matter protests in the summer of 2020.

The big picture: In April the Department of Justice charged the three men — Travis McMichael, his father, Gregory McMichael, and William “Roddie” Bryan — with federal hate crimes and attempted kidnapping in connection to Arbery's death.

They also face separate state charges of "malice murder, felony murder, aggravated assault, false imprisonment, and criminal attempt to commit a felony," though the state proceeding has not started yet, the DOJ noted on April 28.

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Ahmaud Arbery murder suspects plead not guilty to hate crimes

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