Nov 24, 2021 - Politics & Policy

Ahmaud Arbery's family reacts to guilty verdict

Oriana González

Picture of Ahmaud Arbery's parents holding hands with Rev. Al Sharpton — Rev. Al Sharpton, center, walks with Wanda Cooper-Jones, mother of Ahmaud Arbery, left, and Marcus Arbery, right, father of Ahmaud Arbery, outside the Glynn County Courthouse following the verdict announcement. Photo: Sean Rayford/Getty Images

Ahmaud Arbery’s parents, Marcus Arbery and Wanda Cooper-Jones, reacted on Wednesday to the guilty verdict for all three of their son’s killers.

What they're saying: "We conquered that lynch mob. We got that lynch mob," Marcus Arbery said. "We don’t want to see nobody go through this. I wouldn’t want to see no daddy watch their kid get lynched and shot down like that."

"It's all our problem. So hey, let's keep fighting. Let's keep doing and making this a better place for all human beings," he added.

"It's been a long fight. It's been a hard fight. But God is good," Cooper-Jones said.

"To tell you the truth, I never saw this day back in 2020. I never thought this day would come. But God is good ... Now, Quez, which you know him as Ahmaud, I know him as Quez, he will now rest in peace."

Driving the news: The jury took approximately 11 hours of deliberation to reach the verdict. The killers — Travis McMichael, Gregory McMichael and William “Roddie” Bryan — were all found guilty of murder.

Of the 27 charges against the McMichaels and Bryan, there were only four not guilty verdicts.

The big picture: Arbery and Cooper-Jones on Tuesday, prior to the start of the jury's deliberations, said they were optimistic that the case would result in a guilty verdict.

They praised their attorneys, saying they had presented all the necessary evidence to find their son's killers guilty.

Go deeper: Politicians, activists react to guilty verdict in Ahmaud Arbery murder

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Ahmaud Arbery's family reacts to guilty verdict

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