Updated Feb 4, 2022 - Politics & Policy

Ahmaud Arbery's killers will stand trial for federal hate crime charges

Shawna Chen

Photo of two people holding signs that say "Justice for Ahmaud Arbery means no more racist terror" at an outdoor vigil — A vigil following the guilty verdict in the trial of Ahmaud Arbery's killers on Nov. 24, 2021 in Atlanta, Georgia. Photo: Megan Varner via Getty Images

Travis and Gregory McMichael, two of the three white men who killed Ahmaud Arbery in February 2020, will stand trial on federal hate crime charges after a judge this week rejected plea agreements.

Why it matters: A federal judge made a rare move this week in rejecting the plea deal that the McMichaels reached with federal prosecutors.

Both were convicted of murdering Arbery, a 25-year-old Black man whom they shot while he was jogging, last November.
Prosecutors in the state trial largely edged around issues of race in front of a nearly all-white jury, Vox notes.

Editor’s note: This article has been updated with new details throughout.

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Ahmaud Arbery's killers will stand trial for federal hate crime charges

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