The three men convicted of killing Ahmaud Arbery were found guilty by the jury on Wednesday, November 24. Travis McMichael, Gregory McMichcael, and William Bryan Jr, were all the perpetrators of the killing of Ahmaud Arbery last February. Arbery, a black man, was killed last February after jogging in his own neighborhood. The three men followed him in their car, suspecting him to be responsible for multiple break-ins at the time. They later stated that Arbery attacked them, and they killed him with a shotgun, shooting him twice.

However, it took a frustratingly long time for anyone to actually be arrested. Gregory McMichael was a former police officer and investigator with the district attorney’s office, which caused the case to be tossed around between various prosecutors, due to conflicts of interest. Two months passed with no arrests made, with prosecutors arguing that the three were fully within their legal rights, with carrying their weapons along with acting in self defense against Arbery. But, after a video was released that showed Arbery’s death at the hands of the men, the Georgia Bureau of investigation immediately took on the case, due to public outrage. Shortly thereafter, father and son, Gregory and Travis McMichael were arrested, with William Bryan Jr. being arrested afterwards.

It was found that Arbery was the one acting in self-defense, against the three men that would later kill him. Although Arbery was falsely accused of being the one who was responsible for the break-ins, much of the defense’s arguments hinged on the fact that the three men were unaware of this fact and acted as their neighborhood’s protectors. However, after reviewing the leaked footage of the incident, the three were also charged with federal hate crime charges, after they were heard spewing racist slurs against Arbery before his death. The men have pleaded not guilty to these charges.

The three men faced nine counts during their trial: one count of malice murder, four counts of felony murder, two counts of aggravated assault, and one count for false imprisonment and criminal attempt to commit a felony. Travis McMichael, the one who ultimately killed Arbery was found guilty on all charges. Gregory McMichael, was found guilty on all charges with the exception of malice murder. William Bryan Jr. was found guilty of three counts of felony murder, one count of aggravated assault, false imprisonment, and criminal attempt to commit a felony, being excused from the remaining three.

The trial itself also had its strange moments. One such example is when William Bryan’s lawyer, Kevin Gough, demanded that a spectator in the trial be removed from the courtroom. The person in question was Reverend Al Sharpton, a black pastor who was there in support of Mr. Arbery’s parents. Gough insisted that the Reverend be removed, on the grounds that he could potentially sway the jury with emotional sentiment, comparing the so-called “stunt” to people dressing up as KFC’s Colonel Sanders. However, the judge quickly dismissed the bogus request, citing that as long as the Reverend was not disruptive, he would be allowed to stay.

When asked about her opinions on the verdict, Wayne Hills Senior, Alexandra Annicaro said, “I’m glad that justice was served on yet another racially motivated murder. My prayers go out to the family of Ahmaud Arbery.”

The lawyers of the three men have all stated that they plan to appeal the verdict. All three are also expected to return to court in February concerning the federal hate crime charges. Prosecutors have stated that they intend to seek life sentences for the three men.

“I think the people responsible for Arbery’s death should be held accountable,” said Wayne Hills Senior Dylan Misquita. “Based on the circumstances, I think they deserve the verdict they got.”