Editing Gregory and Travis McMichael (section)

===Aftermath===
Arbery's autopsy ruled his death a homicide. During the state prosecutor's investigation into the shooting, Greg McMichael persuaded William Bryan to release his video of the shooting to local news in the hopes that it would exonerate them. This only led to national outrage over the shooting after the video went viral.

On 7 May, both McMichaels were arrested and charged with felony murder, malice murder, felony assault (both with a pickup truck and with a firearm) and attempt to commit false imprisonment. Bryan was arrested on the same charges on 21 May on the grounds that he had participated in the pursuit of Arbery, making him criminally liable for Arbery's death. Bryan alleged that Travis McMichael had used racial epithets while struggling with Arbery; he had also used racial slurs in previous social media posts and had a [[Confederate States of America|Confederate]] flag painted on the side of his truck. 

====Trial====
The trial of the McMichaels and Bryan began on 5 November 2021. The McMichael's defence was that they had probable cause to believe that Arbery had committed a crime and so were within their rights to chase after him. Evidence introduced during the trial included William Bryan's video and Greg McMichael's 911 calls, during which he stated he was unsure if Arbery had committed a crime. Testimony was heard from two police officer who interviewed Greg McMichael after the shooting, who reported that he had admitted to being unsure if Arbery had committed a crime when he pursued him and to having threatened to "blow [his] fucking head off" during the chase. Recorded phone calls from the two McMichaels were played to the court, during which they expressed no remorse for Arbery's death and referred to it as a "good deed". Facebook posts by Travis McMichael were presented, including one where he said that thieves should be "made an example of".

Greg McMichael and William Bryan both invoked their Fifth Amendment right to remain silent when asked to testify, but Travis McMichael agreed. He claimed that he had previously seen Arbery attempting to break into the construction site and that he had only been intending to observe Arbery when he chased after him. According to Travis McMichael's story, Arbery had attacked William Bryan's truck and he had grabbed his shotgun to chase him away; he had then pursued him with no intention of firing until the final confrontation, when Arbery attacked him and was shot in self-defence. 

The prosecution's closing argument was made on 22 November 2021. Prosecutor Linda Dunikoski argued that, according to the Georgia citizen's arrest statute, the McMichaels could not legally arrest Arbery because they had no immediate knowledge that he had committed a crime and no reasonable suspicion that he had committed a felony. She rejected Travis McMichael's self-defence argument since Arbery had only lashed out after the McMichaels and Bryan chased after him with guns, attempted to knock him down with a truck and threatened to shoot him, pointing out that Travis McMichael had pointed his shotgun at Arbery moments before he attacked him. The defence argued that the McMichaels had reason to believe Arbery was a burglar due to the previous incidents. 

After 12 hours deliberation spanning two days, the jury announced its verdict on 25 November 2021. Travis McMichael was convicted on all counts; Greg McMichael was acquitted of malice murder but convicted on all other counts. William Bryan was acquitted of both malice murder and felony assault with a firearm but convicted of felony murder, attempted false imprisonment and felony assault with a pickup truck. All three men were sentenced to life imprisonment on 7 January 2022, with only Bryan having the opportunity for parole. They were also given a federal trial for hate crimes and attempted [[kidnapping]]. They were convicted on all counts on 22 February 2022. Travis McMichael was sentenced to an additional 10 years in prison, Greg McMichael an additional seven. 
[[Category:List]]
[[Category:Male]]
[[Category:Modern Villains]]
[[Category:Living Villains]]
[[Category:United States of America]]
[[Category:Murderer]]
[[Category:Wrathful]]
[[Category:Partners in Crime]]
[[Category:Vigilante]]
[[Category:Xenophobes]]
[[Category:Brutes]]
[[Category:Thugs]]
[[Category:Destroyer of Innocence]]
[[Category:Criminals]]
[[Category:Imprisoned]]
[[Category:Kidnapper]]
[[Category:Alt-right]]
[[Category:Stalker]]
[[Category:Supremacists]]
[[Category:Homicidal]]
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