ATLANTA — The agreement was in place and ready for approval. Travis McMichael and his father Greg would plead guilty to a hate crimes charge, admitting they chased down and killed Ahmaud Arbery because he was Black.
But U.S. District Judge Lisa Godbey Wood in Brunswick, after hearing emotional testimony Monday from Arbery’s family members who opposed the deal, rejected it.
The development surprised many who have been following the case. But lawyers who often appear in federal court said they can understand why Wood did what she did. The plea agreement reached between Justice Department lawyers and attorneys for the McMichaels gave the judge no leeway as to what sentence could be imposed in the hate crimes case.
