(Washington, D.C.) – A Georgia judge has sentenced a trio of vigilantes convicted of hunting down and murdering Ahmaud Arbery to life in prison earlier on Friday. A father and son duo were sentenced to life without the possibility of parole, while their neighbor who recorded video of the assault and Arbery’s last moments was sentenced similarly to life, but with eligibility for parole after 30 years.
In addition to the life sentences for murder, the judge has imposed additional sentences for other felony charges. The following is a statement from Damon Hewitt, president and executive director with the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law:
“These convictions and sentences send a very clear and critical message that vicious attacks and murders of Black people will not be tolerated. Though our justice system has a long way to go in terms of equitably serving every individual, today’s sentencing of Ahmaud Arbery’s killers provides as much justice as the system could for the Arbery family and the community. The path forward will not involve the justice system so much as it does the hearts and minds of the people in a nation struggling to achieve full reckoning about the true costs of racism and the value of Black life.”
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About the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law— The Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law (Lawyers’ Committee), a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization, was formed in 1963 at the request of President John F. Kennedy to involve the private bar in providing legal services to address racial discrimination. The principal mission of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law is to secure, through the rule of law, equal justice for all, particularly in the areas of voting rights, criminal justice, fair housing and community development, economic justice, educational opportunities, and hate crimes. For more information, please visit https://lawyerscommittee.org.
