The suspects in the vigilante shooting of a Black man in Georgia have already been charged with felony murder and could be looking at added federal charges.
According to the family attorney of Ahmaud Arbery, the Department of Justice is investigating whether or not to charge George and Travis McMichael with a federal hate crime for the shooting death of Arbery. The DOJ has not officially announced the investigation.
Georgia is one of 4 states that does not have any hate crime laws, so any charges that prosecutors feel relates to race will have to be handled at the federal level.
The McMichael’s were arrested on May 7 on felony murder charges for the late February incident where the father and son pursued and eventually executed the 25-year-old jogger who they believe had been a local burglar. The man who recorded the incident, William Bryan, has also been charged with felony murder. The 3 suspects maintain their innocence.
The McMichaels are currently incarcerated with no set bond for them to be released. The trial date has not been set but is reportedly expected to begin sometime next year.
