Ahmaud Arbery

Travis and Gregory McMichael Seek Acquittal of Hate Crimes Convictions in Ahmaud Arbery's Murder

Defense lawyers argue that the killing of Arbery, a Black man, did not happen on a public street, and that the elder McMichael was not proven to be as racist as his son

Stephen B. Morton-Pool/Getty Images

Gregory and Travis McMichael, the white father and son convicted of murdering Ahmaud Arbery, a Black man, filed requests for acquittal of federal hate crimes convictions handed down by a jury last month.

Travis McMichael's motion for acquittal, filed Tuesday, focuses largely on arguing that the killing of Arbery, 25, and other crimes against him did not happen on a public street.

Federal civil rights laws cover public spaces, McMichael’s attorney argued in the 43-page document. The Georgia street where Arbery was cornered and fatally shot is part of a subdivision, and the county never "expressly accepted the dedication" of the street, the motion said.

Gregory McMichael’s 12-page motion for acquittal uses the same private street argument.

Read the full story at NBCNews.com

Travis McMichael, Gregory McMichael and William “Roddy” Bryan were each found guilty on all counts in their federal hate crime trial.
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