In deciding their sentence, jurors in the Ahmaud Arbery murder trial had to consider two different types of murder charges – malicious murder and felony murder.
Travis McMichael was found guilty of malicious murder while the other defendants, Gregory McMichael and William “Roddie” Bryan Jr., were convicted of four and three counts of murder, respectively.
Elie Honig, CNN senior legal analyst, said the difference between the allegations relates to intent.
Malicious murder means that the jury determines that Travis McMichael intended to kill Ahmaud Arbery and that he did, Honig said. It was Travis McMichael who shot Arbery. Gregory McMichael and William “Roddie” Bryan Jr were convicted of felony murder which means they knowingly committed a felony.
“The pursuit of him with the truck, the mock imprisonment – and the result was that whether they intended it or not, Ahmaud Arbery was killed and that made both his father and Roddie Bryan guilty of murder,” Hoing explained.
For context: Despite the different murder charges, all three men could face life in prison.
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