What Charges Do the Defendants Face in the Ahmaud Arbery Murder Trial?

U.S.|Here are the charges that the defendants face.

• Nov. 5, 2021, 9:30 a.m. ET

The indictment handed up by the expansive assemblage successful Glynn County lists 9 transgression counts against each of the 3 defendants successful the sidesplitting of Ahmaud Arbery. For each count, they are charged individually and arsenic “parties acrophobic successful the committee of a crime.”

Taken together, the charges supply a fig of antithetic ways that the defendants, Gregory McMichael, Travis McMichael and William Bryan, could upwind up facing beingness successful situation if they are convicted.

Here are the charges successful the bid listed successful the indictment:

Count 1

Malice murder

This transgression is defined successful Georgia law arsenic causing a person’s decease with deliberate intention, without sizeable provocation, and “where each the circumstances of the sidesplitting amusement an abandoned and malignant heart.” It is punishable by death, oregon by beingness imprisonment with oregon without anticipation of parole.

Counts 2, 3, 4 AND 5

Felony murder

This charge applies erstwhile a decease is caused successful the people of committing different felony, “irrespective of malice” — successful different words, whether oregon not the sidesplitting was intentional and unprovoked.

The different felonies successful this lawsuit are listed successful Counts 6 done 9 of the indictment; 1 number of felony execution is linked to each. If prosecutors beryllium beyond a tenable uncertainty that the defendants committed 1 oregon much of those crimes and besides caused Mr. Arbery’s decease successful the process, the ground would beryllium laid for a condemnation for felony murder.

Like malice murder, felony execution is punishable by death, oregon by beingness imprisonment with oregon without anticipation of parole.

Count 6

Aggravated assault

One mode Georgia instrumentality defines this crime is arsenic an battle utilizing a deadly weapon. This number charges the 3 men with attacking Mr. Arbery with a 12-gauge shotgun. It is punishable by imprisonment of 1 to 20 years.

Count 7

Aggravated assault

Another mode Georgia instrumentality defines this crime is arsenic an battle utilizing “any object, device, oregon instrumentality which, erstwhile utilized offensively against a person, is apt to oregon really does effect successful superior bodily injury.” This number charges the defendants with utilizing 2 pickup trucks to battle Mr. Arbery. It is punishable by imprisonment of 1 to 20 years.

Count 8

False imprisonment

This charge applies erstwhile a idiosyncratic without ineligible authorization “arrests, confines, oregon detains” different idiosyncratic “in usurpation of the idiosyncratic liberty” of that person. Specifically, the defendants are charged with utilizing their pickup trucks to chase, confine and detain Mr. Arbery “without ineligible authority.”

False imprisonment is punishable by 1 to 10 years successful prison.

Count 9

Criminal effort to perpetrate a felony

Georgia law defines transgression effort arsenic performing “any enactment which constitutes a important step” toward the intentional committee of a transgression — successful this case, the mendacious imprisonment charged successful Count 8. A suspect tin beryllium convicted either of completing a peculiar transgression oregon of attempting it, but not both.

Because mendacious imprisonment is simply a felony, attempting it is besides a felony, punishable by fractional the attempted crime’s maximum sentence: successful this case, 1 to 5 years successful prison.