JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Attorneys for Gregory McMichael and Travis McMichael, two of the men convicted of murdering Ahmaud Arbery, filed motions for acquittal Tuesday.
The filings are standard legal action and are part of most criminal cases. The motions spell out exactly why the defendants believe they were unfairly convicted in the Brunswick trial.
According to the motions, Gregory McMichael's attorneys claim the government attempted to prove motive by producing evidence that he had racial hostility against African Americans. Additionally, the motion states that the jury was not given evidence that Gregory McMichael "associates African Americans with criminality" despite the fact that evidence for this claim was provided for fellow defendants Travis McMichael and William Bryan.
The motion also argues that no evidence was shown that Gregory McMichael believed people of color should not be allowed to use public facilities, namely the streets of his neighborhood.
Along that same vein, attorneys claim that the government did not prove that Satilla Drive, Holmes Road, and Burford Road, the main streets in the case, are public streets.
Finally, Gregory McMichael's attorneys argue that the jury was impacted when inflammatory and racist images, videos, texts and testimonies were presented in court. The "nauseating and repugnant" evidence allegedly tainted the jury's view of Gregory McMichael.
Travis McMichael's motions for acquittal take similar issue with that the streets in question should be considered "public facilities".
A sentencing date has not been set for the federal hate crimes trial, at this time.