Suspect Accused of Killing Ahmaud Arbery 'Flat Out' Denied Plea Deal

Social Justice

By ShaCamree Gowdy Published: November 19, 2021

Suspect Accused of Killing Ahmaud Arbery ‘Flat Out’ Denied Plea Deal

Defense attorney Kevin Gough reacts as he speaks at the jury selection in the trial of William "Roddie" Bryan, Travis McMichael and Gregory McMichael, charged with the February 2020 death of 25-year-old Ahmaud Arbery, at the Gwynn County Superior Court, in Brunswick, Ga., Wednesday, Oct. 27, 2021. Gough reportedly requested a plea deal for Bryan, which was swiftly turned down by prosecutors. (Octavio Jones/Pool Photo via AP)

In Summary

Attorney Kevin Gough has requested a plea deal for one of the three white men accused of killing Ahmaud Arbery in Brunswick—but it’s not going to happen.

The prosecution “flat out” turned down a plea deal proposal from the lawyers of the three white men accused of chasing down and shooting Ahmaud Arbery to death in Brunswick in February 2020, family attorney Lee Merritt shared with CBS News.

Kevin Gough, who has been in the news for statements criticizing the presence of “Black pastors” in the courtroom including Rev. Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson, made the request for his client William Bryan.

Arbery was jogging in a predominantly white neighborhood on Feb. 23, 2020, when an armed Greg McMichael and his son Travis McMichael reportedly chased him down in a pickup truck and shot him.

Bryan and his lawyer have maintained that he never touched Arbery, but he has been found “as culpable as the other two” after he admitted to following and boxing in Arbery with his truck and recording the deadly shooting.

The three men have pleaded not guilty to charges of malice and felony murder, claiming they were acting in self-defense. Aggravated assault, false imprisonment, and criminal attempt to commit a felony are also among the allegations they face.