Three men were sentenced to life in prison in November after being convicted guilty of felony murder in the deadly shooting of Arbery, a Black Georgia man who was running in their area when they accosted him.
Travis McMichael, the man who shot Arbery, and his father, Gregory McMichael, will not be eligible for parole, but their neighbor, William "Roddie" Bryan, will, according to Superior Court Judge Timothy Walmsley.
In November, a Glynn County jury found all three men guilty of murder and other crimes in the pursuit and deadly shooting of Arbery on Feb. 23, 2020.
After seeing Arbery sprinting through their neighborhood, Satilla Shores, the McMichaels (father and son) armed themselves and pursued him in a pickup truck.
Travis McMichael, who fired three close-range shots at Arbery, was found guilty of all nine charges. Except for malice murder, Gregory McMichael was found guilty of all charges. Bryan was found guilty of felony murder on three counts, aggravated assault on one count, false imprisonment, and criminal attempt to commit a felony.
Before reaching a decision, the virtually all-white jury pondered for roughly 10 hours.
Arbery allegedly ran for five minutes from the men, according to prosecutors. Arbery became caught between the two pickup trucks and was forced to fight Travis McMichael, who was equipped with a shotgun.
Judge Walmsley termed Arbery's killing "callous" and said it happened because "confrontation was desired" on Friday, June 7.
Before announcing the punishments, the judge requested for one minute of quiet in the courtroom to represent a portion of the time Arbery was running in horror from the guys before he was slain, he added.
The court stated, "He left his house to go for a run and ended up running for his life."
The penalties were imposed in response to prosecutor Linda Dunikoski's recommendation that Bryan be given a chance at parole while the McMichaels be denied it. The father and son, according to Dunikoski, displayed no sorrow or pity for "the confined and terrified Ahmaud Arbery."
Before the penalties were handed down, Arbery's parents and sister stepped up, pleading with the judge to give the men the harshest punishment possible.
"Every day in this courtroom, the man who murdered my son sat close to his father. I'll never get another opportunity to sit next to my son. At a regular table, no. Not on a holiday, of course. Not at a wedding, either "Marcus Arbery, Ahmaud Arbery's father, said before the sentence was handed down.
"His assailants should spend the rest of their lives reflecting on what they did and what they took from us, and they should do so behind bars since my family and I will have to do so for the rest of our lives."
All three men's attorneys have stated that they intend to appeal their convictions.
Bryan, their next-door neighbor, joined the chase in his pickup vehicle and captured footage of the fateful encounter on his cellphone.
