Wanda Cooper-Jones, the mother of Ahmaud Arbery, joined The Big Tigger Morning Show on V-103 in Atlanta, GA on Monday morning via phone to discuss the recent sentencing of three white men for killing her son and the upcoming federal case against them.
"I think that we finally got justice for Ahmaud, Friday was a very good day," Cooper-Jones said.
A Georgia judge on Friday, Jan. 7 sentenced both Travis McMichael and his father, Gregory McMichael, to life in prison without the possibility of parole. The judge issued a lesser sentence to the third man, William Bryan, of life with the possibility of parole.
On February 23, 2020, Mr. Arbrey ran on foot from the three men for about five minutes while they chased him in trucks and then blocked him in, resulting in physical altercation with Travis McMichael who then shot him three times at close range with a shotgun. Bryan recorded the murder on his phone.
The three men were convicted of murder and other counts in state court in November, resulting in mandatory life sentences. Friday's hearing was to determine if the murderers should be eligible for parole after 30 years, the earliest opportunity under Georgia law.
Cooper-Jones was asked what she wanted to see happen to the three men in a perfect world.
"In a perfect world, being that I lost Ahmaud, I would want them to lose their lives as well," Cooper-Jones said. "But this wasn't a death penalty case, so I got the next best thing which was life without parole. So like I said earlier, Friday was a very good day for us."
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Linda Dunikoski, the lead prosecutor, asked the judge to deny the possibility of parole to the McMichaels after pointing out their poor history of “vigilantism” prior to the murder.
“There’s been no remorse and certainly no empathy from either man,” Dunikoski said.
However, she added that Bryan should be eligible for parole because of his cooperation with investigators.
"Once he said life without parole, I was overjoyed," Cooper-Jones said. "I knew the judge was listening throughout the whole trial, I knew that he was going to rule in our favor. I was always faithful. Once he gave the final sentencing, I just said, 'I knew it.' One thing I want to add is that God answers prayers, if you pray, God is good."
The three men were also charged with hate crimes and attempted kidnapping in a federal court, and face potential life sentences. The jury selection for that case is set to begin on Feb. 7.
Cooper-Jones spoke about the upcoming trial and is prepared to fight for her son after rejecting a plea deal. She hopes they are convicted for "life without parole for those charges as well."
"They offered a plea earlier last week, but the family rejected that," Cooper-Jones said. "So we're hoping to get a victory in that trial as well."
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