From left to right, Gregory McMichael, Travis McMichael and William "Roddie" Bryan
After deliberating for a little over three hours Tuesday, jurors in the federal trial of the three White men who chased and killed 25-year-old Ahmaud Arbery as he jogged through their neighborhood in Glynn County Georgia in 2020 found them guilty on all counts.
Ahmaud Arbery
The jury determined that Travis McMichael (36), the man who fatally shot Arbery, targeted him because he was Black.
His father Greg McMichael (66), who pursued Arbery along with his son after seeing him running in their neighborhood outside, and neighbor William “Roddie” Bryan (52) — who joined the chase in his own pickup and recorded cellphone video of Travis McMichael firing the fatal shots — were also found guilty of violating Ahamud Arbery's civil rights.
Ahmaud Arbery’s killers have been found guilty of all counts in their federal hate crime trial. The three men are currently serving life sentences after being convicted of Arbery’s murder in a separate trial. For all live updates https://t.co/9ilsfjAVSapic.twitter.com/TEWgSfcRSU
The trio, which was convicted of murder in a Georgia state court and sentenced to life in prison, was also found guilty of attempted kidnapping. The McMichaels were also found guilty of one count each of brandishing or discharging a firearm during a violent crime.
They now face up to life in prison for the federal crimes on top of their previous life sentence. Only Bryan would be eligible for parole.
Brenda and Jamal Edwards on 'Loose Women'. Credit: ITV.
Jamal Edwards, a YouTube pioneer who built one of the platform's earliest successes in 2006 when he founded the online music channel SB.TV as a teen in his parent's west London neighborhood, died Sunday after what his mother described as a "sudden illness."
Edward's mother Brenda, a singer and actress that is currently a presenter and panelist on the British television talk show "Loose Women," confirmed his death at the age of 31 in an emotional tribute on the show's social media accounts.
"It is with the deepest heartache that I confirm that my beautiful son Jamal Edwards passed away yesterday morning after a sudden illness. Myself, his sister Tanisha and the rest of his family and friends are completely devastated. He was the center of our world," the statement read.
She continued: "As we come to terms with his passing we ask for privacy to grieve this unimaginable loss. I would like to thank everyone for their messages of love and support. Jamal was an inspiration to myself and so many. Our love for him lives on, his legacy lives on. Long live Jamal Edwards MBE, MBA and PHD."
After the devastating death of Jamal, our thoughts are with Brenda today. She’s sent us this message: pic.twitter.com/EZWH3b5tcX
According to reporting from "The Sun," Edwards suffered a heart attack at his home in Acton, West London. The newspaper talked to a friend of the entrepreneur that said, "The details are still not clear but we've been told that it was a heart attack."
That same pal, identified as Dwayne by the publication said Edwards, "was out DJing on Saturday night and eventually got home in the early hours of Sunday morning.
He added, "The family are still trying to come to terms with it all, but we've heard that his mum found him in his bedroom and called an ambulance."
Following the news, hundreds of fans attended a vigil in West London and scores of friends, musicians, celebrities and even the Prince of Wales took to the internet to share their grief at his passing.
Thinking of the family of Jamal Edwards today.
His work in music but also as an ambassador for a new generation, including his work for The Prince’s Trust, were an inspiration to so many. https://t.co/upNgux1mxU
— The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall (@ClarenceHouse) February 21, 2022
“Thinking of the family of Jamal Edwards today," Prince Charles’ Clarence House office tweeted. "His work in music but also as an ambassador for a new generation, including his work for The Prince’s Trust, were an inspiration to so many.”
Edwards was given a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE), an honor from the queen, in 2014 for services to music and also served as an ambassador for Prince Charles’ charity, the Prince’s Trust.
Singer Rita Orr, who along with Ed Sheeran, Jessie J and Stormzy, owe much of their early success to Edwards posted a heartfelt tribute on Instagram.
“My first ever interview was with you. Jamal,” she wrote. “Our endless talks on music and the belief you had in me and so many of us before we even believed in ourselves. I’m devastated.”
International superstar Drake also had Edwards in his thoughts. SB.TV was the first U.K. platform to interview the former child actor turned music monolith as he was making the transition between acting and rapping.
"Sending condolences and love to the friends and family of Jamal Edwards," he wrote alongside a throwback picture of the pair he shared on his Instagram stories.
Photos courtesy U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York
It has been a tough month for drill rappers.
First rising star and 18-year-old drill rapper Jayquan McKenley, aka Chii Wvttz, was gunned down in his parked car in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, Feb. 6, while leaving an Airbnb.
Bronx Drill Rapper Chii Wvttz passes away. RIP to the talented artist. Fly High 🕊 2003-2022 pic.twitter.com/AGRfzCYasD
On the heels of that tragedy, New York City Mayor Eric Adams urged social media firms to ban the artform’s videos from their platforms. Drill rap often refers to killing or doing a hit and Adams said the clips glorify and promote violence.
Adams eventually changed his tune following a meeting with several prominent drill rappers on Tuesday and clarified that he did not want to ban drill rap but promised he would have something coming in alignment with the artists to help.
“I don’t know if you saw the picture, but for the first time in my life, I looked cool, hanging out with all of them – and it was very interesting,” said Adams of the meeting in City Hall.
“Because, I don’t know who said it, but they said, ‘We heard you said you were going to ban drill rapping.' I did not say that. I was very clear in what I stated."
He added, “We’re going to roll out something together.”
One of the genre’s most established cliques is facing massive amounts of prison time over a scam the government alleges defrauded it of $4.3 million by submitting false claims for unemployment insurance and attempting to use over 800 stolen identities to try and get another $20 million.
In all, 11 members and associates of the Brooklyn-based Woo gang have been charged with the multi-million-dollar COVID-19 unemployment insurance fraud. Their penchant for making and distributing drill music played a significant part in their downfall.
Last year a video named “Trappin’” was uploaded to YouTube. The lyrics — with verses like “It was me and Porter, we was huggin’ the block. Unemployment got us workin’ a lot." — include details of the scheme, which ran from the beginning of the pandemic until October of 2021, according to prosecutors and it features five of the 11 gang members and associates charged this week.
“As alleged, the defendants conspired to steal millions of dollars in pandemic-related unemployment assistance and then brazenly flaunted the proceeds of their crimes on social media,” Breon Peace, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, said in a statement.
“These government programs are designed to provide financial assistance to those who are most in need during an unprecedented pandemic. This Office and its law enforcement partners will vigorously prosecute gang members and anyone else who exploits the pandemic and steals from taxpayer-funded programs."
The arrests came just hours before the body of alleged Woo member and rising rap star TDott Woo was scheduled to be borne in a white horse-drawn carriage past his Brooklyn home. The rapper was shot to death outside his residence on Feb. 1, the day he signed a potentially lucrative recording contract with Million Dollar Music.
This is far from the first brush with tragedy for the alleged gang or its members.
Pop Smoke, a Brooklyn-born rapper affiliated with Woo who popularized it, was shot and killed by masked gunmen during a home invasion at a Hollywood Hills mansion. His posthumous hit single, “The Woo,” was released that July.
Below is a full list of the defendants:
ROMEAN BROWN Age: 23 Los Angeles, California
TYREK CLARKE Age: 21 Miami, Florida
KENNITH DESIR Age: 20 Brooklyn, New York
STEPHAN DORMINVIL Age: 21 Brooklyn, New York
KAI HEYWARD Age: 22 Brooklyn, New York
KEITH JAMES Age: 20 Brooklyn, New York
ONEAL MARKS Age: 20 Brooklyn, New York
JAHRIAH OLIVIERRE Age: 22 Brooklyn, New York
CHRISTOPHER JEAN PIERRE Age: 21 Brooklyn, New York
