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“She rejected that offer because we believe that today the state will move forward with life sentences without the possibility of parole, and we think that’s the appropriate sentence,” Merritt told CNN, standing beside Wanda Cooper-Jones.
Cooper-Jones will make a victim’s impact statement before Friday’s sentencing. She said she hopes Travis McMichael, who fired the shotgun blasts that killed her son, receives a life sentence without parole.
The men’s federal trial is scheduled to begin February 7, one month after their sentencing.
The defendants have maintained their innocence on hate crime charges, including interference with rights and attempted kidnapping. The McMichaels were also charged with using, carrying and brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence; and Travis McMichael was charged with discharging a firearm.
Federal prosecutors say the defendants “used force and threats of force to intimidate and interfere with Arbery’s right to use a public street because of his race.”
“We are deeply disappointed that the Justice Department bought the false narrative that the media and state prosecutors have promulgated,” Travis McMichael’s defense team said.
Because the men have remained at Glynn County Detention Center since their arrest, there’s been no federal bond hearing. If convicted on the weapons charges or interference with rights counts, they face additional penalties of up to life in prison with possible six-figure fines.
CNN’s Brianna Keilar contributed to this report.