Federal prosecutors have reached a plea deal with Gregory and Travis McMichael, the father and son convicted of killing Ahmaud Arbery, on federal hate crime charges, CNN reports.
The deal was agreed upon so that the McMichael's could serve their time in a safer, less populated federal prison, the report states.
Wanda Cooper-Jones, Arbery’s mother, plans to oppose the deal at a hearing on Monday, attorney S. Lee Merritt noted. Cooper-Jones along with Marcus Arbery Sr., Arbery's father, are scheduled to be in court on Monday.
According to the federal Crime Victims Act, Cooper-Jones is guaranteed the "right to be reasonably heard at any public proceeding involving a plea offer."
Merritt went public with the news after discovering that documents were filed on Sunday in federal court, in anticipation of the McMichael's trial set to begin on February 7. Although the details of the agreement were not disclosed, Merritt said the family "is devastated" by the prosecution’s decision.
Cooper-Jones requested that the US Attorney's Office allow the McMichaels to serve their life sentences in state prison. Merritt explained.
"It's very disrespectful," Cooper-Jones said after the morning hearing."The [US Department of Justice] has gone behind my back to offer the men who murdered my son a deal to make their time in prison easier for them to serve," Cooper-Jones added in a statement. "I have made it clear at every possible moment that I do not agree to offer these men a plea deal of any kind. I have been completely betrayed by the DOJ lawyers.
Merritt described the federal prison as "a country club compared to state prison," saying the facilities have better funding, are less populated, and are "generally more accommodating."
"By admitting they were motivated by hate when they hunted & murdered Ahmaud Arbery these men get to transfer to safer, less crowded & more orderly federal detention facilities," Merritt tweeted. "In essence, they get to publicly brag about their hatred & then be rewarded by the federal government."
As EBONY previously reported, both McMichaels were sentenced to life in prison without the possibility for parole for murdering Arbery and were indicted on federal hate crimes charges.
On January 7, Arbery's mother rejected a plea deal offered by federal prosecutors that would've put the McMichaels away for 30 years each.
"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 said at the time.
Merritt described the plea agreement as a "backroom deal.”
“This is an example of the Department of Justice literally snatching defeat from the jaws of victory,” he continued
Travis McMichael was scheduled to appear in court at 2 p.m., and his father's hearing was slated for 2:45 p.m.
