Judge rejects plea deal for Ahmaud Arbery killer

A federal judge on Monday rejected a plea deal in the federal hate crime trial of the man who was convicted of killing Ahmaud Arbery.

The proposed deal would have avoided the hate crime trial of Travis McMichael, who was convicted, along with his father Greg McMichael, of killing Arbery on Feb. 23, 2020, in Brunswick Georgia.

Arbery's parents, mother Wanda Cooper-Jones and father Marcus Arbery, asked the judge to reject the deal, Just the News reported.

U.S. District Judge Lisa Godbey Wood said the court should consider the family's wishes when sentencing Travis McMichael, which would not happen under the proposed deal, according to The Associated Press.

Both McMichaels face life in prison, but the plea deal would have allowed them to serve the first 30 years of their sentences in federal prison, which is known to have better living conditions than state prison.

The McMichaels and their co-defendant William Bryan were sentenced to life in prison on Jan. 7. All three face federal hate crime charges.