Fox News Flash top headlines for January 8
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Civil rights activist Rev. Al Sharpton said life sentences handed down to the three men involved in Ahmaud Arbery’s murder was "not justice, it's accountability."
Sharpton, founder of the civil rights group National Action Network (NAN), was outspoken throughout the Arbery trial calling it a "lynching in the 21st century" and accused comments made by the defense attorneys as "some of the most racist statements in a court of law that I've heard."
AHMAUD ARBERY CASE: GEORGIA MEN SENTENCED IN 2020 MURDER OF UNARMED BLACK MAN
Dozens of Black Lives Matter and Black Panther protesters gather outside the Glynn County Courthouse where the trial of Travis McMichael, his father, Gregory McMichael, and William "Roddie" Bryan.
Sharpton, who also hosts an MSNBC weekend show, took credit for the nationwide attention that this case drew after Arbery, a 25-year-old Black man was pursued and shot while out for a jog in February 2020.
"When NAN got involved last year supporting the parents and lawyers, the local DA wouldn’t even arrest the killers," Sharpton wrote on Twitter Friday. "Today’s sentencing shows that results come from sustained movements."
Travis McMichael, 35, and his father, Greg McMichael, 66, were given the top sentence of life in prison without parole plus 20 years for lesser charges.
William "Roddie" Bryan, 52, was handed a sentence of life in prison with the possibility of parole, which means he could be released after 30 years.
AHMAUD ARBERY'S MOTHER ADDRESSES DEFENSE'S "DIRTY TOENAILS" COMMENT DURING SENTENCING
Rev. Al Sharpton, Ahmaud Arbery's family and civil rights attorney Ben Crump gather outside the Glynn County Courthouse (Fox News. Rebecca Rosenberg)
Sharpton’s sentiments were echoed by Derrick Johnson, president of the civil rights group National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), who said, "The justice system did its job today."
"Ahmaud Arbery was brutally murdered in broad daylight, and we are pleased to see accountability prevail in this case," he wrote on Twitter. "This is an encouraging step forward."
Georgia Rep. Carolyn Bourdeaux took to social media to say that the Friday verdict "is not the end."
"We must focus on doing better, not only in Georgia but nationwide," she continued. "The hateful and racist motivation for Ahmaud’s murder and the delay in arresting his killers is clear evidence that there is more work to be done."
Courtoom screen grabs Fox News Ahmaud Arbery.Courtesy of Family (Ahmaud Arbery.Courtesy of Family)
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"We should take the lessons from this trial and continue the fight for justice in Ahmaud’s honor," she added.
The three men sentenced Friday still face federal hate crime charges. The trial is slated to begin Feb. 7 in front of the same jury selection.
Fox News' Rebecca Rosenberg contributed to this report.
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