All 3 men guilty of murder in the killing of Ahmaud Arbery

The attorney for William "Roddie" Bryan Jr. said he plans to appeal after his client was convicted in the murder of Ahmaud Arbery.

"Here he is, he does everything he's supposed to do, he's fully cooperating, he's done everything that he can and now he's looking at spending the rest of his life in prison," the attorney continued as he spoke to members of the media Wednesday afternoon. 

Travis McMichael, who shot Arbery, and his father, Gregory McMichael, were also found guilty of murder and other charges. The three defendants are White, Arbery was Black.

Gough said he planned to appeal the decision regarding his client, noting, "We believe the appellate courts will reverse this conviction."

Gough was doubtful about the possibility of parole for Bryan. 

"At his age, 25 years before parole eligibility? I don't think parole is even something he's going to be worrying about right now," Gough said.

CNN's Christina Maxouris contributed to this report.

Wanda Cooper-Jones, the mother of Ahmaud Arbery, told CNN that her prayers had been answered and that “today was a very good day,” after three men were found guilty in her son’s killing.

Cooper-Jones also discussed thoughts she had about other mothers who were in her circumstance seeking justice for their children.

“My message to these families is don't give up, keep pushing, keep fighting,” Cooper-Jones said.

Lee Merritt, an attorney for Cooper-Jones, said they are looking forward to the federal prosecution of the men found guilty Wednesday in Georgia.

Merritt said he agreed with Martin Luther King Jr.’s sentiment that the arc of the moral universe is long but it bends toward justice, but not on its own.

“The moral arc is long and I agree that it does bend toward justice but it doesn't bend on its own,” Merritt said. “It takes fight being mothers like the one I'm sitting next to that I have the real honor and privilege to represent.”

Lead prosecutor Linda Dunikoski said spoke about the verdict today, saying "When you present the truth to people and they can see it, they will do the right thing and that's what this jury did today in getting justice for Ahmaud Arbery,"  

Dunikoski, who is a Cobb County senior assistant district attorney, successfully prosecuted the cases of Travis McMichael, his father Gregory McMichael and their neighbor William R. Bryan.

All three men were convicted Wednesday of chasing and murdering Arbery, a 25-year-old Black jogger who was running in their neighborhood.

She also thanked her trial partners, calling it "a gigantic team effort." 

Sen. Jon Ossoff, of Georgia, extended his condolences to the Arbery family and insisted that "further investigation is necessary to determine how and why officials initially refused to pursue the case" into the three men found guilty Wednesday.

Ossoff added: "Ahmaud Arbery’s murderers will be held accountable, but a historic civil rights mobilization was necessary for the killers to face prosecution at all. There was nearly impunity for this murder, and further investigation is necessary to determine how and why officials initially refused to pursue the case. The circumstances of Ahmaud Arbery’s murder and the struggle required to secure a prosecution demonstrate profoundly the urgency of reforms to make equal justice real in America.”

Earlier today: In the same vein, Rev. Al Sharpton praised "White and Black activists" alike for their support during the trial and helping to raise awareness.

All three defendants were convicted of felony murder, but only Travis McMichael, the man who shot and killed Ahmaud Arbery, was convicted of the top charge, malice murder.

Georgia criminal defense attorney Page Pate told CNN this decision by the jury made sense to him.

He said the verdict shows "it was careful deliberation" by the jury in the case. 

"Let's put the facts together with the law and come up with what we feel is the right verdict, and I think it was the right verdict for this case," Pate said.

The guilty verdicts for all three men charged in killing Ahmaud Arbery last year send "an important message," Vice President Kamala Harris said in a statement this afternoon.

Harris added: "These verdicts send an important message, but the fact remains that we still have work to do. The defense counsel chose to set a tone that cast the attendance of ministers at the trial as intimidation and dehumanized a young Black man with racist tropes. The jury arrived at its verdicts despite these tactics. Ahmaud Arbery was a son. He was a brother. He was a friend. His life had meaning. We will not forget him. We honor him best by continuing the fight for justice."

Earlier today: Travis McMichael, who shot and killed Arbery, was convicted on all nine counts against him. Five of the counts — malice murder and four counts of felony murder — carry a possible life sentence.

His father, Gregory McMichael, was found guilty of all but the first count — malice murder. He faces possible life in prison for the four counts of felony murder that he was convicted of.

The third defendant, William "Roddie" Bryan Jr., was convicted on six of the nine charges. He was found not guilty of malice murder, not guilty on one of the felony murder counts and not guilty of aggravated assault with a firearm. But Bryan could still be sentenced to life in prison since he was convicted on three of the felony murders counts.

Jason Sheffield — an attorney for Travis McMichael, one of three convicted of murder in the death of Ahmaud Arbery — said he is planning to appeal the jury's guilty verdict.

Travis McMichael, his father Gregory McMichael and William "Roddie" Bryan Jr. were found guilty of murder in Arbery's death. Each faces the possibility of life in prison.

"That is a very disappointing and sad verdict for myself and for Bob and for our team, but we also recognize that this is a day of celebration for the Arbery family," Sheffield added. "We cannot tear our eyes away from the way they feel about this. They feel they have gotten justice today. We respect that. We honor that. Because we honor this jury trial system."

Defense attorneys speak outside the courthouse:

All three men who were found guilty in the killing of Ahmaud Arbery face the possibility of life in prison when they are sentenced.

Travis McMichael, who shot and killed Arbery, was convicted on all nine counts. Five of the counts — malice murder and four counts of felony murder — carry a possible life sentence.

His father, Gregory McMichael, was found guilty of all but the first count — malice murder. He faces possible life in prison for the four counts of felony murder that he was convicted on.

The third defendant, William "Roddie" Bryan Jr., was convicted on six of the nine charges. He was found not guilty of malice murder, not guilty on one of the felony murder counts and not guilty of aggravated assault with a firearm. But Bryan could still get sentenced to life in prison since he was convicted on three of the felony murders counts.

The judge did not schedule sentencing today but he said he plans to set a date in the coming weeks.

Here's a breakdown of each of the counts that defendants were charged with in the case, along with the maximum penalties:

Count 1: Malice murder

Count 2: Felony murder (Felony offense: Aggravated assault with a firearm)

Count 3: Felony murder (Felony offense: Aggravated assault with pickup trucks)

Count 4: Felony murder (Felony offense: False imprisonment)

Count 5: Felony Murder (Felony offense: Criminal attempt to commit a felony)

Count 6: Aggravated assault (with firearms)

Count 7: Aggravated assault (with pickup trucks)

Count 8: False imprisonment

Count 9: Criminal attempt to commit a felony

President Biden reacted to the guilty verdicts in the trial of three men convicted of killing Ahmaud Arbery, saying that it "ensures that those who committed this horrible crime will be punished."

"Instead, we must recommit ourselves to building a future of unity and shared strength, where no one fears violence because of the color of their skin," the President said.

Biden said Arbery "should be here today" celebrating the holidays with his family, pledging that his administration will continue to work for equal justice.