GoFundMe has shut down the fundraising account for William “Roddie” Bryan, one of three men who was found guilty for the murder of Ahmaud Arbery.
GoFundMe told the Savannah Morning News that the company deleted Bryan’s donation account, which had a goal of $300,000. The page had only raised $700 by the time it was closed. The funds were reportedly going to be used to cover legal costs for Bryan’s appeals process. However, the fundraising site forbids raising money for the legal defense of a violent crime, according to its terms of service.
As REVOLT previously reported, Bryan and his neighbors Gregory and Travis McMichael were found guilty on multiple charges associated with the fatal shooting of Arbery, a Black man, as he jogged through a Georgia neighborhood last year. Bryan was found guilty on three counts of felony murder, one count of aggravated assault, one count of false imprisonment and one count of criminal attempt to commit a felony.
McMichael was found guilty of four counts of felony murder, two counts of aggravated assault, false imprisonment and criminal attempt to commit a felony. Travis was convicted of one count of malice murder, four counts of felony murder, two counts of aggravated assault, one count of false imprisonment and one count of criminal attempt to commit a felony.
However, defense attorneys representing two of the suspects said they plan to appeal the men’s murder convictions. Jason Sheffield and Bob Rubin, Travis’ attorneys, said they are already discussing how they will appeal his conviction.
“I can tell you honestly, these men are sorry for what happened to Ahmaud Arbery,” Sheffield said. “They are sorry that he is dead, they are sorry for the tragedy that happened because of the choices that they made to go out there and try to stop him.”
“We believe the appellate courts will reverse this conviction,” Kevin Gough, Bryan’s attorney, added.
A date for the three men’s sentencing trial has not been set. They are facing the maximum sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole.