BRUNSWICK, Ga. — Jury selection in the federal hate crimes trial for the three men convicted of murdering Ahmaud Arbery is scheduled to begin Monday. Arbery's father said the trial is just another step toward justice. It was just a few months ago when a jury in south Georgia found Travis and Gregory McMichael, along with William "Roddie" Bryan, guilty of chasing down and killing Arbery in February 2020.
The Arbery family is anxiously preparing for the federal hate crimes trial. A judge recently rejected a plea deal for the McMichaels, and Ahmaud's father tells 11Alive's Dawn White in an exclusive interview that they're satisfied with the judge's decision -- they didn't want to make it easy for Bryan and the McMichaels when they say the men didn't make it easy for Ahmaud.
“I looked at my 25-year-old laying there still, my little baby boy, that was the most hurt I ever felt in my life because I want my children to look down at my face and not me looking down at their face," Marcus Arbery said.
Marcus Arbery said his son had a big heart and would give you the shirt off his back.
“There’s something so special about him that you’re always going to miss because he was the kind of person who would always call you and tell you how much he loved you," Marcus said. "He did that every day.”
Feb. 23, 2020 will always be a painful memory for Marcus, he said. It's been almost two years since Arbery's life was taken and Marcus doesn't think the pain will go away any time soon.
“He loved everybody, and he always wanted to see everybody happy, and so it’s still a struggle for the family," Marcus said. "It’s going to be a struggle for the rest of our lives because he was always the light of the family.”
The three men all received life sentences after a Brunswick jury convicted them of murdering Ahmaud.
Marcus said he felt some justice after the state case and now, he hopes the three men get more prison time in the federal case to send a clear message the behavior that ended his son's life will not be tolerated.
"I just want to get justice, 100% justice, because as you know Ahmaud is not coming back," Marcus said.
The federal indictment alleges the men killed Ahmad because of the color of his skin.
“I just hope the next person who thinks they can kill someone racially, they think about stuff before they do it," Marcus said.
Marcus was a fixture in the courtroom during the state case and is bracing himself for the federal trial.
“It’s going to be hurting our family all over again," Marcus said. "We have to go through the same old stuff and see the racial hate of those three men who murdered him. It’s just like opening a wound up all over again. It’s just really hard for my family.”
Marcus visits his son's grave as he prepares for another trial and hopes Ahmaud's death can serve as the catalyst for change in the country.
“Have mercy on those men, those three men," Marcus said. "God’s got Ahmaud now, but God’s going to make those three pay.”