GoFundMe spikes fundraisers for man convicted of murdering Ahmaud Arbery
GoFundMe has removed fundraisers for William "Roddie" Bryan, one of three men convicted last week on murder charges in the killing of Ahmaud Arbery in Georgia, the company said.
A spokesperson for GoFundMe told The Hill on Friday that the crowdfunding platform had removed three fundraisers for Bryan this week. No funds had been raised.
"GoFundMe prohibits raising money for the legal defense of a violent crime," the spokesperson said.
Bryan's attorney Kevin Gough wrote on Facebook that "The right to counsel, a guarantee enshrined in our Constitution, means little if ordinary people like Roddie Bryan cannot raise funds for their own defense - and that includes the right to raise funds for an appeal."
He said the cancellation of online efforts to raise funds for Bryan is "simply the latest manifestation of a woke left mob mentality" and added that the move "seeks to undermine the institutions of our government."
In November, Bryan, along with Gregory and Travis McMichael, who were also charged in the death of Ahmaud Arbery, was found guilty of multiple counts of murder.Bryan, who recorded the confrontation between the trio of white men and Arbery, who was Black, was found guilty of 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.
The fundraiser page for Bryan, which had a target of $300,000, was created by Bryan's fiancée, Amy Elrod, NBC News reported.
Elrod wrote in the fundraiser, "I am the fiancé of William 'Roddie' Bryan. He is the man whom was found guilty of murder along with the McMichaels in the Ahmaud Arbery case in Brunswick, Ga. Roddie had no weapon that day, only his cell phone, to which no one would have known what happened that day without it. He also turned it over to the police on the scene and cooperated fully throughout the investigation. Please help anyway you can to #FreeRoddie #IStandWithRoddie," FirstCoast News, an affiliate of NBC, reported.
The fundraiser has now reportedly been moved to a different platform.
Gough said he would file a motion for a new trial on behalf of his client after the verdict was announced.
A sentencing date has not yet been set for Bryan and the McMichaels.
- Updated at 1:05 p.m.
