BRUNSWICK, GA — More than five years after Ahmaud Arbery was killed while jogging in Brunswick, a federal appeals court has upheld the hate crime convictions of the three men responsible.

The 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled in favor of the convictions after the defendants argued that their racist messages did not prove they targeted Arbery because of his race. The ruling took more than a year to issue.

Travis McMichael, Gregory McMichael, and William “Roddie” Bryan are all serving life sentences for murder. Prosecutors said the men chased and killed Arbery while he was out for a run in February 2020.

The case drew national attention and sparked widespread outrage over racial violence and the handling of the initial investigation.

The court’s decision reaffirmed the federal hate crime convictions.