there was not a lot of attention on this case. but she was pushing investigators to dig deeper. she wanted the men arrested, tried, and convicted. today, a year and a half later, because of her pressure, her prayers were answered. count one, malice murder, we the jury find the defendant, travis mcmichael, guilty. wooo! reporter: an emergency reaction from ahmaud arbery s father on the first of the 23 guilty verdicts for the men who murdered his son. arbery s mother wanda cooper-jones wept in the back row as the verdict was read. to tell you the truth i never saw this day, back in 2020, i never thought this day would come. but god is good. reporter: athlete men stood silent as their fats were read. they could spend the rest of their lives in prison. their attorneys say they re disappointed but respect the jury s decision. we understand that they feel they have gotten justice today.