The withdrawal comes days after a U.S. District Court judge rejected terms of a plea deal between defense attorneys and prosecutors that was met with passionate objections by Arbery's parents.
Asked by U.S. District Judge Lisa Godbey Wood for his decision, McMichael said:"I withdraw the plea."
"All we want is 100% justice for the Arbery family," Marcus Arbery Sr. said."That's all we're looking for." Travis McMichael stands with his lawyer as the guilty verdict is read in the trial for the murder of Ahmaud Arbery. The McMichaels armed themselves and chased Arbery in a pickup truck after spotting the 25-year-old man running past their home just outside the port city of Brunswick on February 23, 2020. Bryan joined the pursuit in his own truck and recorded cellphone video of Travis McMichael shooting Arbery with a shotgun.
Wood rejected the deal Monday after Arbery's parents argued that conditions in federal prison wouldn't be as harsh. Wood said she ultimately denied the deal because it would have locked her into a specific sentence.