BRUNSWICK, GA — A federal appeals court has upheld the hate crime convictions of the three white men who chased and killed Ahmaud Arbery in Brunswick five years ago.

The decision from the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals comes more than a year after the men challenged their convictions, arguing that racist messages they had exchanged did not prove they targeted Arbery because of his race. Prosecutors relied on those messages during the 2022 trial to show the killing was racially motivated.

All three defendants are already serving life sentences for murder.