Judge rejects plea deal for man who killed Ahmaud Arbery

Travis McMichael would have received 30 years in federal prison to be served alongside the penalty of life in prison without parole imposed by a state court judge for the murder conviction

Travis McMichael pleaded guilty to hate crimes but the plea deal was thrown out (Stephen Morton/AP)

A US judge has rejected a plea agreement that would have averted a hate crime trial for a white man convicted of the murder of Ahmaud Arbery.

The decision by US District Court Judge Lisa Godbey Wood came hours after prosecutors gave notice that son and father Travis and Greg McMichael had agreed to plead guilty to hate crime charges that they chased, threatened and killed the 25-year-old because he was black.