Travis McMichael's former boss revealed he fired him after he lied about Ahmaud Arbery's murder

Joe Mandala, former boss of Travis McMichael, has revealed when he decided to sever ties with his former employee.

According to CNN, Mandala provided a witness testimony as part of the federal hate crimes trial against Travis McMichael, Gregory McMichael and William "Roddie" Bryan, the three males convicted for the murder of Ahmaud Arbery.

The report includes details about Mandala's reaction to learning McMichael had lied about his involvement in the highly publicized murder. Per CNN:

"Joe Mandala, McMichael's former boss at Metson Marine, testified that he first heard about the shooting when McMichael called him on the day it took place. According to Mandala's testimony, McMichael said he had shot and killed somebody. McMichael then asked if Mandala remembered him complaining about break-ins around his neighborhood, Mandala testified. Mandala recalled McMichael was calm and repeatedly said he was attacked, and that the shooting was self-defense."

Speaking to the jurors, Mandala admitted that he was "shocked and upset" by what he'd learned. "What he told me was a lie...that that was not what had happened was upsetting," Mandala said.

During his testimony, Mandala revealed he took action immediately after viewing the footage. He notified the Port Operations Officer and called his regional and security managers to discuss what he'd seen and his intent to fire McMichael. The latest development comes months after the three men were convicted following the release of disturbing footage that showed them chasing down the 25-year-old before murdering him on February 23, 2020.

According to Mandala, "McMichael stayed home from work the next day but returned on Tuesday, when he still appeared calm and retold the story."