Ahmaud Arbery's murderer Gregory McMichael, 68, is transferred from prison to hospital facility 

One of three men convicted of the racist murder of black jogger Ahmaud Arbery has been transferred to a hospital medical facility, with Georgia authorities refusing to say why.

Gregory McMichael, 68, was sentenced to life in prison without parole in August, and sent to Georgia Diagnostic and Classification State Prison, near Jackson.

But on Tuesday it emerged he is now in Augusta State Medical Prison.

It was unclear whether he has been transferred there temporarily due to illness, or if it is a long-term situation.

A.J. Balbo, McMichael's attorney, referenced his age and health problems after the hate crime sentencing in August. He suffered a stroke several years ago, has heart disease and takes medication for depression and anxiety.

Ahmaud Arbery (left) was shot dead while jogging through his Georgia neighborhood in February 2020. Gregory McMichael (right) was convicted of his murder

Pictured: Travis McMichael (left), his father Gregory McMichael (center) and their neighbor William Bryan Jr (right)

The above map shows Ahmaud Arbery's approximate path and locations of the events that occurred on February 23, 2020

Neither Balbo nor the attorney for the Arbery family have returned DailyMail.com's request for comment.

Wanda Cooper-Jones, Arbery's mother, told the judge in January last year that she was vehemently against any of the three receiving special treatment when their lawyers argued they were unsafe in state prison.

'Granting these men their preferred choice of confinement would defeat me,' she said.

'It gives them one last chance to spit in my face.'

Joan Heath, Georgia DOC Office of Public Affairs director, told ABC News that McMichael would not have served his sentence in the original prison, but would not say why he had been transferred to hospitals.

'Once offenders complete the diagnostic process at Ga Diagnostic & Classification Prison, they are moved to their permanent housing assignment based on their individual diagnostic evaluation, as is the case with offender McMichael,' she said.

'The diagnostic process is routine for all offenders entering the GDC.

'Specific details of diagnostic evaluations are part of an offender's institutional file and are not subject to disclosure.'

Gregory McMichael is now being held at the Augusta State Medical Prison (pictured)

Ahmaud Arbery's mother Wanda Cooper-Jones said in January 2022 that she did not want the trio to have special prison treatment 

Augusta State Medical Prison 'houses severe medical cases,' according to the Georgia DOC, and offers 'centralized acute, specialized medical and Level IV Mental Health services for male and female offenders primarily as transient.'

McMichael was sentenced along with his son Travis McMichael, 36, the man who fatally shot Arbery.

A neighbor, William 'Roddie' Bryan, 52, was sentenced to life with the possibility of parole.

Last August, the McMichaels were again given a life sentence after being found guilty of federal hate crimes.

Bryan was sentenced to an additional 35 years.