Justice For Laken Riley As Killer Sentenced To Life In Prison
9 hours ago
A Venezuelan migrant was convicted on Wednesday (November 20) and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for murdering Laken Riley, a Georgia nursing student whose killing became a rallying cry for U.S. President-elect Donald Trump as he attacked illegal immigration during the campaign.
Jose Ibarra, 26, who entered the U.S. illegally, was found guilty on murder and other charges by Judge Patrick Haggard in Athens-Clarke County Superior Court. As the judge read the verdict aloud, Riley's family members and friends sobbed while Ibarra sat stony-faced.
Haggard heard the evidence and rendered the verdict after Ibarra waived his right to a jury trial.
Prosecutors said Ibarra encountered Riley, 22, on a wooded trail while she was out running on Feb. 22 and killed her after she resisted his efforts to rape her. She was a nursing student at Augusta University in Athens.
In victim impact statements delivered in court ahead of the sentencing, Riley's family and friends described her as a caring, selfless and devout person who loved running and was committed to serving others.
Trump and other Republicans often cited Riley's murder in claiming falsely that migrants who crossed the southern border illegally were responsible for a wave of violent crime, part of the president-elect's argument for stricter border policies and aggressive deportations.
Trump has vowed to pursue mass deportations of immigrants after he is sworn into office in January.
Jose Ibarra, 26, who entered the U.S. illegally, was found guilty on murder and other charges by Judge Patrick Haggard in Athens-Clarke County Superior Court. As the judge read the verdict aloud, Riley's family members and friends sobbed while Ibarra sat stony-faced.
Haggard heard the evidence and rendered the verdict after Ibarra waived his right to a jury trial.
Prosecutors said Ibarra encountered Riley, 22, on a wooded trail while she was out running on Feb. 22 and killed her after she resisted his efforts to rape her. She was a nursing student at Augusta University in Athens.
In victim impact statements delivered in court ahead of the sentencing, Riley's family and friends described her as a caring, selfless and devout person who loved running and was committed to serving others.
Trump and other Republicans often cited Riley's murder in claiming falsely that migrants who crossed the southern border illegally were responsible for a wave of violent crime, part of the president-elect's argument for stricter border policies and aggressive deportations.
Trump has vowed to pursue mass deportations of immigrants after he is sworn into office in January.
