The man accused of killing Georgia nursing student Laken Riley was found guilty of murder Wednesday in a case that became a flashpoint in the immigration debate earlier this year, ahead of the presidential election.
Jose Antonio Ibarra, 26, was convicted on three counts of felony murder and counts of malice murder, kidnapping with bodily injury, aggravated assault with intent to rape and “peeping Tom.” He was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole, in line with the request from prosecutors.
The decision was handed down by Athens-Clarke County Superior Court Judge H. Patrick Haggard on the fourth day of a bench trial. Ibarra waived his right to a jury trial and did not testify in his own defense. Haggard delivered the verdict after taking a 20 minute break following closing arguments. Sobbing could be heard in the courtroom as he spoke. Riley’s parents, sister, stepfather, roommates and friends delivered victim impact statements before Ibarra was sentenced.
Allyson Phillips, Riley’s mother, cried as she read her statement, saying that Ibarra had “robbed us all of our hopes and dreams with Laken.”
“This monster took away our chances to see Laken graduate from nursing school,” Phillips said through tears. “He took away our ability to meet our future son-in-law. He destroyed our chances of meeting our grandchildren, and he took my best friend.”
“He took away every beautiful memory we won’t ever be able to make with her again,” she said.
Phillips urged the judge to sentence Ibarra to life without the possibility of parole “so that he never gets the chance to hurt anyone else ever again.”
Prosecutors said Ibarra accosted Riley while she was out for a run on the morning of Feb. 22. She was found dead in a forested area off the University of Georgia campus in Athens after her roommates called police when she did not return home.
Riley’s killing drew national attention to the immigration debate after officials announced that Ibarra is a Venezuelan citizen who entered the United States illegally in 2022. Donald Trump and other Republicans met with Riley’s parents before a campaign rally in March and have used the case to call for stricter border policies.
During the trial, prosecutors argued that Ibarra killed Riley after she fought off his attempt to rape her. The prosecution pointed to DNA and other evidence that they said linked Ibarra to Riley on the day of her murder.
In closing arguments, prosecutor Sheila Ross told the judge that Riley “herself has given you all the evidence you need alone to find this man guilty of every single count in this indictment.”
Ross said Riley fought her attacker and “it is a direct result of that fight that gives you all the physical evidence you need to convict.”
Defense attorneys said that the evidence, while it shows that Riley was murdered, did not tie Ibarra to the killing without a reasonable doubt. Instead, they said Ibarra’s brother, Diego Ibarra, could have killed the nursing student.
Kaitlyn Beck said in her closing argument that two alternative theories could not fully be ruled out: that Diego was responsible for Riley’s murder or that “Jose was an accomplice after the fact of the murder.”
She sought to undermine the prosecution’s evidence by suggesting the DNA was subject to contamination because Jose Ibarra and Diego Ibarra shared clothing and a bed.
Following Wednesday’s verdict, Republicans, who had seized on the case to call for more restrictive immigration policies, took to social media to comment on the decision.
Trump said in a post on Truth Social that “although the pain and heartbreak will last forever, hopefully this can help bring some peace and closure to her wonderful family who fought for Justice, and to ensure that other families don’t have to go through what they have.”
“We love you, Laken, and our hearts will always be with you,” he wrote. “It is time to secure our Border, and remove these criminals and thugs from our Country, so nothing like this can happen again!”
Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp said in a post on X (formerly known as Twitter) that while “we are glad that justice has been delivered on behalf of Laken Riley, we continue to mourn her loss with her family and friends and know that she should still be with us today.”
“This criminal should never have been allowed to enter our country, and he certainly should not have been allowed to stay after shamelessly breaking our laws,” he wrote in the post.
Previously, police said there was no indication Ibarra knew the victim and that he did not have a known extensive criminal background.
First appeared on www.nbcnews.com