A 26-year-old man was convicted on murder charges and sentenced to life in prison on Wednesday in the murder of Laken Riley, who was killed on Feb. 22 while she was out on a jog on the University of Georgia campus in Athens, Ga.
Jose Ibarra was found guilty of murder in Riley’s killing, in a decision handed down by Athens-Clarke County Superior Court Judge H. Patrick Haggard, with the verdict livestreamed on Court TV. Ibarra 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. A Venezuelan national, Ibarra entered the country illegally in 2022, immigration officials previously said (per ABC News.). Ibarra waived his right to a jury trial and did not testify in his own defense.
Prosecutors said Ibarra accosted Riley, a nursing student at Augusta University, 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, who met with Riley’s parents before a campaign rally in March, said after the sentencing in a post on Truth Social: “JUSTICE FOR LAKEN RILEY! The Illegal who killed our beloved Laken Riley was just found GUILTY on all counts for his horrific crimes. 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. 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 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.”
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