Migrant sentenced to life in prison for murder of Laken Riley, which Trump spoke about

GEORGIA – A Venezuelan migrant was found guilty Nov. 20 and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for the murder of Ms. Laken Riley, a Georgia nursing student whose murder became a rallying cry for US President-elect Donald Trump as he attacked an illegal immigration during his campaign.

Jose Ibarra, 26, who entered the United States illegally, was found guilty of murder and other charges by Judge Patrick Haggard in Athens-Clarke County Superior Court. As the judge read the verdict aloud, Ms. Riley’s family and friends sobbed and Ibarra sat stony-faced.

Judge Haggard heard the evidence and reached the verdict after Ibarra waived his right to a jury trial.

Mr. Trump and other Republicans have frequently invoked Ms. Riley’s killing to falsely claim that migrants who crossed the southern border illegally are responsible for a wave of violent crime, part of the president-elect’s argument for stricter border policies and aggressive deportations.

“JUSTICE FOR LAKEN RILEY! The illegal alien who murdered our beloved Laken Riley has just been found GUILTY on all counts for his horrific crimes,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social page.

Prosecutors said Ibarra met Riley, 22, on a wooded trail while she was jogging on Feb. 22 and killed her after she resisted his attempts to rape her. She studied nursing at Augusta University in Athens.

In victim impact statements given in court before sentencing, Ms Riley’s family and friends described her as a caring, selfless and devout person who loved to run and was committed to serving others.

“Layken had a wonderful and bright future,” her mother, Ms Allison Phillips, told the court. “She was smart, hard-working, kind, caring, and most importantly, she was a child of God.”

In her closing statement earlier on Nov. 20, prosecutor Sheila Ross called the evidence against Ibarra “overwhelming,” including DNA under her fingernails that authorities linked to the defendant, scratches on Ibarra’s body and video footage of a man matching Ibarra’s description throwing away a bloody jacket into a dumpster shortly after the murder.

Defense lawyers argued that the evidence was circumstantial and could not rule out another assailant.

Ms Riley’s case made national headlines in March during President Joe Biden’s State of the Union address when firebrand US Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene interrupted his speech, demanding he “say her name”.

Mr. Biden went off script by mentioning Ms. Riley, whom he described as an innocent woman killed by a “lawyer.” Republicans criticized him for mispronouncing Ms Riley’s name, and Mr Biden later apologized for using the word “illegal” to refer to the person.

Mr Biden, then the Democratic nominee for president, dropped out of the race in July and was replaced by Vice President Kamala Harris, who had earlier lost to Mr Trump in November.

Trump has vowed to continue mass deportations of immigrants after he takes the oath of office in January. REUTERS