Jose Ibarra sentenced to life in prison for US nursing student’s murder

The person accused of killing 22-year-old nursing scholar Laken Riley has been sentenced to life in jail, in a case that grew to become a flashpoint within the 2024 presidential election.

A choose in Georgia discovered Jose Antonio Ibarra, an undocumented Venezuelan immigrant, responsible of homicide and different prices associated to Ms Riley’s demise.

Prosecutors argued that Ibarra killed the scholar on 22 February this yr after going “trying to find females” on the College of Georgia (UGA) campus.

Ms Riley’s mother and father, roommates and different family and friends cried as the decision was learn. Ibarra didn’t visibly react.

Ibarra’s attorneys had argued that proof linking him to Ms Riley’s demise was “circumstantial”.

Ms Riley, who lived within the metropolis of Athens, north-east Georgia, was discovered lifeless in a wooded space of the UGA campus after she didn’t return from her morning run.

Ibarra was arrested a day later.

On Wednesday, he was discovered responsible of all 10 counts, together with felony homicide, kidnapping with bodily harm and aggravated assault with intent to rape.

Ibarra had waived his proper to a jury trial, which suggests his case was heard and determined by county Decide H Patrick Haggard.

He was sentenced to life in jail with out chance of parole, as prosecutors had requested.

Prosecutors informed the courtroom Ibarra noticed Riley whereas she was operating on the UGA campus and “bashed her cranium in with a rock”.

Knowledge from Ms Riley’s smartwatch confirmed she had “fought for her life, fought for her dignity” solely minutes after departing on her run, the trial heard.

The sufferer’s wrestle was “fierce”, the lead prosecutor stated. Ms Riley referred to as police at 09:11 that morning and her coronary heart stopped at 09:28, with no extra motion from her system.

Ibarra’s lawyer had argued there was a scarcity of proof connecting his shopper to Ms Riley’s demise.

However prosecutors stated proof confirmed that Ibarra’s DNA was discovered underneath the nails of Ms Riley, indicating a wrestle between them.

The trial, which started final Friday, included testimony from greater than a dozen regulation enforcement officers, Ms Riley’s former roommate and a lady who lived in the identical house as Ibarra.

Rosbeli Flores-Bello, Ibarra’s former roommate, testified that the 2 had travelled collectively from New York Metropolis, the place that they had been dwelling in a migrant shelter, to Georgia seeking work.

Ibarra entered the US illegally on 8 September 2022, based on the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). He was later launched for additional processing.

ICE has stated that Ibarra was arrested in New York Metropolis in September 2023 and was charged with “performing in a fashion to injure a toddler lower than 17 and a motorized vehicle license violation”.

He was launched by the NYPD, ICE officers stated.

Ms Riley’s identify grew to become a rallying cry for conservatives as border safety emerged as a defining subject within the White Home race.

In March, President Joe Biden, a Democrat, was heckled over her homicide throughout his State of the Union tackle to Congress.

Republican lawmakers stated it was the White Home’s fault that Ibarra was in a position to stay within the nation regardless of his legal file.

President-elect Donald Trump, a Republican, usually invoked Ms Riley’s identify on the marketing campaign path.

Trump reacted to Ibarra’s responsible verdict, writing on Reality Social that he hopes the result of the trial “can convey some peace and closure to her great household who fought for justice”.

“It’s time to safe our border,” Trump added.

A Nationwide Institute of Justice research means that undocumented migrants within the US are arrested for violent and drug crimes at lower than half the speed of native-born residents.