by WorldTribune Staff / 247 Real News November 20, 2024
Jose Ibarra, an illegal alien from Venezuela and member of the violent Tren de Aragua gang, was found guilty on Wednesday on all counts for the murder of Georgia nursing student Laken Riley.
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. Western Judicial District Attorney Deborah Gonzalez refused to seek the death penalty for Ibarra.
Athens-Clarke County Superior Court Judge H. Patrick Haggard handed down the decision on the fourth day of a bench trial after Ibarra waived his right to a jury trial. Ibarra did not testify in his own defense. Haggard delivered the verdict after taking a 20 minute break following closing arguments.
In a victim impact statement before Ibarra was sentenced, Allyson Phillips, Riley’s mother, said 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.”
President-elect Donald Trump, who met with Riley’s parents during the 2024 presidential campaign, 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,” Trump wrote. “It is time to secure our Border, and remove these criminals and thugs from our Country, so nothing like this can happen again!”
Timely: Defund Fake News
During testimony in the trial, Ibarra’s roommate revealed that she and Ibarra had been provided taxpayer-funded plane tickets to fly to Georgia from New York.
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,” Kemp wrote.
This is the DA who refused to seek the death penalty for Laken Riley’s murderer https://t.co/Gg5fHCvMER
— Jack Poso 🇺🇸 (@JackPosobiec) November 20, 2024