Jose Ibarra found guilty on all charges for the murder of Laken Riley
Jose Ibarra was found guilty on all counts for the murder of Laken Riley as the sobering trial concluded on Wednesday.Judge Patrick Haggard announced that Ibarra was found guilty of malice murder, felony murder, kidnapping with bodily injury, aggravated assault with intent to rape, aggravated battery, obstruction of a 911 call, tampering with evidence, and peeping Tom.Riley's family cried as Haggard read the verdict.Athens District Attorney Deborah Gonzalez's office is not seeking the death penalty for Ibarra.Ibarra is a member of the violent Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua and was able to easily enter the United States illegally in 2022 due to the Biden-Harris administration's open-border crisis.Prosecutors made the case that Ibarra hunted down Riley while she went for a jog. Using data from her smartwatch, authorities were able confirm that Riley fought off Ibarra for nearly 20 minutes before he smashed her skull in with a rock. Ibarra's DNA was found underneath Riley's fingernails. Athens District Attorney Deborah Gonzalez, a soft-on-crime prosecutor, and her office are not seeking the death penalty for Ibarra but instead are seeking life in prison without possibility of parole.In response to the verdict, President-elect Donald Trump said on Truth Social, "JUSTICE FOR LAKEN RILEY! ... 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 further said the nation's borders will be secured and illegal immigrants will be removed from the country so cases like this does not happen again.Riley's parents read their impact statements after the verdict was rendered, pleading with Haggard to sentence Ibarra to the maximum sentence of life without parole.John Phillips, Riley's stepfather, read one of her last journal entries, which was a letter to her future husband about wanting to have a God-fearing and God-loving family."I want you to know I am think about you. I am working everyday to become the best wife I can be by working through my current relationships to best prepare me for ours and our kids one day. I am focusing on God and what He defines as a faithful, Christian wife and so I can best embodied those characteristics," Phillips read from Riley's journal.Editor's note: This article has been updated to include statements from Riley's family and President-elect Donald Trump.Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!
Jose Ibarra was found guilty on all counts for the murder of Laken Riley as the sobering trial concluded on Wednesday.
Judge Patrick Haggard announced that Ibarra was found guilty of malice murder, felony murder, kidnapping with bodily injury, aggravated assault with intent to rape, aggravated battery, obstruction of a 911 call, tampering with evidence, and peeping Tom.
Riley's family cried as Haggard read the verdict.
Athens District Attorney Deborah Gonzalez's office is not seeking the death penalty for Ibarra.
Ibarra is a member of the violent Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua and was able to easily enter the United States illegally in 2022 due to the Biden-Harris administration's open-border crisis.
Prosecutors made the case that Ibarra hunted down Riley while she went for a jog. Using data from her smartwatch, authorities were able confirm that Riley fought off Ibarra for nearly 20 minutes before he smashed her skull in with a rock. Ibarra's DNA was found underneath Riley's fingernails.
Athens District Attorney Deborah Gonzalez, a soft-on-crime prosecutor, and her office are not seeking the death penalty for Ibarra but instead are seeking life in prison without possibility of parole.
In response to the verdict, President-elect Donald Trump said on Truth Social, "JUSTICE FOR LAKEN RILEY! ... 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 further said the nation's borders will be secured and illegal immigrants will be removed from the country so cases like this does not happen again.
Riley's parents read their impact statements after the verdict was rendered, pleading with Haggard to sentence Ibarra to the maximum sentence of life without parole.
John Phillips, Riley's stepfather, read one of her last journal entries, which was a letter to her future husband about wanting to have a God-fearing and God-loving family.
"I want you to know I am think about you. I am working everyday to become the best wife I can be by working through my current relationships to best prepare me for ours and our kids one day. I am focusing on God and what He defines as a faithful, Christian wife and so I can best embodied those characteristics," Phillips read from Riley's journal.
Editor's note: This article has been updated to include statements from Riley's family and President-elect Donald Trump.
Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!
Originally Published at Daily Wire, World Net Daily, or The Blaze
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