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The man accused of killing 22-year-old nursing scholar Laken Riley was sentenced to life in jail, in a case that grew to become a flashpoint within the 2024 presidential election.
A decide in Georgia discovered Jose Antonio Ibarra, an undocumented Venezuelan immigrant, responsible of homicide and different costs associated to Ms Riley’s loss of life.
Prosecutors argued that Ibarra killed the coed on 22 February this yr after going “hunting for females” on the University of Georgia (UGA) campus.
Ibarra’s legal professionals had argued that proof linking him to Ms Riley’s loss of life was “circumstantial”.
Ms Riley’s dad and mom, roommates and different family and friends cried as the decision was learn, whereas Ibarra didn’t visibly react.
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 implies his case was heard and determined by county Judge Haggard.
Prosecutors sought a life sentence with out parole. Prosecutors informed the court docket Ibarra noticed Riley whereas she was working on the UGA campus and “bashed her skull in with a rock”.
Data 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 mentioned. Ms Riley known as police at 09:11 that morning and her coronary heart stopped at 09:28, with no extra motion from her gadget.
In their closing arguments, prosecutors outlined how proof confirmed that Ibarra’s DNA was discovered underneath the nails of Ms Riley, indicating {that a} wrestle had ensued between them.
Ibarra’s lawyer, Dustin Kirby, argued that the proof offered ought to go away the decide “with some reasonable doubt”. He conceded that “the evidence in this case is very good that Laken Riley was murdered”, but he said proof connecting his client to Ms Riley’s death was “lacking”.
The trial, which started on Friday, included testimony from greater than a dozen legislation enforcement officers, Ms Riley’s former roommate and a girl who lived in the identical residence as Ibarra.
Rosbeli Flores-Bello, Ibarra’s former roommate, testified that the 2 had travelled collectively from New York City, the place that they had been dwelling in a migrant shelter, to Georgia in the hunt for work.
Ibarra entered the US illegally on 8 September 2022, in line with the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). He was later launched for additional processing.
ICE has mentioned that Ibarra was arrested in New York City in September 2023 and was charged with “acting in a manner to injure a child less than 17 and a motor vehicle license violation”.
He was launched by the NYPD “before a detainer could be issued”, ICE officers mentioned.
Ms Riley’s title grew to become a rallying cry for conservatives as border safety emerged as a defining subject within the White House race.
In March, President Joe Biden, a Democrat, was heckled over Ms Riley’s homicide throughout his State of the Union handle.
Republican lawmakers blamed the Biden-Harris administration for Ms Riley’s loss of life. They mentioned it was the fault of the White House that Ibarra, who entered the US unlawfully in 2022, was capable of stay within the nation regardless of his prison file.
President-elect Donald Trump, a Republican, typically invoked Ms Riley’s title on the marketing campaign path.
Trump reacted to Ibarra’s responsible verdict, writing on Truth Social that he hopes the result of the trial “can bring some peace and closure to her wonderful family who fought for justice”.
“It is time to secure our border,” Trump added.
A National 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.
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