A Venezuelan national who was in the United States without proper documentation when he brutally murdered a nursing student at the University of Georgia will spend the rest of his life in prison.
Jose Antonio Ibarra, 26, learned his fate on Wednesday following the death of Laken Riley, 22, while out for a jog on campus.
The defendant was sentenced immediately after being convicted of murder, aggravated assault with intent to rape, kidnapping with bodily injury, obstructing or hindering a person making an emergency phone call, tampering with evidence, and peeping Tom. As an undocumented immigrant, Ibarra’s case received national attention.
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Riley’s mother, Allyson Phillips, chastised the defendant, CBS News reported.
“There is no end to the pain, suffering and loss that we have experienced or will continue to endure,” she told me. “This sick, twisted, and evil coward had no respect for Laken or human life. We ask that the same be done to him.”
The killing occurred on February 22, when Ibarra “spied upon” a woman in an apartment at the University of Village Housing building.
Authorities said he didn’t know Riley, the case was a “crime of opportunity,” and he lived in an apartment near Oconee Forest Park, where Riley was killed.
The case came to light when UGA police responded to a call from Riley’s friend at 12:07 p.m. on Feb. 22 stating that she had gone for a run at the Intramural Fields earlier in the morning and had not returned as expected.
After arriving at the recreational area, which includes several athletic fields, tennis courts, and running and biking trails, first responders searched the surrounding area and quickly discovered Riley “in the forested area behind Lake Herrick” at 12:38 p.m., police said.
According to the affidavit, the victim’s body lay on the ground in the woods. She seemed to be unconscious and not breathing.
She had visible injuries, so officers immediately started CPR. When emergency medical responders arrived, they determined she had died.
During Ibarra’s trial, prosecutors stated that he was “hunting for females on the University of Georgia’s campus” when he met Riley.
“When Laken Riley refused to be his rape victim, he bashed her skull in with a rock repeatedly,” special prosecutor Sheila Ross said during her opening statement, according to the Washington Post.
His defense attorney attempted to argue that the evidence against Ibarra was circumstantial, but prosecutors claimed Ibarra’s DNA was discovered under Riley’s fingernails, and investigators obtained the defendant’s thumbprint from her phone screen.
According to reports, surveillance footage captured him attempting to dispose of evidence.
Riley attended UGA through the spring semester of 2023 before transferring to the Augusta University College of Nursing program in Athens, where she was enrolled at the time of her death, according to a University of Georgia Police Department news release.
Her killing drew national attention after it was revealed that Ibarra, a Venezuelan citizen, had illegally entered the United States in 2022, passing through El Paso, Texas, before being detained and released.
The case also prompted lawmakers to push for “The Laken Riley Act,” which would impose stricter immigration rules by requiring US Immigration and Customs Enforcement to detain undocumented people accused of specific crimes.
In March, the bill was approved 251-170, with 37 Democrats joining all Republicans in support.
“While we cannot bring Laken back, we must now focus on doing everything we can to prevent this from happening to another American,” Representative Mike Collins, a Georgia Republican who authored the bill, stated. “The Laken Riley Act is a key piece in our fight to restore the rule of law and get criminal illegal aliens off our streets.”
“Colleagues, today we act on behalf of those who are no longer with us because of Joe Biden’s policies,” she said. “Let us continue to pray for her family and friends as they mourn her loss and vow to continue fighting for the American people against the lawlessness created by this administration. Let us ensure justice for Laken Riley.”
