Jose Ibarra, an illegal migrant from Venezuela, was found guilty on Wednesday of killing Georgia nursing student Laken Riley.
Athens-Clarke County Superior Court Judge H. Patrick Haggard found Ibarra guilty on all counts Wednesday following the conclusion of his murder trial that spanned several days. The verdict brings some closure to a murder case that sparked a national debate over consequences of mass illegal immigration into the United States.
Haggard declared Ibarra guilty of malice murder, felony murder, kidnapping with bodily injury, aggravated assault with intent to rape, aggravated battery, obstructing or hindering a 9-1-1 call, tampering with evidence and being a peeping tom.
Riley — a nursing student living in Athens, Georgia — was abducted and murdered while she was jogging near the University of Georgia campus on Feb. 22. She passed away from blunt force trauma to the head, a coroner determined.
José Antonio Ibarra, a 26-year-old Venezuelan national, was subsequently arrested for her murder. Immigration and Customs (ICE) later confirmed that Ibarra entered the country illegally in September 2022, further sparking statewide and national backlash.
Ibarra’s two brothers, Diego and Argenis, also entered the U.S. unlawfully and have also been detained by authorities. Diego has been charged with green card fraud and Argenis has been placed on an immigration hold.
Law enforcement officials investigating the murder found Ibarra’s DNA evidence under Riley’s fingernails, linking Ibarra to the crime and strongly indicating that Riley put up a fight as he tried to rape her and ultimately killed her. Ibarra had pleaded not guilty, and his public defenders attempted to claim that the evidence against him was circumstantial, and suggested that his brother, Diego, shares his DNA and may have been involved in Riley’s brutal killing.
Haggard called for a short recess after his verdict and said he would later determine what Ibarra’s sentence would be.
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