Jose Ibarra sentenced to life in prison for US nursing student’s murder

The man accused of killing 22-year-old nursing student Laken Riley has been sentenced to life in prison, in a case that became a flashpoint in the 2024 presidential election.

A judge in Georgia found Jose Antonio Ibarra, an undocumented Venezuelan immigrant, guilty of murder and other charges related to Ms Riley’s death.

Prosecutors argued that Ibarra killed the student on 22 February this year after going “hunting for females” on the University of Georgia (UGA) campus.

Ms Riley’s parents, roommates and other friends and family cried as the verdict was read. Ibarra did not visibly react.

Ibarra’s lawyers had argued that evidence linking him to Ms Riley’s death was “circumstantial”.

Ms Riley, who lived in the city of Athens, north-east Georgia, was found dead in a wooded area of the UGA campus after she did not return from her morning run.

Ibarra was arrested a day later.

On Wednesday, he was found guilty of all 10 counts, including felony murder, kidnapping with bodily injury and aggravated assault with intent to rape.

Ibarra had waived his right to a jury trial, which means his case was heard and decided by county Judge H Patrick Haggard.

He was sentenced to life in prison without possibility of parole, as prosecutors had requested.

Prosecutors told the court Ibarra saw Riley while she was running on the UGA campus and “bashed her skull in with a rock”.

Data from Ms Riley’s smartwatch showed she had “fought for her life, fought for her dignity” only minutes after departing on her run, the trial heard.

The victim’s struggle was “fierce”, the lead prosecutor said. Ms Riley called police at 09:11 that morning and her heart stopped at 09:28, with no more movement from her device.

Ibarra’s lawyer had argued there was a lack of proof connecting his client to Ms Riley’s death.

But prosecutors said evidence showed that Ibarra’s DNA was found under the nails of Ms Riley, indicating a struggle between them.

The trial, which began last Friday, included testimony from more than a dozen law enforcement officers, Ms Riley’s former roommate and a woman who lived in the same apartment as Ibarra.

Rosbeli Flores-Bello, Ibarra’s former roommate, testified that the two had travelled together from New York City, where they had been living in a migrant shelter, to Georgia in search of work.

Ibarra entered the US illegally on 8 September 2022, according to the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). He was later released for further processing.

ICE has said 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 released by the NYPD, ICE officials said.

Ms Riley’s name became a rallying cry for conservatives as border security emerged as a defining issue in the White House race.

In March, President Joe Biden, a Democrat, was heckled over her murder during his State of the Union address to Congress.

Republican lawmakers said it was the White House’s fault that Ibarra was able to remain in the country despite his criminal record.

President-elect Donald Trump, a Republican, often invoked Ms Riley’s name on the campaign trail.

Trump reacted to Ibarra’s guilty verdict, writing on Truth Social that he hopes the outcome 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 study suggests that undocumented migrants in the US are arrested for violent and drug crimes at less than half the rate of native-born citizens.