The progressive prosecutor in Georgia where Laken Riley was found murdered by an illegal immigrant has lost his bid for re-election.
Athens-Clarke County and Oconee County District Attorney Deborah Gonzalez lost her case Tuesday in a landslide. The incumbent lost to Republican Kalki Yaramanchiri with 75% of the vote.
Gonzalez was elected in 2020 in an election funded by progressive donors pushing for criminal justice reform in the wake of Black Lives Matter protests and defunding of police movements.
Riley, a nursing student at Augusta University, was found dead near a lake on the University of Georgia campus on February 22. An illegal immigrant was charged with Riley's murder.
Laken Riley Murder: Illegal Immigrant Suspect in Georgia College Student Killing Requests Certain Evidence Be Suppressed
Western Judicial District Attorney Deborah Gonzalez speaks at a Georgia Bureau of Investigation press conference on May 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)
Laken Riley poses for a photo to post on Facebook. Riley, a nursing student at the University of Georgia, was found dead near a lake on campus on February 22nd. An illegal immigrant was charged with her murder. (Laken Riley/Facebook)
At the time he was elected to the top criminal justice position, Gonzalez claimed he was “unapologetically” progressive.
“I think it's also because I'm an outspoken person, I'm an unapologetically Democrat, and I consider myself a progressive prosecutor,” Gonzalez said of the criticism.
Suspect charged in Laken Riley's murder
“There are a lot of prosecutors who don't like this word progressive, but what it means to me is that we need to look at this differently. … We always ask ourselves, 'Is this for justice?'” she said.
University of Georgia murder suspect Jose Ybarra lived within a five-minute walk of the scene where he allegedly killed 22-year-old nursing student Laken Riley on February 22nd. (Mark Sims for Fox News Digital/Laken Riley/Jose Ibarra)
After Jose Ibarra, an illegal immigrant from Venezuela, was charged with murder, residents demanded answers from elected officials.
After her death, the Georgia General Assembly proposed HB 1105, which Republican Gov. Brian Kemp signed into law in May 2024.
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“Georgians have seen firsthand the devastating impact that illegal acts have on communities across the country,” Kemp said while signing the bill.
“Thanks to the work of our legislative partners in the General Assembly, we are once again able to send a message that illegal activity like this has no safe place in Georgia,” he said. “I am proud to sign this bill that will strengthen the recruitment of law enforcement officers, make our communities safer, and give our justice system more powerful tools to bring violent criminals to justice.”
Democratic presidential candidate and Vice President Kamala Harris and Republican presidential candidate and former President Donald Trump in a file photo taken on October 10, 2024 in Chandler, Arizona and on October 4, 2024 in Evans, Georgia. Pictured in the combination. (Reuters/Evelyn Hochstein, Octavio Jones/File photo)
Laken Riley Murder and the 2024 Presidential Election:
Former President Donald Trump blamed the Biden-Harris administration and its border policies for the murder of an Augusta University student.
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Meanwhile, Harris criticized Republicans for turning against the bipartisan border security agreement after President Trump denounced it.
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