president-elect trump considered the sentencing He hailed the verdict as “justice” for the Venezuelan man charged with killing Georgia student Laken Riley earlier this year.
“Justice for Laken Riley!” President Trump posted on Wednesday Visit his Truth Social site. “The illegal alien who murdered our beloved Laken Riley has been found guilty on all charges for his horrific crime.”
A Georgia judge found Jose Ibarra, 26, guilty on all charges after a four-day trial. Associated Press Reported.
Ybarra was charged with 10 crimes, including one count of malicious murder and three counts of felony murder. He was also charged with one count each of kidnapping, aggravated assault, aggravated assault, interfering with emergency calls, tampering with evidence and peeping tom.
The defendant, a Venezuelan immigrant, was sentenced to life in prison without parole.
Riley, a 22-year-old college student, died in February while jogging in a park on the University of Georgia campus. Her death became a political flashpoint during the campaign, with Republicans blaming the country's immigration crisis and the Biden administration's immigration policies for her death.
Riley died of blunt force trauma, and there was no relationship between her and Ybarra before the crime, University of Georgia Police Chief Jeff Clark said in the spring.
Her death drew national attention from both President Trump and the Republican Party, who pushed for immigration reform, and President Biden, who expressed “deep condolences.”
In his post, President Trump said he hoped Riley's death would bring “some peace and closure” to his family.
“We love you, Laken, our hearts are always with you,” he wrote. “It's time to secure our borders and rid our country of these criminals and thugs, so something like this will never happen again!”
President Trump on Monday signaled he would declare a national emergency on immigration when he returns to the White House and use military assets to support his mass deportation plan.
Immigration advocates are poised to take executive action on immigration policy during his second term, but questions remain about how he will legally and logistically deport millions of immigrants.
