Jose Antonio Ibarra has been sentenced to life in prison after being found guilty of killing Georgia nursing student Laken Riley.
Ibarra, who U.S. officials have said is a Venezuelan citizen who entered the United States illegally in 2022, was convicted Nov. 20 on 10 counts, including three for felony murder, one for malice murder, plus kidnapping with bodily injury, aggravated assault with intent to rape and being a "peeping Tom," NBC News reported.
Later in the day, the judge sentenced Ibarra to life in prison without the possibility of parole for the killing of Riley.
The 22-year-old, who studied at Augusta University, was running at the intramural fields at the University of Georgia's campus in Athens, Ga. on the morning of Feb. 22 when she was attacked. She was found dead in a forested area after her roommates called police when she did not return home.
Ibarra—whose DNA was discovered under Riley's fingernails and whose thumbprint was found on her iPhone, according to evidence presented by the prosecution—had initially pleaded not guilty to his murder and other charges.
Athens-Clarke County Superior Court Judge H. Patrick Haggard handed down the guilty verdict on the fourth day of Ibarra's bench trial. The defendant had waived his right to a jury trial and did not testify in his own defense.
Prosecutors argued during the bench trial that Ibarra killed Riley after she fought off his attempt to rape her. "It is a direct result of that fight," prosecutor Sheila Ross had told the judge, per NBC News, "that gives you all the physical evidence you need to convict."
However, the defense argued that while the evidence showed the victim was murdered, it did not tie Ibarra to the killing without a reasonable doubt, and they suggested Ibarra's brother, Diego Ibarra, could have killed Riley, NBC News said.
Riley is survived by her parents, two sisters and a brother. Her mother, Allyson Phillips, cried as she read her victim impact statement before the sentencing.
"This monster took away our chances to see Laken graduate from nursing school," she said. “He took away our ability to meet our future son-in-law. He destroyed our chances of meeting our grandchildren, and he took my best friend."
She added, “He took away every beautiful memory we won’t ever be able to make with her again."
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