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By Michael D. Carroll and Dan Gooding
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A Venezuelan man has been found guilty of murdering Georgia nursing student Laken Riley, a tragic case that became a flashpoint in the heated national debate over immigration during this year's presidential race.
The case has reignited discussions about border policies and the challenges surrounding the intersection of immigration and public safety, highlighting the deeply divisive nature of the issue in the United States.
Jose Ibarra, 26, was convicted of malice and felony murder and eight other charges in the February death of Georgia nursing student Laken Riley.
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The verdict was delivered to gasps from the courtroom Wednesday by Athens-Clarke County Superior Court Judge H. Patrick Haggard.
Ibarra had waived his right to a jury trial, leaving Judge Haggard solely responsible for hearing and deciding the case.
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Haggard delivered his verdict after the trial lasted just three and a half days, finding Ibarra guilty of kidnapping with bodily injury, aggravated assault with intent to rape, aggravated battery, obstructing a person making an emergency call, tampering with evidence and being a "peeping Tom," alongside the murder charges.
Riley, 22, died on February 22 after what prosecutors described as a violent attack by the accused while she was jogging on a wooded trail near the University of Georgia campus.
On Tuesday, the court heard details of Riley's autopsy, which showed injuries across multiple areas, including her head, neck, torso, and limbs. One of those injuries was a skull fracture, likely caused by a rock.
Prosecutors argued Wednesday that Ibarra had driven Riley off the running trail the morning she disappeared, intending to rape her, but failed to before he murdered her.
The court was presented with graphic images and details what police found at the scene, as well as phone calls and fitness tracker data which showed Riley died around 20 minutes after her last phone call to her mother, just after 9 a.m.
University of Georgia Police Sergeant Sophie Raboud testified about the text messages sent by Riley's mother, Allyson Phillips, while concern grew.
One message at 9:58 a.m. read, "You're making me nervous not answering while you're out running. Are you OK?" By 11:47 a.m., Phillips was pleading for a response, texting, "Please call me. I'm worried sick about you."
Riley's friends called the police at around 12 p.m., saying they had gone out to look for her and found a single AirPod at her last known location. Her body was found around an hour later.
When Ibarra's trial got underway Friday, the court heard from Riley's roommates, who called 911 the day she died.
"We were roommates, but the term roommates is an over-generalization of our relationship," Lilly Steiner told the court. "Our house was like a little family and we called each other family.
"We did everything together, we had family dinners, family TV nights and movie nights. Laken brought a sense of joy to our lives that has been missing ever since."
Riley's DNA was later found on a blue jacket which had been thrown in a trash bin near Ibarra's apartment. His DNA was also detected on the jacket and under Riley's fingernails, further linking him to the crime, according to forensic testimony.
Ibarra arrived in the U.S. in September 2022, having crossed the southwest border illegally in El Paso, Texas. Immigration officials detained him, but later released him while his case was pending.
The suspect was later arrested in New York in August 2023. It is not clear at which point between that date and February 2024 he arrived in Georgia.
Ibarra's immigration status drew attention from the then favorite Republican Party presidential candidate, Donald Trump, who blamed Riley's death on President Joe Biden's administration and its border policies.
This is a developing story and will be updated as more information becomes available.
This article includes reporting from The Associated Press
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