The man accused of killing Georgia college student Laken Riley was convicted Wednesday on all charges.
Jose Ibarra, 26, was found guilty on all 10 counts he faced, including malice murder, three counts of felony murder and assault with intent to rape.
Ibarra had waived his right to a jury trial, so Athens-Clarke County Superior Court Judge H. Patrick Haggard decided his fate shortly after Ibarra’s defense attorneys rested their case.
Prosecutors asked for a one-hour break before Haggard could proceed with sentencing.
Riley, 22, was a student at Augusta University College of Nursing and went for a run on the nearby University of Georgia campus on Feb. 22, 2024. Ibarra attacked her and a struggle ensued as she fought back, according to investigators.
At 9:11 a.m., Riley called 911, and a recording of that call captured the sounds of a fight.
“She fought for her life, she fought for her dignity. And in that fight she caused this defendant to leave forensic evidence behind,” prosecutor Sheila Ross said in opening statements.
But by 9:28 a.m., Riley’s smart watch recorded no more heartbeats. Investigators said Ibarra bashed her head in with a rock.
Ibarra’s DNA was under Riley’s fingernails, and his thumbprint was on her phone, police said. Cameras captured a man identified as Ibarra dumping a bloody jacket into a recycling bin, and cops found Riley’s blood on the jacket.
The case became a flashpoint in the national debate over immigration because Ibarra was a Venezuelan citizen who entered the U.S. illegally. A Republican Georgia representative invited her family to President Biden’s State of the Union address, but they declined.
Less than a month after Riley was killed, the Republican-led House of Representatives passed a bill named the Laken Riley Act, which would have empowered immigration authorities to detain people accused of low-level crimes. The bill did not become law.
In addition to the murder verdicts, Ibarra was convicted of kidnapping with bodily injury, aggravated assault with intent to rape, aggravated battery, obstructing an emergency call, evidence tampering and being a peeping Tom.
With News Wire Services
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