ATHENS, Ga. — A Georgia judge on Wednesday reached a verdict for and sentenced Jose Ibarra, the suspect accused of murdering Augusta University student Laken Riley on the University of Georgia campus in February.
Athens-Clarke County Superior Court Judge Patrick Haggard found Ibarra guilty of 10 total counts, including one count of malice murder, three counts of felony murder, one count of kidnapping, one count of aggravated assault with intent to rape, one count of aggravated battery, one count of hindering a 911 call, one count of tampering with evidence and one count of being a “peeping Tom.” Ibarra pleaded not guilty to all counts.
Haggard then sentenced Ibarra to life without the possibility of parole after Riley’s family read victim impact statements aloud before the court on Wednesday afternoon. Ibarra showed no emotion as a translator repeated Haggard’s sentencing to him in Spanish.
“Your honor, on February 22nd of 2024, our family and friends were given a life sentence without a chance of parole. Jose Ibarra took no pity on my scared, panicked and struggling child,” Riley’s mom, Allyson Philips said in a victim impact statement on Wednesday. “There is no end to the pain, suffering and loss that we have experienced or will continue to endure on that horrific day. My precious daughter was attacked, beaten and shown no mercy. She fought for her life and dignity and to save herself from being brutally raped. This sick, twisted and evil coward showed no regard for Laken or human life.”
From left, Connolly Huth, roommate of Laken Riley, Lauren Phillips, sister of Laken Riley, and Sofia Magana, roommate of Laken Riley, react as Superior Court Judge H. Patrick Haggard announces the verdict during a trial of Jose Ibarra at Athens-Clarke County Superior Court, Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2024, in Athens, Ga. (Hyosub Shin/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP, Pool)
Philips described her daughter a “smart, hardworking, kind, thoughtful, and most importantly, a child of God.” She “had a personal relationship with Jesus, and she loved being the hands and feet of his hands and feet in this world,” Philips said.
“She shared her love for our Lord with others through her mission trips, working with elderly at the nursing homes and through her nursing career,” Philips said. “Laken was an amazing friend, sister, niece, daughter and granddaughter. Anyone who knew her knew about her loving heart. Laken’s life was not the only life taken on that day that Jose Ibarra attacked her. The life of her family and friends was taken, too. None of us will ever be the same.”
Family members and friends of Laken Riley react as Superior Court Judge H. Patrick Haggard announces the verdict during a trial of Jose Ibarra at Athens-Clarke County Superior Court, Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2024, in Athens, Ga. (Hyosub Shin/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP, Pool)
John Philips, her stepfather, read Laken’s last journal entry from December 2023: “To my future husband, I want you to know that I’m thinking about you and working every day to become the best wife I can be … and focusing on God and what he defines as a faithful Christian wife, so that I can best embody those characteristics.”
Riley’s sister, Lauren, called Ibarra a “monster.”
“I am completely disgusted having to even look and be in the same room as him,” Lauren said. “That predator is inhumane and is the epitome of evil. I have no doubt in my mind that the monster sitting in this room with us today is the same monster that encountered my precious sister on February 22nd, 2024, where he proceeded to attack … murder and attempt to rape her. Jose Antonio Ibarra has completely and utterly ruined my life, and I can only hope and pray that he receives a sentence that ruins his.”
“That predator is inhumane and is the epitome of evil.”
Lilly Steiner, Riley’s roommate, told the court, “Every time I wanted to go somewhere, I had to drive by the apartments that provided a roof over his head while he got to rip away ours.”
Laken Riley, a nursing student, was found dead near a lake on Feb. 22. (Laken Riley/Facebook)
Ibarra remained stoic, showing no emotion, as victim impact statements were read aloud. He occasionally looked up at speakers for seconds at a time.
Riley’s family and friends sobbed as the judge announced his verdict before noon on Wednesday.
Prosecutors said Ibarra, a 26-year-old illegal immigrant from Venezuela, attacked and killed Riley, a 22-year-old nursing student, while she was jogging along trails near Lake Herrick on the University of Georgia campus in Athens the morning of Feb. 22.
Jose Ibarra appears at his trial in Athens-Clarke County Superior Court Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2024, in Athens, Georgia. (Arvin Temkar/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP, Pool)
“Laken Riley herself has given you all the evidence you need alone to find this man guilty of every single count in this indictment,” prosecutor Sheila Ross said in her closing statement on Wednesday. “She did fight, and it is a direct result of that fight that gives you all the physical evidence you need to convict him.”
“He killed her because she would not let him rape her,” Ross added.
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Prosecutors argued the “peeping Tom” incident was related to the attack against Riley because it happened just over an hour before she was killed and showed Ibarra’s intent to prey on women the morning of Feb. 22.
Prosecutors said Ibarra saw Riley running along popular trails on UGA’s campus just after 9 a.m. on Feb. 22, attacked her, dragged her 64 feet into a wooded area and beat her head with a rock repeatedly, killing her.
Prosecutors and defense meet with Judge H. Patrick Haggard during Jose Ibarra’s trial at the Athens-Clarke County Superior Court, Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2024, in Athens, Ga. (Arvin Temkar/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP, Pool)
Witnesses testified that DNA matching Ibarra’s was found in Riley’s fingernails and on a jacket with Riley’s hair recovered from a dumpster near his apartment complex.
“In order to find this defendant not guilty of killing Laken Riley, you would have to disbelieve DNA,” Ross said. “You would have to disbelieve fingerprint evidence.”
During rebuttal on Wednesday, the prosecution played video footage of authorities interrogating Diego Ibarra the day after Riley’s murder, showing Diego identifying his brother in security camera footage throwing the jacket with Riley’s hair on it in a dumpster behind their apartment complex on the edge of UGA’s campus. Diego identified Jose based on his clothing, hat and bag.
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A hat allegedly belonging to Jose Ibarra is presented as evidence during the trial for Ibarra in Athens-Clarke County Superior Court Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2024, in Athens, Georgia. (Arvin Temkar/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP, Poo)
“Of course I know my own brother,” Diego allegedly told police, according to Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) Special Agent Lucas Beyer, one of the officers who interviewed Diego.
Ibarra’s defense attorneys argued that evidence against the Venezuelan national was circumstantial, and pointed to Jose’s brothers, Diego and Argenis Ibarra, who share similarities with Jose in their DNA makeup. Diego was also seen wearing the same black, Adidas-style hat prosecutors say Jose was wearing Feb. 22 when police questioned Diego on Feb. 23. DNA matching Riley’s was found on that same hat.
Athens-Clarke County police officer Zachary Davis points out the jacket he collected from a dumpster during the trial of Jose Ibarra, at Athens-Clarke County Superior Court, Friday, Nov. 15, 2024, in Athens. (Hyosub Shin/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP, Pool)
“The facts and the evidence in this case should leave you with some reasonable doubt,” Kaitlyn Beck said in her closing argument on Wednesday, adding later that “while the evidence in this case is voluminous, it is circumstantial.”
Much of the defense’s arguments suggested Diego may have something to do with Riley’s murder. Beck said in her closing statements that “it’s more than possible that one brother’s DNA would get on another brother’s clothes.”
Watch: Laken Riley, Jose Ibarra seen on trail camera footage day of murder
“I agree with the state, but Laken Riley was physically fit. She was fast. She could have outrun [Jose]. But there’s another suspect in this case who was taller, who was more physically fit, who was wearing sneakers on the day of the murder. And that is Diego Ibarra,” Beck said.
Prosecutors, however, noted that security camera footage from a dining hall on UGA’s campus, where Diego worked, showed Diego arriving and leaving work on Feb. 22.
Allyson Phillips, second from left, mother of Laken Riley, reacts as John Phillips, stepfather of Riley, comforts her during the trial of Jose Ibarra on Friday, Nov. 15, 2024, in Athens. (Hyosub Shin/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP, Pool)
Argenis and Diego were subpoenaed to testify as witnesses for the defense, but the court ultimately decided not to allow their testimony because they are currently involved in their own criminal cases. Jose’s defense attorney, John Donnelly, mentioned that Diego’s defense attorney advised that he should not testify during Jose’s trial while he is currently charged with green card fraud.
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Watch: Police enter Jose Ibarra’s apartment
On Monday, the second day of Ibarra’s trial, the court heard a recorded prison phone call between Ibarra and his wife, Layling Franco, that was played aloud and translated by an FBI analyst who spoke fluent Spanish. Judge Haggard on Tuesday ruled that the translated call could not be submitted as evidence.
LAKEN RILEY MURDER TRIAL: PROSECUTORS PLACE ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT SUSPECT AT SCENE IN OPENING STATEMENTS
Federal prosecutors say Tren de Aragua members often wear Chicago Bulls clothing, even when they have no ties to Chicago and are not fans of the team. Investigators found this photo among multiple images of Diego Ibarra, a suspected member of the gang, wearing Chicago Bulls items. (Middle District of Georgia)
“She said that she thinks it’s crazy that they don’t have anyone else’s DNA. They only have his. And she says she doesn’t understand how someone can see someone dying and not calling [sic] 911,” FBI analyst Abeisis Ramirez testified in court Monday while translating the call for the prosecution.
Ibarra and his brothers were in the United States illegally from Venezuela at the time of their respective arrests after Riley’s murder. Diego is charged with green card fraud after showing police a fake ID on Feb. 23, and Argenis has been placed on an immigration hold.
Prosecutor Sheila Ross speaks while holding an evidence bag during the trial of Jose Ibarra on Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2024. (Arvin Temkar/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP, Pool)
Ibarra illegally crossed into the United States through El Paso, Texas, in September 2022 and was released into the U.S. via parole, ICE and DHS sources previously told Fox News.
The three brothers lived in an apartment building less than a half mile from the on-campus park where Riley was running the morning of Feb. 22. Their apartment complex backed up to a shortcut that leads to running trails along UGA’s campus where Riley was found dead in a wooded area, partially naked and covered in leaves, that afternoon. She died of blunt force trauma and asphyxiation, according to a Georgia Bureau of Investigation medical examiner.
The area where Laken Riley’s body was found near Lake Herrick on the University of Georgia’s campus in Athens, Feb. 24, 2024. (Mark Sims for Fox News Digital)
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ICE previously confirmed to Fox News Digital that Jose Ibarra had been arrested by the New York Police Department a year after he entered the U.S. in August 2023 and was “charged with acting in a manner to injure a child less than 17 and a motor vehicle license violation.”
Diego Ibarra, who worked briefly at a UGA cafeteria before his arrest in February, had ties to a known Venezuelan gang in the U.S., Tren de Aragua, according to federal court documents.
