A Venezuelan migrant was found guilty on Wednesday for the murder of Laken Riley, a 22-year-old nursing student from Georgia whose February killing made her the face of MAGA's anti-immigration rhetoric throughout the 2024 general election cycle.
Jose Antonio Ibarra, 26, was convicted on three counts of felony murder and counts of malice murder, kidnapping with bodily injury, aggravated assault with intent to rape and "peeping Tom." He faces life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Riley, a college junior who was an avid runner, was found brutally beaten near a wooded area on her college campus in February after her roommates and her mother grew worried when she didn't come home from her run or pick up phone calls, The Washington Post reports.
During the trial, prosecutors painted Ibarra as a predator who encountered Riley as he "went hunting for females" at the university, wearing a black hat and hooded jacket as he set out near campus.
They also argued the Venezuelan man killed Riley after she fought off his attempt to rape her. The prosecution pointed to DNA and other evidence that they said linked Ibarra to Riley on the day of her murder.
In closing arguments Wednesday, prosecutor Sheila Ross told the judge that Riley "herself has given you all the evidence you need alone to find this man guilty of every single count of his indictment." Ross also said that Riley fought off her attacker and "it is a direct result of that fight that gives you all the physical evidence you need to convict."
Defense attorneys said that the evidence, while it shows that Riley was murdered, did not tie the man to the killing without a reasonable doubt, instead, they said Ibarra's brother, Diego Ibarra, could have killed the nursing student.
"The evidence in this case is very good that Laken Riley was murdered," defense attorney Dustin Kirby said during opening statements. "The evidence that Jose Ibarra killed Laken Riley is circumstantial. The evidence that anyone had any intent, or certainly any sexual assault, is speculative."
Riley's killing has been brought into the spotlight numerous times by Republicans over the summer, with Donald Trump using the case to call for greater border security. Throughout his campaign, he frequently highlighted crimes committed by immigrants in his rallies and appearances.
Originally published on Latin Times.
