The guilty conviction Wednesday of Venezuelan illegal immigrant Jose Ibarra for murdering Laken Riley on the University of Georgia's campus can hopefully "help bring some peace and closure to her wonderful family who fought for Justice, and to ensure that other families don't have to go through what they have," President-elect Donald Trump said.
"The Illegal who killed our beloved Laken Riley was just found GUILTY on all counts for his horrific crimes," Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social. "Although the pain and heartbreak will last forever, hopefully this can help bring some peace and closure to her wonderful family who fought for Justice, and to ensure that other families don't have to go through what they have.
"We love you, Laken, and our hearts will always be with you. It is time to secure our Border, and remove these criminals and thugs from our Country, so nothing like this can happen again!"
Ibarra, 26, was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole, the maximum possible, by Judge Patrick Haggard in Athens, Georgia.
He was found guilty by Haggard — Ibarra waived his right to a jury trial — of all 10 counts against him: one count of malice murder; three counts of felony murder; and one count each of kidnapping with bodily injury, aggravated assault with intent to rape, aggravated battery, obstructing an emergency call, evidence tampering, and being a peeping Tom.
Riley's killing spilled fuel on the blazing national debate over immigration after federal authorities said Ibarra illegally entered the U.S. in 2022 and was allowed to stay in the country while he pursued his immigration case. But there was no mention of Ibarra's immigration status during the trial.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
Solange Reyner ✉
Solange Reyner is a writer and editor for Newsmax. She has more than 15 years in the journalism industry reporting and covering news, sports and politics.
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