BREAKING: Judge announces verdict in case of illegal alien accused of killing nursing student Laken Riley

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From CBS News: A judge has convicted the man on trial for the killing of Laken Riley, a nursing student in Georgia whose death in February shook the college town where she studied, as well as the country.

Jose Ibarra, 26, was found guilty of murder and other charges related to Riley’s death. Ibarra, an undocumented Venezuelan immigrant, entered the United States illegally in 2022, officials said, but he was allowed to remain in the country to pursue his immigration case. His status helped bring the national debate over border laws to a boiling point earlier this year, as prominent Republicans, including President-elect Donald Trump, blamed President Biden’s policies for Riley’s death.

The decision by Athens-Clarke County Superior Court Judge H. Patrick Haggard ended a string of hearings that began last week. Ibarra waived his right to a jury trial after pleading not guilty to a 10-count indictment brought against him in the wake of Riley’s killing, which meant the case would be heard and decided solely by the judge. He also declined to testify during the trial.

The state had charged Ibarra with one count of malice murder, three counts of felony murder and one count each of kidnapping, aggravated assault, aggravated battery, hindering an emergency telephone call, tampering with evidence, and being a “peeping Tom.” That final charge stemmed from prosecutors’ allegation that Ibarra peered into the window of an apartment in a university residential building on the day Riley was murdered. Prosecutors said he was “hunting for females on the University of Georgia’s campus” when he encountered Riley.

Riley, 22, had gone for a run in a wooded area of the college campus on the morning of February 22. A friend called the police when she failed to return by noon.

Police soon found Riley’s body. She had been strangled, and her skull bashed in with a rock. Ibarra was arrested the next day. His DNA was found underneath Riley’s fingernails, and his thumbprint was on her phone. Investigators estimated the student fought for her life for about 20 minutes.

In announcing the the guilty verdict Wednesday morning, the judge called a recess until 12:30, at which time he is expected to announce the sentencing.  It is expected to be life without parole, as prosecutors did not seek the death penalty in the case.

News Nation correspondent Ali Bradley announced Monday that DHS has confirmed Ibarra was indeed a member of the deadly Venezuelan gang, Tren de Aragua.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott had responded, “Lock him up for good. Every member of this vicious gang is dangerous and deadly. They all deserve to be put behind bars.”

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