Lawyers Representing Illegal Immigrant Jose Ibarra Request New Trial for Murder of Laken Riley

Attorneys representing Jose Ibarra, the Venezuelan illegal immigrant sentenced to life in prison for the murder of Laken Riley, a 22-year-old nursing student killed while jogging on the University of Georgia campus, on Tuesday formally requested a new trial for their client.

Ibarra was found guilty of all charges related to his murder of Riley by Athens-Clarke County Superior Court Judge Patrick Haggard on November 20. The judge rendered his verdict after Ibarra waived his right to a trial by jury, and instead allowed the judge to determine his fate at a bench trial.

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Georgia Republicans Mark Guilty Verdict for Laken Riley’s Murderer as Democrats Mourn ‘Transgender Day of Remembrance’

Laken Riley

While the majority of Georgia Republicans issued statements on Wednesday marking the guilty verdict reached in the case against Jose Ibarra, who a court determined killed August University nursing student Laken Riley in February, at least three Democratic members of Georgia’s U.S. House delegation instead posted messages marking Transgender Day of Remembrance.

An illegal immigrant who entered the country in 2022, Ibarra was determined during the trial to be a member of the Venezuelan gang, Tren de Aragua. Prosecutors said he was “hunting for females” when he encountered Riley, who was jogging when she was attacked.

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Laken Riley’s Alleged Killer Arrived in Georgia on ‘Humanitarian Flight,’ Roommate Testifies

Jose Ibarra

Jose Ibarra, the alleged murderer of 22-year-old nursing student Laken Riley, traveled from New York City to Georgia after requesting a humanitarian flight, his roommate testified Monday.

Ibarra is currently standing trial after being charged for the murder of Riley, who died in February from blunt force trauma to the head outside of the University of Georgia’s campus. Ibarra’s roommate, Rosbeli Elisber Flores-Bello, testified that she and the suspected murderer arrived at the Roosevelt Hotel in New York City and requested a humanitarian flight to Athens, Georgia, in September 2023.

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Brother of Suspected Laken Riley Killer Pleads Guilty to Using Fake Green Card

Diego Ibarra

The brother of the illegal migrant accused of killing Georgia nursing student Laken Riley pleaded guilty on Monday to using a fraudulent green card, according to the Department of Justice.

Diego Ibarra — a 28-year-old Venezuelan national and brother of Jose Ibarra, the man who has been arrested for the killing of Riley — pleaded guilty to two counts of possession of a fraudulent document, according to a press release from the Justice Department’s Middle District of Georgia. Ibarra faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison, up to three years of supervised release and a $250,000 fine per count.

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Illegal Immigrant Accused of Murdering Laken Riley Pleads Not Guilty

Jose Antonio Ibarra

The man accused of killing Georgia nursing student Laken Riley pled not guilty during an arraignment hearing on Friday.

Jose Ibarra, a Venezuelan national living unlawfully in the United States, pled not guilty to charges that he killed Riley during his arraignment hearing in a Clarke County courtroom, according to local reporters on the scene. The not guilty plea now means the case will head to trial.

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Laken Riley’s Alleged Killer Indicted, Also Accused of Being ‘Peeping Tom’

A Georgia grand jury has formally indicted the man accused of killing 22-year-old student Laken Riley on ten charges, including murder, kidnapping and being a peeping Tom.

Jose Ibarra is charged with malice murder, three counts of felony murder, kidnapping, aggravated assault, aggravated battery, tampering with evidence and interfering with a 911 call for help, Superior Court of Clarke County records show. The 26-year-old Venezuelan national was also handed down a “peeping Tom” charge related to his activities the day of Riley’s murder.

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Laken Riley’s Illegal Alien Killer Was Released into U.S. Under Mayorkas’ Power of Parole, According to DHS File

The criminal illegal alien accused of killing Laken Riley was released into the U.S. in September of 2022 because the Department of Homeland Security lacked detention space, according to his immigration file.

Jose Ibarra, the Venezuelan national charged with murdering Riley in February, was released under DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas’ power of parole, which is only supposed to be used “when there is an urgent humanitarian need or a significant benefit to the public,” the Washington Times reported.

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Father of Laken Riley Demands Gov. Kemp Declare Illegal Immigrant ‘Invasion’ in Georgia Senate Speech

Laken Riley's Dad

The father of Laken Riley addressed the Georgia State Senate on Wednesday with a call for lawmakers and Governor Brian Kemp to “declare an invasion” following his daughter’s murder.

Invited to address the legislators by Senator Colton Moore (R-Trenton), Jason Riley called on lawmakers and the governor to recognize the severity of the illegal immigration crisis in Georgia and “protect citizens from this illegal invasion.”

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Laken Riley Act Up for Vote in GOP-Led House Before Biden’s State of the Union Address on Thursday

Laken Riley

The GOP-led House will vote on the Laken Riley Act on Thursday ahead of President Biden’s State of the Union, according to Majority Leader Steve Scalise, after Riley was killed allegedly by an illegal immigrant released under the Biden administration.

Prior to Riley’s death, Jose Ibarra was transported to New York after Border Patrol encountered him at the border. He was later arrested by police in Queens, New York, for endangering a 5-year-old who was riding on the back of his moped “without a helmet,” according to media reports.

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UGA Refuses to Release Audio, Provide Details of Attempted 911 Call by Laken Riley

Laken Riley 911

The University of Georgia (UGA) declined to provide details to The Georgia Star News on Monday about the attempted call to emergency services by Laken Riley, the nursing student who police say was killed at the UGA campus by Jose Ibarra, who illegally immigrated to the United States from Venezuela.

An arrest affidavit filed against Ibarra on February 23 offered new details about her death, including the revelation his alleged attack disfigured Riley’s skull, and claims the nursing student attempted to dial 911 for help during the attack but was stopped by Ibarra.

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DHS Secretary Mayorkas Denies Illegal Immigration Led to Murder of Laken Riley: ‘One Individual Is Responsible’

Alejandro Mayorkas With Immigrants

In a Sunday interview, Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Alejandro Mayorkas denied a link between the murder of nursing student Laken Riley on the University of Georgia (UGA) campus and illegal immigration despite police charging a man who immigrated illegally from Venezuela with the killing.

Asked if there was a breakdown in the federal immigration system that allowed Venezuelan illegal immigrant Jose Ibarra to allegedly murder Riley, Mayorkas on Face the Nation cited his experience as a prosecutor and declared, “one individual is responsible for the murder and that is the murderer.”

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Athens Mayor Faces Calls for Resignation After He Invokes Trump in Response to Murder of Laken Riley Despite Arrest of Illegal Immigrant

Kelly Girtz

Athens-Clarke County Mayor Kelly Girtz on Wednesday held a press conference to discuss the murder of nursing student Laken Riley on the University of Georgia (UGA) campus, which police said was committed by Venezuelan illegal immigrant Jose Ibarra.

Girtz denied that Athens is a sanctuary city, which does not comply with detainers filed by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) that request local law enforcement detain illegal immigrants to be transferred to federal authorities for prosecution or deportation.

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Scrutiny of Athens-Clarke County Ramps Up After Student Murder, Republicans Question Sanctuary Status

Athens-Clarke County in Georgia is widely described as a sanctuary city, leading to increased scrutiny from Republicans after an illegal immigrant was accused of killing university student Laken Riley there last week.

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Georgia GOP Cites Sanctuary Cities, Biden Border Policy After Death of Laken Riley: ‘We Don’t Have to Continue to Live Like This’

Laken Riley

Georgia Republican Party Chair Josh McKoon expressed the party’s sympathies to the family and friends of Laken Riley, the 22-year-old nursing student who was slain on the University of Georgia (UGA) campus.

He described the death of Riley as a “preventable tragedy” and pointed to sanctuary city policies and the Biden administration’s border crisis after police identified her alleged murderer as Venezuelan illegal immigrant Jose Ibarra.

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Wife of Illegal Immigrant Who Allegedly Killed Student on UGA Campus Admits They Married to ‘Join Our Asylum Cases’

The wife of Jose Antonio Ibarra, the 26-year-old illegal immigrant from Venezuela who police arrested Friday for the murder of nursing student Laken Riley, 22, at the University of Georgia (UGA) campus, revealed in a Saturday interview that the couple originally married with the goal of furthering their cases for asylum in the United States.

Layling Franco told the New York Post on Saturday that she and Jose Ibarra entered the United States illegally through El Paso with her five-year-old son on September 8, 2022. Franco said the alleged killer made money by delivering food for Uber Eats, DoorDash and a local restaurant.

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