A US judge sentenced an undocumented migrant to life imprisonment without parole on Wednesday for the murder of a young nursing student — a case repeatedly cited by President-elect Donald Trump as proving the need for an immigration crackdown.
The body of Laken Riley, who had gone on a morning jog, was found in a wooded area near a lake on the University of Georgia campus in Athens in February.
Jose Antonio Ibarra, 26, was found guilty on Wednesday of 10 counts including murder and aggravated assault with the intent to rape Riley, a student at Augusta University in Athens.
On the campaign trail, Trump repeatedly railed against undocumented migrants, blaming them for “poisoning the blood” of the country and likening them to “animals” and “monsters.”
The killing shocked the university town and made national headlines, becoming a prominent part of Trump’s successful campaign for the White House, which rested largely on an anti-immigration platform.
In a social media post, Trump lauded the guilty verdict for Ibarra, a Venezuelan who he referred to as “The Illegal.”
“It is time to secure our Border, and remove these criminals and thugs from our Country, so nothing like this can happen again!” Trump said.
The Republican has promised to crack down on border crossings and to carry out mass deportations once he takes office in January.
He has named Tom Homan, a veteran hard-line immigration official, as his “border czar.”
At the sentencing hearing, Riley’s family members and friends made emotional pleas to the judge for the maximum punishment, detailing the budding nurse’s impact on their lives.
Ibarra, dressed in a blue checked shirt, sat impassively through the proceedings. He has 30 days to appeal the verdict or file other motions for relief, Judge H. Patrick Haggard said.
Lauren Phillips, the victim’s younger sister, said the defendant was “the epitome of evil” for depriving her of Riley’s continued presence in her life.
“She’ll never send me another daily good morning text, funny TikTok or silly Snapchat,” Phillips said, breaking down in tears.
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