Jose Ibarra Found Guilty of Murdering Laken Riley, Sentenced to Life in Prison

CNN

UPDATE

10:44 AM PT — Jose Ibarra, an undocumented Venezuelan immigrant, has been sentenced to life in prison without parole for the murder of Georgia nursing student Laken Riley.

The judge in the case just issued the sentence … Ibarra was found guilty on 10 charges, including malice murder, kidnapping and aggravated assault. Both the defense and the prosecution had opted for a bench trial, with a judge deciding Ibarra’s fate, forgoing a jury trial.

The prosecution did not seek the death penalty in the case.

Jose Ibarra — the man standing trial for nursing student Laken Riley’s murder — has been found guilty.

The verdict was announced minutes ago … with a Georgia judge deciding Ibarra is guilty after the prosecution and defense agreed to a bench trial instead of a trial by jury.

Video and audio evidence played a key role in this trial … with video of Ibarra unable to tell cops how he ended up with fresh scratches and marks on his arms just hours after Laken’s death played in court earlier this week.

Prosecutors claim they found Ibarra’s DNA under Laken’s fingernails … and, they also presented a clip which shows Ibarra tossing a bloody sweatshirt into a dumpster.

The state played the 911 call made from Laken’s phone made just after 9 AM on February 22, 2024 … an eerie silence is heard on the other end of the call, then some breathing, followed by thumping noises.

Authorities say Ibarra attacked Laken with the goal of sexually assaulting her and ended up killing her instead, in Athens, Georgia. Prosecutors alleged Ibarra struck Riley repeatedly in the head with a rock and strangled her. He was arrested the same day she died.