A Venezuelan migrant has been sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for murdering nursing student Laken Riley, whose killing became central to president-elect Donald Trump's election campaign.
Jose Ibarra, who entered the US illegally, was found guilty of murder and other charges by Judge Patrick Haggard in Athens-Clarke County Superior Court.
Prosecutors said Ibarra encountered Ms Riley, who was 22 years old at the time, on a wooded trail at the University of Georgia while she was out running on February 22 this year and killed her after she resisted his efforts to rape her.
She had been studying nursing at Augusta University in Athens, Georgia.
As Judge Haggard read the verdict aloud, Ms Riley's family and friends sobbed while Ibarra sat stony-faced.
The judge heard the evidence and rendered the verdict after Ibarra waived his right to a jury trial.
In victim impact statements delivered in court ahead of the sentencing, Ms Riley was described as a caring, selfless and devout person who loved running and was committed to serving others.
"Laken had a beautiful and bright future," her mother, Allyson Phillips, told the court.
"She was smart, hardworking, kind, thoughtful, and most importantly, she was a child of God."
Evidence against Ibarra included DNA linked to the defendant found under Ms Riley's fingernails, scratches seen on his body the day after her death, and video footage of a man matching his description throwing a bloodied jacket into a dumpster soon after her murder.
In her closing statement, prosecutor Sheila Ross said the evidence was "overwhelming".
Republican calls to secure the border
Trump and other Republicans often cited Ms Riley's murder to bolster false claims that undocumented migrants were responsible for a wave of violent crime.
The president-elect ran on a platform for stricter border policies and aggressive deportations.
"JUSTICE FOR LAKEN RILEY! The Illegal who killed our beloved Laken Riley was just found GUILTY on all counts for his horrific crimes," Trump wrote on his social media site Truth Social.
"It is time to secure our Border, and remove these criminals and thugs from our Country, so nothing like this can happen again!"
Ms Riley's case made national headlines in March after firebrand congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene interrupted President Joe Biden's State of the Union address to demand he "say her name".
Mr Biden went off-script to mention Ms Riley, who he described as an innocent woman killed by an "illegal".
Republicans criticised Mr Biden for appearing to mispronounce her first name and the president later apologised for using the word "illegal" to refer to a person.
He dropped out of the presidential race in July and was replaced by Vice-President Kamala Harris, who lost the election to Trump earlier this month.
Trump has vowed to pursue the mass deportation of immigrants after he is sworn into office in January.
'Exploiting her death'
Earlier this year, Ms Riley's father criticised the politicisation of their daughter's murder in the immigration debate.
"It's incited people who are going to have a vote in November and I think it's being used politically to get those votes," Jason Riley told NBC News in March.
"It makes me angry. She should be raised up for the person that she is."
When invited by Republican congressman Mike Collins to accompany him to Mr Biden's State of the Union speech, Ms Riley's parents declined to attend.
Her mother and stepfather met with Trump days later.
Ms Riley's murder was one of a handful of cases spotlighted by Republicans on the campaign trail.
In September, the grieving parents of an Ohio boy killed when a Haitian migrant driver hit a school bus asked Trump and other politicians to stop invoking their son's name.
"They can vomit all the hate they want about illegal immigrants, the border crisis and even untrue claims about fluffy pets being ravaged and eaten by community members," Nathan Clark said at a Springfield City Council hearing.
"However, they are not allowed, nor have they ever been allowed to mention Aiden Clark from Springfield, Ohio.
"I will listen to them one more time to hear their apologies."
For the most part, Democrats have been critical of the politicisation of Ms Riley's murder.
In March, Republicans in the House of Representative passed the Laken Riley Act, which requires the detention of any migrant committing burglary or theft, with some Democratic support.
Democratic New York congressman Jerry Nadler, who voted against the measure, accused Republicans of "exploiting her death for a partisan stunt" and "throwing together legislation to target immigrants in an election year".
In a post to X, Democratic congresswoman Veronica Escobar said Republicans had exploited the tragedy for "dangerous political games".
The Laken Riley Act was introduced in the Senate on March 12, where it has since stalled.
ABC/Reuters
