Justice for Laken Riley at risk? Shocking court decision could give vicious killer a new trial.



The illegal alien gangster convicted in the vicious slaying of beloved nursing student Laken Riley may get a new trial after a shocking ruling from the same judge who found him guilty.

On Thursday, Judge Patrick Haggard ruled that Jose Ibarra must undergo a mental health evaluation. Ibarra's appeals attorneys had claimed in court documents filed last month that Ibarra has a "congenital deficiency" and a diminished "mental capacity" that could have affected his ability to make decisions during Riley's murder and the subsequent trial.

'This court has found it appropriate for an evaluation to be conducted at the public expense.'

Ibarra is "suffering from congenital deficiency which could render the client incapable of preparing a defense and standing trial," the lawyers wrote, according to the New York Post.

They added that Ibarra "lacks the mental capacity to understand the nature and object and proceedings and [counsel] believes that this was in existence at the time of the offense and at the time of the trial."

RELATED: Trump signs Laken Riley Act, marking the first law of his new administration

Photo by PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP via Getty Images

Last fall, Ibarra waived his right to a jury and instead opted for a bench trial. On November 20, Judge Haggard found Ibarra guilty of malice murder, felony murder, kidnapping with bodily injury, aggravated assault with intent to rape, aggravated battery, obstruction of a 911 call, tampering with evidence, and peeping Tom. The judge sentenced him to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

Ibarra's appeals attorneys argued that his alleged mental deficiencies may have impacted the decision to opt for a bench trial instead of a jury trial, noting that his trial attorneys did not have his mental health evaluated. They even claimed a "language barrier" may have exacerbated these alleged concerns.

Prosecutor Sheila Ross responded to the motion about a mental health evaluation by noting that nothing presented at trial indicated that Ibarra suffered from mental incompetence.

"There were no challenges or concerns about Defendant’s competency to stand trial during the pretrial and trial proceedings. Moreover, there is nothing in the trial record that would suggest that Defendant was not competent during his trial," Ross wrote in a June 25 motion obtained by Blaze News.

She also dismissed the "language barrier" allegation, pointing to the "court-certified interpreter who is fluent in both Spanish and English" who assisted Ibarra at pretrial and trial proceedings. However, Ross ultimately did not oppose an evaluation, leaving the decision up to Judge Haggard.

"The mental competence of [Ibarra] has been called into question, and this court has found it appropriate for an evaluation to be conducted at the public expense," Haggard wrote in his latest ruling.

Haggard demanded that Ibarra be given a "prompt evaluation" by the Georgia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities either at a Georgia Department of Corrections facility or at a hospital, Fox News reported.

Whether any evaluation has yet been scheduled is unclear. Should authorities determine that Ibarra was mentally unfit, he may be granted a "trial redo," the Post indicated.

The Prosecuting Attorneys’ Council of Georgia declined a request for comment from Blaze News, citing ongoing litigation.

RELATED: MSNBC legal analyst pens sympathetic portrayal of Laken Riley's murderer — prompting severe online backlash

Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images

On February 22, 2024, Ibarra attacked Riley, 22, in broad daylight while she was jogging near the campus of the University of Georgia. He ambushed her and attempted to rape her. After she fought back, he brutally bashed her skull with a rock, according to prosecutors. His DNA was discovered under Riley's fingernails.

Ibarra, 27, and two of his brothers stole into the United States from Venezuela during the border crisis of the Biden administration. Days before his conviction in November, sources within Biden's Department of Homeland Security confirmed that Ibarra is a member of the violent Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua.

At least one of Ibarra's brothers is a suspected TDA associate as well. Both brothers have had run-ins with the law since breaking into the U.S., pled guilty to possessing a fraudulent document, and are slated for deportation as part of Operation Take Back America under President Donald Trump.

Jose Ibarra was also arrested for other alleged crimes in New York City prior to moving to Georgia.

Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

Brothers of Laken Riley's murderer to be deported



Two brothers of Jose Ibarra, the illegal alien who murdered Laken Riley, are both going back to Venezuela as part of Operation Take Back America under President Donald Trump.

The other Ibarra brothers — 29-year-old Diego aka "Gocho" and 25-year-old Argenis aka "Meny" — both crossed the border illegally on multiple occasions during the Biden administration and have pled guilty to possessing a fraudulent document, according to a DOJ press release.

While in custody ... Diego apparently tinkered with the fire sprinkler system at the facility, causing 'severe water damage.' He was later allegedly found with two 'improvised weapons.'

The two counts of possession of a fraudulent document for which Diego is currently serving a whopping 48 months in prison seem to be the least harmful of a series of alleged offenses he has committed since he reportedly first stepped foot on American soil in 2023.

On April 3, 2023, Diego was removed from the U.S. and sent to Mexico after he was caught crossing the border illegally near Eagle Pass, Texas, the press release said. Just a few weeks later, on April 30, Diego was allegedly among a group of four Venezuelans caught illegally scaling a border fence in El Paso.

When a Border Patrol agent attempted to detain him, Diego allegedly grabbed the agent's radio and threw it and even attempted to bite the agent. He also "admitted to illegally crossing the border, resisting arrest and attempting to avoid apprehension at any cost," the DOJ said.

Diego then claimed asylum, expressing fear about returning to Venezuela, and was placed in the Alternatives to Detention program and released on the condition that he wear an ankle bracelet and report to an asylum hearing in New York City.

It appears he did not follow either of those instructions. The DOJ claimed that Diego "cut off" his ankle bracelet at some point since it last pinged near Littleton, Colorado, on May 25, 2023.

Diego also apparently never appeared at the New York hearing and instead moved to Athens, Georgia, where he lived with brother Jose and had several encounters with police and multiple arrests:

  • On September 24, 2023, he was arrested for allegedly driving under the influence of alcohol and driving without a license.
  • Two days later, the cops responded to a call about "a domestic incident involving Diego Ibarra and his girlfriend," the press release said.
  • On October 27, 2023, he was arrested for alleged shoplifting.
  • On December 8, 2023, he was arrested for alleged shoplifting again as well as an outstanding warrant for failing to appear in court in connection with the DUI arrest.
  • While in custody with the U.S. Marshals at the Butts County Detention Center, Diego apparently tinkered with the fire sprinkler system at the facility, causing "severe water damage." He was later allegedly found with two "improvised weapons": a sharpened sprinkler head as well as a pen covered with Saran wrap.

Cops nabbed Diego once again shortly after Laken Riley, a nursing student, was found brutally murdered while jogging on the University of Georgia campus on February 22, 2024. An officer from the Athens-Clarke County Police Department approached Diego the following day because he matched the description of the suspect. Diego then furnished the officer with a fake green card and was taken into custody, according to the press release.

Like murderous brother Jose, Diego is believed to be affiliated with the violent Tren de Aragua gang. Diego has TDA tattoos and has taken photos flashing gang signs and wearing apparel associated with TDA, the press release said.

Diego will serve out his 48-month sentence, which is "above the federal sentencing guideline range," the DOJ noted. He will then be transferred to the custody of ICE and sent back to Venezuela.

Jose and Diego's younger brother, Argenis, has fewer allegations against him. According to the DOJ, he also attempted to enter the U.S. illegally on April 3, 2023, and was subsequently sent back to Mexico. Like Diego, he also apparently crossed the border again in El Paso on April 30, 2023. Though apprehended by Border Patrol, Argenis was released because the processing facility "lacked space."

Argenis twice filed employment-related documents in the fall of 2023, but the documents were rejected on both occasions.

Argenis and co-defendant Rosbeli "La Gorda" Flores-Bello, 29 — who shared an apartment with Diego and Jose in Athens, Georgia — later admitted to possessing fraudulent green cards, the DOJ said. They were sentenced to time served and immediately placed in ICE custody for deportation to Venezuela.

All three associates of Jose Ibarra, who is serving a life sentence, were sentenced by U.S. District Judge Tilman E. Self on March 19.

Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

Does Laken Riley’s trial prove that justice is back?



On Wednesday, Jose Ibarra, a 26-year-old illegal immigrant from Venezuela, was found guilty of killing University of Georgia student Laken Riley and was sentenced to life in prison without possibility of parole.

Glenn Beck plays the clip of Judge H. Patrick Haggard reading the verdict of the four-day trial to Ibarra, who sat there emotionless. Ibarra was found guilty on all 10 counts, which included malice murder, three counts of felony murder, kidnapping with bodily injury, aggravated assault with attempt to rape, aggravated battery, obstructing a person making an emergency call, tampering with evidence, and a peeping Tom charge.

“I'm happy that justice is at some level hitting this guy, but more just angry of how unnecessary it all was,” says co-host Stu Burguiere.

“The Biden administration put [Ibarra] on one of those ghost flights in the middle of the night so he could live in Georgia,” adds Glenn, who feels heartbroken for Riley’s family but glad at what the verdict of this trial indicates: “Justice is back.”

While some illegal immigration is inevitable, as people have always found ways to sneak across the border, immigrants like Ibarra are entirely preventable.

“We caught him and released him into the country. He got arrested multiple more times while he was here; we still gave him a free flight; we still put him up in the Roosevelt Hotel with free lodging, and then we sent him to Georgia with a free flight. He got arrested there with his brother. We still kept releasing him, and then after all of that, he murdered this poor woman,” says Stu, laying out the horrific history of both Ibarra and the radical leftist policies that teed Ibarra up to murder Laken Riley.

Even still, some blue state government officials are swearing to protect their illegal immigrant populations against big, bad Donald Trump, Glenn explains, noting that these are the same blue cities that not that long ago were complaining about their infrastructure collapsing under the weight of illegal immigration and even sending groups of immigrants to other states.

“I hope that the president finds the constitutionally legal way to cut you off from every funding,” says Glenn to the cities planning to stymie the Trump administration’s efforts to carry out mass deportations.

“[Trump] will, I think, overrule and overrun some of these people who are trying to avoid the law in their local jurisdictions, and he should do that,” says Stu.

To hear more of the conversation, watch the clip above.

Want more from Glenn Beck?

To enjoy more of Glenn’s masterful storytelling, thought-provoking analysis, and uncanny ability to make sense of the chaos, subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America, defend the Constitution, and live the American dream.

MSNBC legal analyst pens sympathetic portrayal of Laken Riley's murderer — prompting severe online backlash



Many on the right are slamming left-leaning outlet MSNBC after one of its legal analysts penned a piece presenting a sympathetic portrayal of Jose Ibarra, the illegal alien who brutally murdered Georgia nursing student Laken Riley.

On Friday, MSNBC published on its website an article entitled "Laken Riley's killer never stood a chance" by Danny Cevallos, a legal analyst and a criminal defense attorney who specializes in wrongful convictions and personal injury cases.

Though the article makes passing mention of the "overwhelming and horrific" evidence that "likely" prompted Ibarra's team to call for a bench trial as well as the "heartrending testimony of Riley’s loved ones" that helped "justify" Ibarra's sentence of life without parole, it otherwise presents the case as an unfortunate no-win situation for the defense.

"For the defense, this was a hopeless case," Cevallos wrote, adding, "The verdict was going to be guilty."

Cevallos also tipped his cap to Ibarra's attorneys for doing what they could with "bad facts." He even seemingly thanked Ibarra for sparing the state a protracted jury trial when a guilty verdict was all but certain.

"While you probably won’t see that written in any rules or law books, in my experience as a defense attorney, judges (and prosecutors) appreciate defendants who don’t waste the court’s time," Cevallos said.

'This is why Americans stopped watching the liberal media and will never turn it on again. MSNBC is a disgrace.'

In contrast to his apparent admiration for the defense team, Cevallos was less complimentary of Athens-Clarke County Superior Court Judge H. Patrick Haggard, lamenting that Haggard "cut" Ibarra "no breaks."

For example, though Georgia courts often allow defendants to serve their various sentences concurrently, Haggard instead ordered Ibarra to serve his sentences consecutively, Cevallos noted. This decision — which would have seemingly little practical effect on a sentence of life without the possibility of parole — offered the public a "glimpse into the judge’s opinion of this defendant," Cevallos said in an apparently critical tone.

It is worth recalling that despite Cevallos' thinly veiled hand-wringing, Ibarra is an illegal alien who had no right to be in the U.S., he is a member of the vicious Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua, and he tried to force himself on an innocent young woman out for a jog. When she refused to submit, he bashed her head with a rock until she died in terror and agony.

Additionally, Cevallos implied that the murder of Laken Riley unfairly became a political weapon with which the right hammered Democrats this election season. "Riley’s murder became a political rallying cry at this summer’s Republican National Convention because Ibarra entered the country illegally in 2022," he said.

Finally, Cevallos closed his article with one final gesture of thanks to the defense:

Sometimes defense counsel just gets handed a truly awful, unwinnable case. The defense’s choice of a bench trial not only saved the state the resources of a wasted jury trial; it also likely avoided unnecessarily prolonging this traumatic experience for the victim’s family.

The online backlash against Cevallos' analysis was swift and fierce.

"You literally can’t make up this level of depravity. These people are sick. The guy is a murderer. He’s an illegal alien that killed an innocent young woman but MSNBC would rather go to bat for him. However, much you hate MSNBC it’s not enough!" wrote Donald Trump Jr.

"Ask yourself: Why is MSNBC writing sympathetic headlines for an illegal alien monster and killer?" wrote conservative commentator Steve Guest. "Why is MSNBC’s 'legal analyst' Danny Cevallos ok with this headline?"

The Federalist contributor Adam Johnston likewise called the article headline "absolutely sickening," while columnist Joe Concha called the entire piece "infuriating garbage."

Former finance executive and big bank satirist John LeFevre spoke for many when he called out MSNBC in general for the article: "WTF is wrong with you, @MSNBC[?]"

Rep. Mary Miller (R-Ill.), a member of the House Freedom Caucus, likewise slammed the entire network as "a disgrace" for publishing the article: "This is why Americans stopped watching the liberal media and will never turn it on again. MSNBC is a disgrace."

Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

MSNBC’s Repeated Sympathy For Laken Riley’s Killer Shows You Don’t Hate Corporate Media Enough

[rebelmouse-proxy-image https://thefederalist.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Screenshot-2024-11-22-at-1.07.35 PM-1200x675.png crop_info="%7B%22image%22%3A%20%22https%3A//thefederalist.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Screenshot-2024-11-22-at-1.07.35%5Cu202fPM-1200x675.png%22%7D" expand=1]MSNBC said 'Laken Riley's killer never stood a chance.' This is just the latest example of the outlet failing its readers.
Cru’s “Diversity Team” Sent a Ridiculous Post-Election Email | Ep 1105
play icon

Cru’s “Diversity Team” Sent a Ridiculous Post-Election Email | Ep 1105

Why did Biden fly Laken Riley's murderer to Georgia?



Laken Riley was only 22 years old when she was brutally murdered by an illegal immigrant from Venezuela.

The nursing student had innocently gone for a jog on the University of Georgia campus in Athens, Georgia, where 26-year-old Jose Ibarra then decided to take her life.

Ibarra was found guilty on all counts Wednesday morning in the fast-moving trial.

The prosecutor explained to the jury that the immigrant had been walking around different apartment complexes essentially hunting for a woman to rape, when he saw Laken Riley jogging by herself on a Sunday morning.

“She fought so hard for her life, she fought so hard for her dignity, she was almost completely unclothed,” Allie Beth Stuckey of “Relatable” comments after listening to the prosecutor's opening statement.


“Because of how hard she fought, she wasn’t completely exposed, but when the police officer found her laying there with her skull crushed in by the rock that Ibarra allegedly picked up and hit her with, at least half of her body was completely naked because he tried and failed, thank the Lord, to rape her before murdering her,” Stuckey says.

Riley was reportedly wearing a smartwatch at the time, which revealed that her heart rate had spiked during the 17-minute attack.

Her attacker has been confirmed to be a member of Tren de Aragua, a dangerous Venezuelan gang that has infiltrated and plagued parts of America with extreme violence.

He had also been arrested by the NYPD a year after he entered the United States in August 2023, but not because he was here illegally. Rather, Ibarra was arrested because he committed the crime of acting in a manner to injure a child and had a motor vehicle license violation.

Now, it’s been revealed that Ibarra, along with other illegal immigrants, was granted a free humanitarian flight from New York to Georgia.

“So he was the beneficiary of Biden’s catch-and-release policy at the border. So he was detained when he tried to cross illegally in 2022, and then he was released into the interior of the United States per Biden’s policies, and then he was the beneficiary of a catch-and-release policy because of progressive soft-on-crime policies in New York,” Stuckey comments.

“And not only that, but he was actually given the gift, as a reward for the crimes that he had committed, he was given the gift of a free, taxpayer-funded flight from New York to Georgia, where he eventually killed Laken Riley,” she adds, disgusted.

Want more from Allie Beth Stuckey?

To enjoy more of Allie’s upbeat and in-depth coverage of culture, news, and theology from a Christian, conservative perspective, subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America, defend the Constitution, and live the American dream.

Indictment reveals disturbing new accusations against illegal immigrant charged with killing Laken Riley: 'A peeping tom'



A Georgia grand jury has officially indicted the man police say killed college student Laken Riley in February.

An indictment filed on Tuesday in Clarke County charged 26-year-old illegal immigrant Jose Ibarra with 10 crimes: three counts of felony murder, one count of malice murder, kidnapping with bodily injury, aggravated assault with intent to rape, aggravated battery, obstruction or hindering a person making an emergency telephone call, and tampering with evidence.

They described the horrific murder as a "crime of opportunity."

The indictment included another charge for a totally separate, yet disturbing, allegation: Ibarra was charged with one count of being a "peeping tom."

According to the indictment, Ibarra went to an apartment complex at the University of Georgia on the same day he allegedly killed Riley "for the purpose of becoming a peeping tom in that he did peep through the window and spied upon and invaded the privacy" of the occupant. That victim is a university employee, WAGA-TV reported.

The indictment includes other shocking allegations.

Prosecutors allege that Ibarra killed Riley "by inflicting blunt-force trauma to her head and by asphyxiating her." The indictment alleges that Ibarra "seriously disfigured" Riley "by striking her head multiple times with a rock."

Police have said that Ibarra did not know Riley. Rather, they described the horrific murder as a "crime of opportunity."

Ibarra, an immigrant from Venezuela, has been living in the U.S. since September 2022 when he entered illegally near El Paso, Texas. After entering illegally, Ibarra was taken into custody and then paroled.

Immigration officials say Ibarra later moved to New York City, where he had encounters with police. Last September, Ibarra was charged with a felony for "acting in a manner to injure a child less than 17 and a motor vehicle license violation," but he was released from jail before Immigration and Customs Enforcement could lodge a detainer against him. New York City is a "sanctuary city."

Ibarra then moved to Georgia last fall.

Tragically, ICE was able to lodge a detainer against Ibarra only after Riley's murder.

Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

Hawley Blasts DHS Secretary Mayorkas Over Americans Killed By Illegals

During a Senate hearing Thursday, Sen. Josh Hawley highlighted Americans who have been killed by illegal immigrants under Alejandro Mayorkas' watch.

Speaker Johnson points out what is missing in Biden's apology for calling Laken Riley's accused killer an 'illegal'



House Speaker Mike Johnson (R) rebuked President Joe Biden on Sunday for kowtowing to liberal word police.

At the State of the Union address last Thursday, Biden referred to Jose Ibarra, the Venezuelan immigrant charged with murdering Laken Riley, as an "illegal." The moment upset Democrats who believe the adjective is dehumanizing. The next day, Biden appeared to defend himself by pointing out that Ibarra was "technically not supposed to be here."

But on Saturday, Biden capitulated, telling MSNBC anchor Jonathan Capehart that Ibarra is "an undocumented person."

"I shouldn't have used 'illegal.' It's 'undocumented,'" Biden said, confirming that he feels "regret" for describing Ibarra as an "illegal."

"I'm not gonna treat any of these people with disrespect. They built the country. They're the reason the economy is growing" Biden added of immigrants living in the U.S. illegally.

— (@)

It is a remarkable moment for several reasons.

First, remember that Democrats upset about Biden's use of the word "illegal" were not upset that Biden butchered Riley's name. During the SOTU address, he said Riley's first name was "Lincoln."

Now, Biden is virtue-signaling to appease progressive Democrats, and seemingly Riley's alleged killer, instead of expressing regret that she was murdered at all and that his immigration policies may have contributed to her death. That, of course, was the exact determination of House Republicans and 37 House Democrats last week.

Meanwhile, Biden did not apologize for butchering Riley's name, which upset her mother.

Biden's apology, then, is an "embarrassment," according to Speaker Johnson.

"The president is cowering to his base and showing deference to a man who deserves none," the speaker said. "This man is an illegal immigrant who brutally murdered Laken Riley. President Biden should be apologizing to Laken’s family. What an embarrassment."

— (@)

But Biden is not apologizing to Riley's family for getting their daughter's name wrong or for allowing the border crisis to grow unmitigated. The silence, indeed, is deafening.

Meanwhile, the White House is already engaging in damage control.

On Monday, spokeswoman Olivia Dalton claimed that Biden did not apologize for using the word "illegal" because he "used a different word," seemingly in reference to Biden not specifically saying "sorry" or "apologize."

But someone should loan the White House a dictionary because Biden did make "an admission of error or discourtesy accompanied by an expression of regret" in his interview with Capehart, which is the textbook definition of "apology."

Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!