Georgia senator calls for death penalty for Laken Riley’s killer, asks attorney general to step in

ATHENS, Ga. – A state senator is asking Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr to file an emergency motion to step in and seek the death penalty against Laken Riley’s killerbut Carr’s office says he doesn’t have the legal authority to do so.

District Attorney Deborah Gonzalez, for the Western Judicial District that includes Athens, previously wrote in court documents that she would not pursue the death penalty, citing “collateral consequences for undocumented defendants.”

Jose Ibarra, a 26-year-old illegal immigrant who received taxpayer-funded flights, was found guilty Wednesday of stalking, raping and killing Riley in February. The nursing student, out for an early morning run on the University of Georgia campus, fought off her attacker for about 18 minutes but died of blunt force trauma. Ibarra hit her skull with a rock after dragging her from a wooded path, prosecutors said.

MORE: Jose Ibarra found guilty of killing Laken Riley, sentenced to life without parole

“I am formally calling on Attorney General Chris Carr to file an emergency motion to step in and seek the death penalty for Laken Riley’s killer,” state Sen. Colton Moore, R-Rep., wrote on X. “District Attorney Deborah Gonzalez left her. radical political agenda stands in the way of justice By refusing to seek the death penalty, she denied Laken’s family, friends and community the full measure of justice. deserve”.

“I’m very concerned, you know, about any student that goes to the University of Georgia when this area is now a sanctuary city. And, you know, these killers, these guys can come in here and they don’t have to do that. you worry about capital punishment,” Moore told Fox News Digital. “Probably $2 million is what we’re going to have to pay as taxpayers to give him three meals a day and a bed for the rest of his life. You know, three heats and a cot”.

RELATED: Laken Riley’s death opens broader discussion on immigration, deportation

A spokesman for Carr’s office said the state attorney general lacks jurisdiction and therefore cannot intervene, but Moore argued otherwise.

“I can send you a copy of the Georgia Constitution, section 3, paragraph 4. It clearly states that the attorney general has jurisdiction in any felony case,” Moore told Fox News Digital. “And the state, meaning the attorney general, has intervened in cases before. You know, he’s the chief police officer in our state. Should she have known that the prosecutor is one of the most liberal district attorneys in the country, that she was not pursuing the death penalty why should it be capital punishment in our state?

“I mean clear evidence, it’s not like we’re killing an innocent person here,” Moore said. “I mean, his DNA was under Laken Riley’s fingernails. It was very clear that he was the perpetrator. He is guilty. And we have capital punishment in our state for a reason. And I can’t imagine another crime that would- would fit capital punishment. like his crime, he is the chief police officer, it is clear in the constitution that he has jurisdiction.”

As for the part of the Georgia Constitution that Moore cited, Carr’s office said it does not say the attorney general has jurisdiction in any criminal case, only to represent the state before the Supreme Court in penalty cases with death.

In a separate statement reacting to the verdict, Carr said Riley’s death “never should have happened” and “it is absolutely harrowing to hear the evidence that Laken Riley fought for her life and fought for her dignity, as well as the statements made by her. my family and friends in court are breaking my heart.”

“We are grateful to Sheila Ross of the Board of Prosecutors for ensuring that a conviction was obtained, and we will continue to pray for all who knew and loved Laken,” Carr said.

Gonzalez lost his re-election bid this month. She handed over the charge to Ibarra Sheila Ross in February.

In response to a Fox News Digital inquiry into Gonzalez’s reasoning for not seeking the death penalty, the DA’s office told Fox News Digital that the reference in court documents to collateral consequences for undocumented defendants is “DA Gonzalez’s position with regarding sentencing in general”.

“Life without parole is a serious sentence and is a decision supported by the family, as heard in the impact statements delivered by Laken Riley’s family and friends during yesterday’s sentencing,” added a spokesperson for Gonzalez .

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