Donald Trump shared a scathing statement after the killer of Georgian nursing student Laken Riley, Jose Antonio Ibarra, was sentenced to life in prison without parole. Judge Patrick Haggard announced the guilty verdict on all charges on the fourth day of the murder trial in Athens, Georgia.

In a Truth Social post, the president-elect wrote: “Justice for Laeken RILEY! The illegal who murdered our beloved Laken Riley has just been found GUILTY on all counts for his heinous crimes. While the pain and heartbreak will last forever, hopefully this can help bring some peace and closure to her amazing family who fought for justice, and ensure that other families don’t have to go through what they went through.”

Trump added: “We love you, Laeken, and our hearts will always be with you. It is time to secure our border and remove these criminals and thugs from our country so something like this cannot happen again!”

‘This monster took away our chances to see Laeken graduate’

Ibarra, 26, an undocumented migrant from Venezuela, was convicted on 10 charges, including murder, kidnapping with bodily harm, aggravated assault with intent to rape, and tampering with evidence. Riley, a student at Augusta University, was found dead in a wooded area near the University of Georgia. Ibarra attacked and brutally murdered her while she was jogging. Riley was allegedly hit in the head several times with a rock and choked, according to court documents.

Riley’s heartbroken family described Ibarra in court as a “sick, deranged and evil coward”. “This monster has taken away our chances of seeing Laken graduate from nursing school. He took away our opportunity to meet our future son-in-law. He destroyed our chances of meeting our grandchildren. And he took my best friend,” Riley’s mother, Allyson Phillips, said on Wednesday, November 20.

“He ripped away every beautiful memory we will ever have with her,” she added.