Bring Back the Death Penalty, Starting with Jose Ibarra

(WARNING: This article includes graphic details about Laken Riley's murder.)

According to actuary tables, Laken Riley, the 22-year-old nursing student who was brutally murdered by an illegal immigrant on February 22nd of this year, had roughly 60 years of life ahead of her. Tragically, Laken never got to graduate college and apply her medical training for the benefit of others. She was also denied the opportunity to get married, have children, raise a family, say goodbye to her parents, travel the world, and grow old with her future husband.

The person who denied Laken Riley her inalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness is a 26-year-old Venezuelan named Jose Antonio Ibarra, who entered the U.S. illegally in September 2022 by crossing the Rio Grande near El Paso, TX. Ibarra was apprehended by federal law enforcement officers but released into the U.S. under the Biden-Harris administration’s lax immigration policies.

Initially, Ibarra lived (at taxpayers’ expense) at the Roosevelt Hotel in New York City, which has been transformed into a migrant shelter featuring luxurious rooms and a lobby that once boasted chandeliers, massive vases filled with flowers, and a grand piano. While in New York, Ibarra was arrested on theft charges but was released by local officials before ICE could detain him and begin deportation proceedings.

Thanks for nothing, Mayor Adams and D.A. Bragg.

At some point, Ibarra was flown – again, at taxpayers’ expense – to Georgia, where he committed a series of relatively minor crimes including shoplifting with his brother, a member of the notorious Tren de Aragua gang. Then came that tragic February morning when, according to the prosecuting attorney, Ibarra “went out hunting” for someone to rape and eventually kill.

This week, Ibarra was found guilty on 10 different criminal counts that included malice murder, three counts of felony murder, kidnapping with bodily injury, aggravated assault with attempt to rape, and aggravated battery. The verdicts, delivered by Judge H. Patrick Haggard, were a foregone conclusion considering the overwhelming evidence in the case and the sheer brutality of the crimes. Ibarra’s thumbprint was found on Riley’s cell phone and her hair, blood, and other DNA were found on his discarded jacket. Ibarra’s DNA was also found under Riley’s fingernails.

“He put huge holes in her head with a rock,” said prosecutor Sheila Ross. “And he did it more than once. And there could be no other reason to do that, other than to silence her forever.” According to the medical examiner, Riley suffered a depressed skull fracture on the left side of her head, and part of her skull was driven into her brain. She also suffered eight lacerations to her head, possibly from being dragged 64'11" from the jogging trail into the brush.

Judge Haggard wasted no time in sentencing Ibarra to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Although Georgia is a death penalty state – with 77 criminals having been executed since 1983 and another 34 people currently sitting on death row – the Progressive district attorney who filed the charges precluded the death penalty from being considered.

That isn’t right. In fact, that is unconscionable.

According to the same actuary table cited above, Jose Ibarra can expect to live about 50 more years. As far as I am concerned, that is 50 years too long.

Along with the vast majority of Americans, I agree with Allyson Phillips, Laken Riley’s mother, who told Judge Haggard prior to sentencing, “This sick, twisted and evil coward showed no regard for Laken or human life. We [her family] are asking that the same be done for him.”

The Georgia Department of Corrections spends an estimated $25,000 per year to house each of the 47,000 felony offenders in its 34 different correctional institutions. That breaks down to roughly $70 per day.

If Jose Ibarra lives to be 76 years old, he will have lived 18,250 more days after his sentencing than Laken Riley… at a total cost of $1,277,500 to Georgia taxpayers (in 2024 dollars). Again, to me, that is 18,250 days too many.

Since the only method of execution allowed in Georgia is lethal injection, I did some research and found that the deadly mix of drugs that is used costs about $90. Add in the cost of the inmate’s last meal and we can round it up to $100. The ACLU claims that every execution results in the prison being placed in lockdown to prevent violent demonstrations, resulting in all the other inmates being served box meals at a total cost of $25,000.

OK, I’ll grant them that. So, an execution costs the state around $30,000 if we also include extra staffing, but it still would save taxpayers almost $1.25 million dollars if Jose Antonio Ibarra was put to death ASAP.

More importantly, it would also grant Laken Riley’s family the true justice that they deserve.