Following the guilty verdict rendered by the judge in the trial of Jose Ibarra for the murder of Laken Riley, her family delivered Victim’s Impact Statements to the court ahead of sentencing.
Ibarra, an illegal immigrant, was charged with Riley’s February 2024 murder and, following a bench trial, was found guilty by Judge H. Patrick Haggard on all 10 counts, including aggravated battery, kidnapping with bodily injury, aggravated assault with intent to rape, obstructing or hindering a person making a 911 call, and tampering with evidence.
Following the verdict, Laken’s mother, Allyson Phillips, delivered a heartrending victim’s impact statement:
Ibarra, an illegal immigrant, was charged with Riley’s February 2024 murder and, following a bench trial, was found guilty by Judge H. Patrick Haggard on all 10 counts, including aggravated battery, kidnapping with bodily injury, aggravated assault with intent to rape, obstructing or hindering a person making a 911 call, and tampering with evidence.
Following the verdict, Laken’s mother, Allyson Phillips, delivered a heartrending victim’s impact statement:
Through anguished tears, Phillips shared:
“He ripped away every beautiful memory we will ever be able to make with her again. This horrific individual robbed us all of our hopes and dreams for Laken. Your Honor, I’m asking you to please give Jose Ibarra the same thing he gave us when he made the choice to take Laken’s life and destroy ours. He showed no mercy on Laken when she was begging for her life. There’s no end to the pain and suffering that he inflicted on our family and our friends. I’m asking you to please give this monster life without any chance of parole so that he never gets the chance to hurt anyone else, ever again.”
Laken’s stepfather, John Phillips, also spoke, reading to the court a letter that Laken had written to her “future husband.”
“I’d like to thank Your Honor for the opportunity to speak today. I truly appreciate it. I heard in the opening statements from the defense that the loss of a life that was “apparently” full of promise is tragic. Well, I’m here today to let Your Honor and the entire world know that Laken’s life was not “apparently” full of promise; but instead, was abundantly and exceptionally full of promise, and was a shining beacon in the life of everyone that knew her and that ever came in contact with her. I am so proud of Laken and the beautiful person that she was. And while I could stand her and try to tell the world the things that made her such a wonderful person, as well as the many things we have all been robbed and deprived of, I think one of her last journal entries, dated 12/17/23, says it best. So, here we go:
“To my future husband — As silly as I feel writing this, my old small group leader once recommended it, so here I am. To my future husband: I want you to know that I’m thinking about you. I am working every day to become the best wife I can be by working through my current relationships to best prepare me for ours and our kids’ one day. I am focusing on God and what he defines as a faithful, Christian wife, and so that I can best embody those characteristics. I pray that you know that it is with my full faith and trust in God that I know this relationship has been handcrafted by Him. I pray that we continue to glorify the Lord, prioritizing Him in every aspect of our lives, and raise our family — our future family — to be God-fearing Christians as well. I pray God is the center of our relationship, as it is a gift from Him. I thank Him for you before I even know you. I can’t wait to love you in the best way I know how for the rest of our lives. I pray you know and feel the importance of my love and hopes for our relationship. No matter what challenges we face, I pray that our trust in God and love for one another overrules the obstacle. May our relationship last forever. Your future wife — Laken.”
“That, Your Honor, was our beautiful Laken. That, Your Honor, is just a glimpse of what was tragically taken from her and us that day. The best daughter, sister, granddaughter, friend, and overall person that you could ever hope to meet. While it’s true that none of our lives will ever be the same, we refuse to let this person rob Laken of the hope she gave to her family, loved ones, friends, and the world as a whole. We will proudly carry this hope on in her name, in the days ahead, and for the rest of our lives, because, together, we can all keep hope alive. So, today, I plead with this court to protect the world from this truly evil person by sentencing him to prison for life without the possibility of parole for any reason, so that he can never have the opportunity to do this to anyone else, ever again. Thank you, Your Honor.”
Laken’s father and sister also delivered statements, as did her roommates and best friends and other family members. It’s impossible to capture adequately the heartache conveyed in each of their heartbreaking missives.
After all had spoken, the prosecutor laid out the case for why Ibarra should be sentenced to life without the possibility of parole, sharing videos of Laken’s grieving mother upon learning the news of her death, and videos of happier times with Laken, full of life, laughing with her friends.
Defense counsel (unconvincingly) presented an argument as to why the possibility of parole should remain on the table.
Judge Haggard then sentenced Ibarra to life without the possibility of parole on Count I. The remaining counts were either vacated due to operation of law, or contained lesser sentences set to be served consecutive to preceding counts. In a nutshell, he is sentenced to life without parole, which is what the prosecution and Laken’s family requested.
So, earthly justice for Laken Riley. May she rest in peace.
