A state senator is calling on Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr to file an emergency motion to step in and seek the death penalty against Raleigh’s killer, but Carr’s office maintains that he has one. There is no legal authority to do so.
Deborah Gonzalez, the district attorney for the Western Judicial District that encompasses 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 severe shock. Prosecutors said Abra dragged her down a forest trail and hit her on the head with a rock.
“I am formally calling on Attorney General Chris Carr to file an emergency motion to intervene and seek the death penalty for the killer of Raleigh,” State Sen. Colton Moore, a Republican, wrote on X. A radical political agenda stands in the way of justice, denying Lakin’s family, friends and community by refusing to seek the death penalty. They deserve full justice.”
“I’m very concerned, you know, about any student going to the University of Georgia when this area is now a safe city. And, you know, these killers, these people could come here, and they There’s no need to worry about the death penalty,” Moore told Fox News Digital. “Probably $2 million is what we as taxpayers have to pay to give him three meals a day and a bed for the rest of his life. You know, three warm and a bed.”
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Georgia prosecutors showed a photo of defendant Jose Ibarra jogging in court during his trial but before Riley’s murder. (Fox News)
A spokeswoman for Carr’s office said the state attorney general does not have 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 says that the Attorney General has jurisdiction in any felony case,” Moore told Fox News Digital. “And the state, I mean, the attorney general’s office has intervened in cases before. You know, they’re the chief law enforcement officer of our state. They should have known that the district attorney is one of the top law enforcement officers in the state. A more liberal district attorney than the country, that she was not going to pursue the death penalty, why even the death penalty in our state?
“I mean the evidence is clear, it’s not like we’re killing an innocent person here,” Moore said. “I mean, his DNA was under Riley’s fingernails. It was pretty clear that he’s guilty, he’s guilty. And in our state it’s the death penalty for a reason. And I can’t imagine any other crime. He is the chief law enforcement officer, it is expressly stated in the Constitution that he has jurisdiction.”
As for the section of the Georgia constitution that Moore cited, Carr’s office said it does not say the attorney general has jurisdiction over any crime, only the Supreme Court’s in death penalty cases. Representing the state in front.
District Attorney Deborah Gonzalez (Joshua L. Jones/USA TODAY Network/File)
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In a separate statement reacting to the verdict, Carr said that Riley’s death “should never have happened” and that it was “absolutely heartbreaking to hear that Riley fought for his life and his dignity. Fought, and his statements. Family and friends break my heart in court.”
“We are grateful to Sheila Ross with the Prosecuting Attorneys Council for ensuring that a conviction was obtained, and we will continue to pray for all those who knew and loved Lakin,” Carr said.
Gonzalez lost her re-election bid this month. He handed over Ibarra’s prosecution to Sheila Ross in February.
Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr (Megan Werner/Getty Images)
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In response to an inquiry from Fox News Digital about Gonzalez’s reasoning for not seeking the death penalty, the DA’s office told Fox News Digital that court documents refer to collective outcomes for undocumented defendants “generally.” DA Gonzalez’s stance on sentencing.”
A spokesman for Gonzalez added that “life without parole is an appropriately severe sentence and is a decision supported by the family, as during yesterday’s sentencing but also by Riley’s family and friends.” Heard in impact statements made by.”
