On Wednesday, Georgia prosecutors presented video footage of the moment Laken Riley’s family learned of her murder.
The bodycam video showed Riley’s mother, stepfather, and sister crying approaching officers about Riley — who was missing at the time. Riley’s mother is heard asking an officer, “Is she alive,” before an officer says he is not able to tell her.
Riley’s mother is spotted lying in the grass sobbing as her daughter and husband cry in the street.
READ: Laken Riley Murder Suspect Convicted on All Counts
“That is what they endured,” prosecutor Sheila Ross said regarding the 60-second clip played at sentencing.
Ibarra, 26, was convicted in a bench trial of killing Riley, 22, in February while she was out for a jog at the University of Georgia in Athens. The bodycam footage was shown to the court before Judge Patrick Haggard sentenced him to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
GBI microanalyst Alexander Covin testified that gloves the suspected murderer was filmed throwing in a recycling bin at Ibarra’s apartment “could have originated from the same source” as gloves found inside Ibarra’s residence. Meanwhile, the defense suggested that one of Ibarra’s brothers killed Laken.
Ibarra is from Venezuela and illegally entered the U.S. two years ago.
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[Feature Photo: CCTV]
